A shock for OpenClaw users.

Starting April 4th, Claude users can no longer use their subscription plan to access third-party tools like OpenClaw; instead, they must pay an additional fee separately.

Many people are exploiting loopholes in the subscription package policy to use Claude at a cheaper price than the usual token-based pricing. Photo: Hung Phi .

Anthropic has just disabled the feature that allows users of paid Claude accounts to run third-party tools. The decision, effective April 4th, directly affects users of OpenClaw and similar applications.

According to a notification sent to users, they must now switch to a pay-per-use plan instead of sharing a limit with their existing subscription.

"Our subscription packages are not designed for the use of third-party tools. Resources must be managed purposefully, and we are prioritizing customers using our own products and APIs," explains Boris Cherny, managing director of Claude Code at Anthropic.

OpenClaw experienced a surge in users from the beginning of 2026 thanks to its automation capabilities such as mailbox management, calendar management, and even flight check-in. However, this growth also put significant pressure on the Anthropic infrastructure. In theory, OpenClaw users paying with tokens when using Claude's API, meaning they are charged based on usage.

However, tools like OpenClaw and OpenCode previously exploited authentication vulnerabilities to use token subscription packages to access APIs, at a cost 5-10 times lower than a regular API. The Claude Max package costs $200 /month, while using the API directly with equivalent intensity can exceed $1,000 /month.

Anthropic will provide a one-time refund equal to the cost of each user's current monthly plan. Additionally, the company is offering bundled plans at better prices for those who wish to continue using third-party tools.

This decision reflects a general trend in the industry: separating packages for general users from those for businesses with high usage, ensuring that high-volume users contribute proportionally to infrastructure costs.

Source: https://znews.vn/cu-soc-voi-nguoi-dung-openclaw-post1640879.html