Anthropic, the AI firm behind the Claude chatbot, will begin charging Claude Code subscribers additional fees for using third-party tools like OpenClaw. Starting April 4th, usage through these “harnesses” will no longer be included in standard Claude subscriptions and will instead require pay-as-you-go billing.
Policy Change and Rationale
The change, announced via customer email and confirmed by Anthropic’s head of Claude Code, Boris Cherny, is driven by unsustainable usage patterns. According to Cherny, current subscription models were not designed to accommodate the resource demands of these third-party applications. The company states it needs to manage growth responsibly to ensure long-term service quality.
OpenClaw and OpenAI Connection
This move follows Peter Steinberger, the creator of OpenClaw, announcing his departure to OpenAI. OpenClaw will continue as an open-source project with OpenAI’s support. Steinberger alleges that Anthropic deliberately delayed this pricing change until after his departure, claiming they first copied popular OpenClaw features into their own closed-source tool before restricting access.
Anthropic’s Response
Cherny disputes these claims, stating Anthropic remains supportive of open-source initiatives. He points to recent contributions made by the Claude team to improve OpenClaw’s prompt caching efficiency as evidence. Anthropic will offer full refunds to subscribers unaware of the existing limitations. The company emphasizes this is a technical issue, not a deliberate attempt to stifle open-source development.
The key takeaway : Anthropic is tightening access to third-party tools on Claude Code due to resource constraints, a decision accelerated by the creator of OpenClaw joining competitor OpenAI. This shift signals a broader trend toward stricter control over how AI models are integrated with external applications.
