Google restricting Google AI Pro/Ultra subscribers for using OpenClaw • Hacker News Board

Re: Google restricting Google AI Pro/Ultra subscribers for using OpenClaw

#151

Post by LinXitoW » Mon, Feb 23, 2026, 1:26 AM UTC

gjsman-1000 wrote: post #33

cogman10 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can call the ToS draconian, yes. Just because something is in the ToS doesn't mean it's reasonable.

Why is it unreasonable? It’s a subsidized price; conditional to using their tooling. Don’t want to use their tooling? Pay the API rates. The API is sitting right there, ready to use for a broader range of purposes. It’s only unreasonable if you think the customer has a right to have their cake and eat it too.

A flat rate is always a mixture of low usage people subsidizing high usage people. It's disgusting that these companies want to have the advantages of subs, but then straight up ban any high usage people. Basically, there is no flatrate.

Re: Google restricting Google AI Pro/Ultra subscribers for using OpenClaw

#152

Post by jauntywundrkind » Mon, Feb 23, 2026, 1:27 AM UTC

therealmarv wrote: post #132

bethekind wrote: post #15

This is draconian. > Our investigation specifically confirmed that the use of your credentials within the third-party tool “open claw” for testing purposes constitutes a violation of the Google Terms of Service [1]. This is due to the use of Antigravity servers to power a non-Antigravity product. I must be transparent and inform you that, in accordance with Google’s policy, this situation falls under a zero tolerance…

How about giving the user a big warning to not do that and then block the account if the user continues. This total blocks are crazy. Especially for people who use their Google account for 20+ years or something.

Google's bundling of so many services into one account is becoming a gargantuan liability for them & their users.

This "zero tolerance" policy is just absurdly mega-goliath out of touch with the world. The sort of soulless brain dead corporatism that absolutely does not think for even a single millisecond about its decisions, that doesn't care about anything other than reducing customer support or complexity, no matter what the cost.

Kicking people off their accounts for this is Google being willing to cause enormous untoward damage. With basically not even the faintest willingness to try to correct. Gobsmacking vicious indifference, ok with suffering.

Re: Google restricting Google AI Pro/Ultra subscribers for using OpenClaw

#153

Post by Aperocky » Mon, Feb 23, 2026, 1:27 AM UTC

SilverSlash wrote: post #84

paultendo wrote: post #73

Of course Google can restrict how their API is accessed. But locking paid accounts with no warning, no explanation email, and no functioning support path while continuing to charge $249/month is a different problem entirely. A reasonable enforcement process would have been a warning email, grace period to stop using the tool, then restriction. What an awful way to lose trust, locking out their users but billing them…

Their "API" isn't what's being accessed here. As far as I understand it's using their subscription account oauth token in some third party app that's the issue here.

If they allowed oauth token to work like that then that is their (Google's) problem.

Re: Google restricting Google AI Pro/Ultra subscribers for using OpenClaw

#154

Post by dev1ycan » Mon, Feb 23, 2026, 1:28 AM UTC

gck1 wrote: post #149

I don't understand how this can be enforced without ridiculous levels of false positives. I'm truly baffled. The same with Claude Code situation. gemini-cli, claude-code, codex etc, they ALL have a -p flag or equivalent, which is non-interactive IO interface for their LLM inference. If I wire my tooling (or openclaw) to use the -p flag (or equivalents), is that allowed? Okay, maybe they get rid of the -p flag and I h…

Every subscription's profitability stands on people forgetting to unsubscribe, how is this surprising?

Re: Google restricting Google AI Pro/Ultra subscribers for using OpenClaw

#155

Post by jauntywundrkind » Mon, Feb 23, 2026, 1:28 AM UTC

gjsman-1000 wrote: post #33

cogman10 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can call the ToS draconian, yes. Just because something is in the ToS doesn't mean it's reasonable.

Why is it unreasonable? It’s a subsidized price; conditional to using their tooling. Don’t want to use their tooling? Pay the API rates. The API is sitting right there, ready to use for a broader range of purposes. It’s only unreasonable if you think the customer has a right to have their cake and eat it too.

We can debate on the policy.

The punishment, of being kicked out of your Google account for a zero-tolerance first offense, is completely unreasonable, is incredibly extreme Lawful Evil alignment.

The damage to individuals that Google is willing to just hand out here, to customers they have had for decades, who have their lives built around Google products, is absurd. This is criminally bad behavior and whatever the terms of service say, this is an affront to the dignity of man. This is evil. And beyond any conceivable reason.

