Anthropic gives free Claude users three Opus 5 messages

Anthropic has begun offering three free messages of its Opus 5 model to some Claude users on free accounts, without any official announcement. The offer appears in the model selector with a "3 free" label, but there is no visible way to activate it. Opus 5 was previously limited to paid plans and the API after its July 24 launch, while the lower-tier Sonnet 5 has been free since June 30. The message count decreases with each use, and the allowance does not reset after Claude's standard five-hour limit. Anthropic has not explained how free accounts are selected, and most users still see an upgrade option. It remains unclear whether the three messages are a one-time trial or could return, suggesting this is a limited test rather than a permanent feature.