Claude subscriptions can no longer be used with third-party tools such as OpenClaw; extra usage bundles or an API key are required

Boris Cherny, who is in charge of Anthropic's Claude Code division, indicated on his X account that the company will no longer allow third-party tools such as OpenClaw to be used with Claude subscriptions.

This change will take effect at noon Pacific Time on April 4, 2026, which is 4:00 a.m.

As a result of this change, even if you subscribe to Claude's paid subscription service, you will no longer be able to log in to and use external tools such as OpenClaw with your Claude account.

If you want to use such tools going forward, you will need to purchase the extra usage bundles currently being offered at a discounted price, or use a Claude API key.

Cherny stated that although Anthropic has been working to meet the growing demand for Claude, the company's subscription service was not designed to support third-party tool usage patterns, and that it prioritizes users of its own products and API.

For existing subscribers to Claude's paid subscription service, the company is granting a one-time credit equal to the monthly fee, and if more is needed, extra usage bundles can be purchased at a discounted price.

The credits granted to existing subscribers must be used by April 17, after which they will expire.

In addition, if you want a full refund, you will be able to request one via a link in an email that will be sent later.

As of January of this year, Anthropic had already indicated a policy prohibiting the use of subscriptions with third-party tools, and this time it has re-emphasized that policy while also granting benefits to existing subscribers.

OpenAI, a competitor of Anthropic, has released a tool called the Codex App Server that allows users to log in to and use third-party tools with their ChatGPT subscription, which stands in contrast to Anthropic.

In mid-February, the developer of OpenClaw joined OpenAI.