Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Tell HN: Anthropic no longer allowing Claude Code subscriptions to use OpenClaw

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 928 posts

Re: Tell HN: Anthropic no longer allowing Claude Code subscriptions to use OpenClaw

#11

Post by jasonlotito »

Yes, this was made clear a while back and should not be a surprise. (Honestly, I had to double-check the date/time to see if this was actually posted today.

You can use your Claude Code subscription with third-party tools, but you have to use the Claude Code harness. Or, you use the API. OpenClaw could use the Claude Code harness, but they don't.

Re: Tell HN: Anthropic no longer allowing Claude Code subscriptions to use OpenClaw

#12

Post by bitpush »

SkyPuncher wrote: post #9

Just give me a subscription tier where I’m not being blocked out every afternoon. Im hitting rate limits within 1:45 during afternoons. I can’t justify extra usage since it’s a variable cost, but I can justify a higher subscription tier.

even higher than $200? gosh, what are you doing to hit limits every day?

Re: Tell HN: Anthropic no longer allowing Claude Code subscriptions to use OpenClaw

#13

Post by 2001zhaozhao »

There are going to be a lot of tools coming soon that are "agent-agnostic", i.e. can run on CLIs including Claude Code. I am personally experimenting with using a combo of MCP + custom UI layer to provide custom tools with bespoke UX and thus turn Claude Code (or any other CLI agent for that matter) into whatever I want. I wonder how they'll deal with that.

For a good existing example developed by a known company, check Cline Kanban: https://cline.bot/kanban

They don't have the MCP-bundling idea that I'm experimenting with, however.

Re: Tell HN: Anthropic no longer allowing Claude Code subscriptions to use OpenClaw

#14

Post by jasonlotito »

cat-turner wrote: post #7

Doesn't this unfairly impact startups? Why not instead allow issuance of API keys with usage caps? It seems like a money grab.

> you’ll no longer be able to use your Claude subscription limits for third-party harnesses including OpenClaw. You can still use them with your Claude account, but they will require extra usage, a pay-as-you-go option billed separately from your subscription.

How is what you are asking for different from what they are saying?

Re: Tell HN: Anthropic no longer allowing Claude Code subscriptions to use OpenClaw

#15

Post by firloop »

jasonlotito wrote: post #11

Yes, this was made clear a while back and should not be a surprise. (Honestly, I had to double-check the date/time to see if this was actually posted today. You can use your Claude Code subscription with third-party tools, but you have to use the Claude Code harness. Or, you use the API. OpenClaw could use the Claude Code harness, but they don't.

FWIW I am sympathetic to Anthropic here, but OpenClaw _is_ using the Claude Code harness (via claude -p). But yes, Anthropic has made it clear they don’t like this.

Re: Tell HN: Anthropic no longer allowing Claude Code subscriptions to use OpenClaw

#16

Post by windexh8er »

HellsMaddy wrote: post #6

I received it too. I wonder if they sent this to all pro/max subscribers or only those who they’ve flagged as having used a third party harness.

I have a few accounts but have been avoiding OpenCode with my Pro/Max accounts because I had heard some were being banned. Have only been using Anthropic models through OpenRouter, but it ends up being cost prohibitive for anything reasonably complex. But, I haven't received emails in either account around the change. Anthropic probably figures that it's less ideal to draw attention to it if a user isn't using it in that way. Personally I'm not a fan of what they're doing and will likely drop them and go out of my way to find a different option and move away from their lock-in strategy. They're really no different than OpenAI at this point (for the worst).

Re: Tell HN: Anthropic no longer allowing Claude Code subscriptions to use OpenClaw

#17

Post by SpicyLemonZest »

eagleinparadise wrote: post #4

Anthropic measures your usage based on token consumption We are paying for a certain amount of token consumption Why then, is this an outsized strain on your system Anthropic? It's like buying gasoline from Shell, and then Shell's terms of services forcing you to use that gas in a Hummer that does 5 MPG, while everyone else wants to drive any other vehicle.

If you're on a subscription plan, you're paying for a certain amount of maximum token consumption. Mass market consumers generally prefer this model to one where they're billed for actual usage. But making it work requires statistical estimates of how much people will consume, which often requires excluding third party tools that circumvent those estimates.

To use your analogy, if Shell sold you a subscription to fill up your Hummer up to 30 times a month, they wouldn't let you use that subscription to fill gas cans with a GMC logo taped to the side. They couldn't, without overcharging the people who just want to average out their cost of driving.

Re: Tell HN: Anthropic no longer allowing Claude Code subscriptions to use OpenClaw

#20

Post by mh- »

HellsMaddy wrote: post #6

I received it too. I wonder if they sent this to all pro/max subscribers or only those who they’ve flagged as having used a third party harness.

FWIW: I did not receive it, and have never used my subscription outside of first party Claude tools. I was, however, able to claim the extra usage credit.

Interestingly, it looks like I haven't received a non-receipt email from them since August 2025.

Post reply on HN