Edit: perhaps not the entire account is locked? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47116330

Re: Google restricting Google AI Pro/Ultra subscribers for using OpenClaw

#156

Post by ltbarcly3 » Mon, Feb 23, 2026, 1:29 AM UTC

prescriptivist wrote: post #146

Assuming these plans are based on Gemini, Google is doing these users a favor, frankly.

I don't think you've used it lately. Gemini 2/2.5 were garbage-tier. The flash level models are absolute trash. 3/3.1 pro are state of the art.

Re: Google restricting Google AI Pro/Ultra subscribers for using OpenClaw

#157

Post by helsinkiandrew » Mon, Feb 23, 2026, 1:29 AM UTC

So a Google AI pro/ultra account is intended to be used from their cli or tools (like their open-gravity agent front end).

Their API usage isn't included in these plans, although under the hood open-gravity uses the API.

People have been using the API auth credential intended for anti-gravity with open claw, presumably causing a significant amount of use and have been caught.

The Google admin tools and process haven’t quite been able to cope with this situation and people have been overly banned with poor information sent to the them.

I don’t think either OpenAI or Anthropic any API use in their ‘pro’ plans either?

This reminds me of the customers of “unlimited broadband” of yesteryear getting throttled or banned for running Tor servers.

Re: Google restricting Google AI Pro/Ultra subscribers for using OpenClaw

#158

Post by LinXitoW » Mon, Feb 23, 2026, 1:29 AM UTC

NewsaHackO wrote: post #138

CuriouslyC wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OpenAI and the Chinese companies let you all you can eat openly. Anthropic's lead vs OAI is slight and these things are going to homogenize quickly. The market is going open and the people trying to keep it closed are just generating ill will pointlessly.

>OpenAI and the Chinese companies let you all you can eat openly. You say this, but I guarantee that when they do offer a plan similar to Google/Anthropic's dedicated coding "unlimited" subscription, they will do the exact same thing. Maybe they will let OpenClaw in as a first party because of their partnership with the creator.

But none of these are unlimited, that was never the expectation. It's a flat rate for a flat (but hidden) amount of usage. What's disgusting is that they want the good parts of subs (low usage subs), but then just ban the bad parts (high usage people). I don't care whether that's technically possible, it's incredibly scummy.

Re: Google restricting Google AI Pro/Ultra subscribers for using OpenClaw

#159

Post by rustyhancock » Mon, Feb 23, 2026, 1:29 AM UTC

martinald wrote: post #125

obblekk wrote: post #111

This is the first time in recent memory that software has had high variable costs so the surprise at these rules is understandable. In this case, a the difference in context cache hit rate between openclaw and antigravity. For example if openclaw starts every message with the current time hh:mm:ss at the top of the context window, followed by the full convo history, it would have a cache hit rate if ~0. Simply moving…

It's a fair point, but I think people are thinking too much about 'cost' and 'subsidies' and just the fact that everyone is so compute stretched. While it's sort of the same thing, I think it's much more a symptom of not enough compute vs some 'dump cheap tokens' on the market strategy. One related thought I had was that given OpenAI is the only one _not_ doing this of the big3, it probably indicates they have a lot…

I agree with all this.

I would add though that many are also being caught up in antispam efforts.

I.e. that for every legimate OpenClaw user doing something trivial with their account misusing the sub. There is probably 10x using it to send spam emails and spam comments.

I suspect from googles perspective some of these people are just a rounding error.

That said I use API where I should and the sub in the first party apps. Perhaps I'm too much of a goody two shoes but AI already feels such an overwhelming value prop for me I don't care.

That said I think you're right in that money matters here but I think the subs as they intend people to use them is hugely profitable i.e. the people doing 10 chats per work day and a few in the evening but paying £20 per month.

Re: Google restricting Google AI Pro/Ultra subscribers for using OpenClaw

#160

Post by wyre » Mon, Feb 23, 2026, 1:30 AM UTC

NewsaHackO wrote: post #138

CuriouslyC wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OpenAI and the Chinese companies let you all you can eat openly. Anthropic's lead vs OAI is slight and these things are going to homogenize quickly. The market is going open and the people trying to keep it closed are just generating ill will pointlessly.

>OpenAI and the Chinese companies let you all you can eat openly. You say this, but I guarantee that when they do offer a plan similar to Google/Anthropic's dedicated coding "unlimited" subscription, they will do the exact same thing. Maybe they will let OpenClaw in as a first party because of their partnership with the creator.

hmm? openAI has a $200 subscription too.

https://chatgpt.com/explore/pro