Anthropic cuts OpenClaw from Claude subscriptions
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- Anthropic will end Claude subscription coverage for third-party tools like OpenClaw starting April 4th at 3PM ET, according to an email sent to users Friday.
- Users who want to continue running OpenClaw through Claude must switch to a pay-as-you-go option billed separately from their subscription, or supply a Claude API key.
- Peter Steinberger, OpenClaw's creator who is now employed by OpenAI, said he and OpenClaw board member Dave Morin "tried to talk sense into Anthropic" but only managed to delay the change by a week.
- Anthropic Claude Code exec Boris Cherny framed the policy as capacity management, saying subscriptions "weren't built for the usage patterns of these third-party tools" and that Anthropic is prioritizing customers using its own products and API.
- Affected subscribers receive a one-time credit equal to their monthly plan cost, with the option to purchase discounted usage bundles or request a full refund.
- OpenClaw surged in popularity earlier this year for handling tasks like inbox management, calendar scheduling, and flight check-ins, but the traffic spike apparently strained Anthropic's infrastructure — and the company is now steering users toward its own Claude Cowork tool.
Why it matters: OpenClaw users who relied on their Claude subscription to power the third-party agent now face separate pay-as-you-go charges, raising the cost of the tool overnight. Anthropic's Boris Cherny frames the move as sustainable capacity management, but the policy lands just as OpenClaw's creator joined OpenAI — giving the company a convenient reason to redirect subscribers toward its own products like Claude Cowork.
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