Claude Code subscribers using Anthropic’s coding assistant with OpenClaw and other third-party tools will face price hikes. Per an email shared on Hacker News, Anthropic announced that from noon Pacific on April 4, clients must pay extra for third-party harness use, such as OpenClaw, through a separate pay-as-you-go option, rather than their Claude subscription limits. While targeting OpenClaw first, this policy will soon cover all third-party harnesses.
Boris Cherny, head of Claude Code, explained on X that the subscriptions weren’t designed for third-party tool usage patterns, aiming for sustainable customer service management long-term. This development follows OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger’s move to OpenAI, with OpenClaw continuing as an open-source initiative supported by OpenAI. Steinberger shared on social media that he and board member Dave Morin attempted to negotiate with Anthropic, only succeeding in delaying the price hikes by a week. He remarked on how Anthropic integrated popular features before blocking open-source access.
Cherny countered on X, affirming Claude Code’s appreciation for open source and mentioning his own contributions to improve OpenClaw’s prompt cache efficiency. He attributed the move to engineering constraints and offered full refunds, recognizing the confusion regarding support. Meanwhile, OpenAI recently shut down its Sora app and video generation models to reallocate resources and focus efforts on products like Claude Code that attract software engineers and enterprises.