Anthropic: The Claude subscription service will no longer cover the usage rights for third-party tools such as OpenClaw

AI company Anthropic announced that starting from April 4 at 15:00 Eastern Time, it will prohibit access to third-party tools through the Claude subscription service, including the open-source project OpenClaw. The new regulations require that related features can only be used through additional packages or billed on a pay-as-you-go basis via API.

This adjustment means that many developers and teams relying on OpenClaw to build automated workflows will shift from a fixed subscription cost model to an unlimited pay-as-you-go system, significantly increasing overall usage costs. Some developers have indicated that the original usage cost of about $20/month could soar to hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

The market generally believes that this move is related to OpenClaw founder Peter Steinberger's recent joining of OpenAI. Meanwhile, Anthropic is accelerating the promotion of its own tool ecosystem, including native integration solutions for Claude, to replace third-party toolchains.

It is worth noting that Anthropic has previously tightened third-party access through technical restrictions, updates to service terms, and feature replacements. This policy is seen as a "final blockade" and will be extended to more tools.

Industry analysis points out that this event reflects an intensifying trend of "ecosystem tightening" in AI platforms, with leading companies strengthening control through vertical integration. At the same time, the developer ecosystem faces rising cost uncertainties and platform dependency risks, which may further drive some users toward more open alternatives.