Anthropic essentially bans OpenClaw from Claude by making subscribers pay extra

The Verge AIby Jay PetersApril 3, 20263 min read2 views

Using OpenClaw with Claude AI is about to get a lot more expensive, thanks to Anthropic's new policy changes. Beginning April 4th at 3PM ET, users will "no longer be able to use your Claude subscription limits for third-party harnesses including OpenClaw," according to an email sent to users on Friday evening. Instead, if users [ ]

Claude subscriptions will no longer cover third-party access from tools like OpenClaw starting Saturday, April 4th.

by Jay Peters

Apr 3, 2026, 11:52 PM UTC

Image: The Verge

Jay Peters

is a senior reporter covering technology, gaming, and more. He joined The Verge in 2019 after nearly two years at Techmeme.

Using OpenClaw with Claude AI is about to get a lot more expensive, thanks to Anthropic’s new policy changes. Beginning April 4th at 3PM ET, users will “no longer be able to use your Claude subscription limits for third-party harnesses including OpenClaw,” according to an email sent to users on Friday evening. Instead, if users want to use OpenClaw with Claude, they’ll have to use a “pay-as-you-go option” that will be billed separate from their Claude subscription.

With OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger now employed by OpenAI, Anthropic may also be encouraging subscribers to use more of its own tools, like Claude Cowork, instead. Steinberger says that he and OpenClaw board member Dave Morin “tried to talk sense into Anthropic, best we managed was delaying this for a week.”

Starting tomorrow at 12pm PT, Claude subscriptions will no longer cover usage on third-party tools like OpenClaw.

You can still use these tools with your Claude login via extra usage bundles (now available at a discount), or with a Claude API key.

We’ve been working hard to meet the increase in demand for Claude, and our subscriptions weren’t built for the usage patterns of these third-party tools. Capacity is a resource we manage thoughtfully and we are prioritizing our customers using our products and API.

Subscribers get a one-time credit equal to your monthly plan cost. If you need more, you can now buy discounted usage bundles. To request a full refund, look for a link in your email tomorrow.

We want to be intentional in managing our growth to continue to serve our customers sustainably long-term. This change is a step toward that.

Anthropic didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment from The Verge.

OpenClaw exploded in popularity earlier this year after users said the AI agent could efficiently do things like manage inboxes, calendars, and even check in to flights. But it’s also apparently putting a strain on Anthropic’s infrastructure. Anthropic is giving subscribers “a one-time credit equal to your monthly plan cost” after these changes, Cherny says.

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