diff --git a/src/agents/failover-error.test.ts b/src/agents/failover-error.test.ts
index 4e4379bf5da..d550683923e 100644
--- a/src/agents/failover-error.test.ts
+++ b/src/agents/failover-error.test.ts
@@ -37,6 +37,20 @@ const GROQ_SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE_MESSAGE =
 describe("failover-error", () => {
   it("infers failover reason from HTTP status", () => {
     expect(resolveFailoverReasonFromError({ status: 402 })).toBe("billing");
+    // Anthropic Claude Max plan surfaces rate limits as HTTP 402 (#30484)
+    expect(
+      resolveFailoverReasonFromError({
+        status: 402,
+        message: "HTTP 402: request reached organization usage limit, try again later",
+      }),
+    ).toBe("rate_limit");
+    // Explicit billing messages on 402 stay classified as billing
+    expect(
+      resolveFailoverReasonFromError({
+        status: 402,
+        message: "insufficient credits — please top up your account",
+      }),
+    ).toBe("billing");
     expect(resolveFailoverReasonFromError({ statusCode: "429" })).toBe("rate_limit");
     expect(resolveFailoverReasonFromError({ status: 403 })).toBe("auth");
     expect(resolveFailoverReasonFromError({ status: 408 })).toBe("timeout");
diff --git a/src/agents/pi-embedded-helpers/errors.ts b/src/agents/pi-embedded-helpers/errors.ts
index e4944b0731c..6ac244ba3ea 100644
--- a/src/agents/pi-embedded-helpers/errors.ts
+++ b/src/agents/pi-embedded-helpers/errors.ts
@@ -260,6 +260,12 @@ export function classifyFailoverReasonFromHttpStatus(
   }
 
   if (status === 402) {
+    // Some providers (e.g. Anthropic Claude Max plan) surface temporary
+    // usage/rate-limit failures as HTTP 402. Prefer the explicit rate-limit
+    // signal from the payload text when available (#30484).
+    if (message && isRateLimitErrorMessage(message)) {
+      return "rate_limit";
+    }
     return "billing";
   }
   if (status === 429) {