Anthropic recently announced fundamental changes to the pricing policy of its coding assistant, Claude Code. The new restrictions require subscribers to pay additional fees when using the tool via external platforms such as OpenClaw. This decision coincides with prominent shifts in the tech arena regarding alliances among artificial intelligence giants.
The restrictions have been imposed on Claude subscriptions (such as Pro and Max), as these packages no longer cover the use of tools belonging to external platforms like OpenClaw. Users must now follow a "pay-as-you-go" system when running these tools.
Anthropic's new policy has sparked widespread controversy, especially among cryptocurrency developers who rely on AI agents to manage portfolios and execute trades automatically. Costs have risen exorbitantly; in some cases, the cost of running a single AI agent for a full day can reach between $1,000 and $5,000.
Why Did Anthropic Impose Additional Fees on Claude Code?
Boris Cherny, the Claude Code team lead at Anthropic, justified this decision by citing engineering constraints and pressures resulting from rapid growth. He pointed out that current subscription systems were not designed to accommodate the intensive usage patterns imposed by external platforms, necessitating a readjustment of service pricing policies to ensure sustainable growth and maintain service continuity efficiently.
Cherny confirmed this policy via the X platform, explaining that external tools consume resources beyond what is provided by prompt caching technologies and other efficiency improvements available in the company's own products. He noted that the decision is primarily due to the company's specific engineering and software constraints, and is not related to competing with other companies.
However, Peter Steinberger, creator of OpenClaw, criticized Anthropic's new policy, accusing the company of monopolistic practices. He also pointed out that Anthropic first copied popular features into its closed tools, then began marginalizing open-source projects by raising costs.
Activating "Overage" Billing Instead of Fixed Subscriptions
Access to Claude Code via OpenClaw remains available, as developers can continue their workflows by activating Anthropic's "overage" billing system (on a pay-as-you-go basis), or by switching to direct API keys.
Anthropic also offered compensation to users, providing a one-time credit equivalent to a full month's subscription (available to claim until April 17, 2026), in addition to discounts of up to 30% on prepaid overage packages, along with a full refund option.
The company confirmed that basic subscription packages will remain valid for running Anthropic's own services, such as Claude.ai, Claude Code, and Claude Cowork.
