Claude restricts third-party harness usage including OpenClaw starting April 4
Anthropic is implementing a policy change that affects developers using Claude with third-party harnesses like OpenClaw. Starting April 4 at 12pm PT / 8pm BST, Claude subscription limits will no longer cover usage through third-party harnesses.
Key Policy Changes
According to an email shared on r/openclaw, here are the specific details:
- Starting April 4, you cannot use your Claude subscription limits for third-party harnesses including OpenClaw
- You can still use third-party harnesses with your Claude account, but they will require extra usage billed separately from your subscription via pay-as-you-go
- Your subscription still covers all Claude products including Claude Code and Claude Cowork
- To keep using third-party harnesses with your Claude login, you must turn on extra usage for your account
- This policy will be enforced starting with OpenClaw on April 4, then rolled out to other third-party harnesses shortly
Transition Details
The email outlines several transition measures:
- A one-time credit for extra usage equal to your monthly subscription price
- Credit must be redeemed by April 17
- Discounts of up to 30% when pre-purchasing bundles of extra usage
- Users will receive another email tomorrow with the ability to refund their subscription if preferred
The policy change appears driven by capacity management concerns, with the email stating that third-party harnesses "put an outsized strain on our systems" and that Anthropic needs to "prioritize our customers using our core products."
📖 Read the full source: r/openclaw
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