Anthropic separates Claude subscriptions from third-party tool usage
Anthropic has notified users that Claude Pro and Team subscriptions will no longer cover usage through third-party tools like OpenClaw, effective April 4 at 12pm PT.
What's changing
Starting tomorrow, your Claude subscription will work only for:
- Claude AI
- Claude Code
- Claude cowork
OpenClaw and other third-party harnesses now require "extra usage," which is pay-as-you-go and billed separately from your subscription. You need to enable extra usage in your account settings to keep using Claude through OpenClaw.
This change starts with OpenClaw but will apply to all third-party harnesses soon.
Reasoning and impact
Anthropic states that OpenClaw and similar tools put "outsized strain" on their systems, and they want to prioritize capacity for their own products.
If you're running OpenClaw with Claude as your main model, this effectively doubles your cost overnight. Users who receive the email can claim AI credits.
📖 Read the full source: r/openclaw
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