Anthropic has announced a significant change regarding its acclaimed AI agent platform, OpenClaw, which will no longer be supported through Claude subscriptions. The announcement comes as the company faces mounting demand for its chatbot, Claude. Boris Cherny, head of Claude Code, communicated this decision in an X post, stating that beginning at 12 p.m. PT on Saturday, users will need to transition to discounted “extra usage bundles” linked to their Claude login or utilize a separate Claude API key via Anthropic’s developer platform.
Cherny attributed the decision to the escalating compute demands experienced by the company. Claude’s rapid ascent in popularity was noted, particularly after it surged to the top of the U.S. Apple App Store in March. Just last week, Anthropic had to revise the usage limits for subscribers in response to the increasing demand.
In his X post, Cherny emphasized the company’s commitment to managing resources effectively, stating, “We’ve been working hard to meet the increase in demand for Claude, and our subscriptions weren’t built for the usage patterns of these third-party tools. Capacity is a resource we manage thoughtfully, and we are prioritizing our customers using our products and API.”
Furthermore, an Anthropic spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider that utilizing Claude subscriptions with third-party tools contravenes the company’s terms of service. They stipulated that such tools impose an “outsized strain on our systems.”
In response to the changes, Peter Steinberger, the creator of OpenClaw, claimed in a post that he and a board member, Dave Morin, attempted to negotiate with Anthropic and had delayed the decision by a week. Steinberger explained, “We told Anthropic that we have many users who only signed up for their sub because of OpenClaw and that it’d be a loss if they cut them off.” He also criticized the timing of the announcement, suggesting that it was intentionally downplayed by being released on a Friday night.
OpenClaw has gained momentum as a rising AI agent platform, connecting users with Claude and enabling the deployment of personal AI assistants. These assistants have been reported to significantly streamline daily tasks across various applications and workflows. Some users have attested to creating numerous AI agents to manage everything from administrative responsibilities to household logistics.
Anthropic’s decision places it in a broader trend among tech companies facing challenges related to third-party integrations. Recently, Google also restricted users of its Gemini CLI from utilizing third-party tools, framing that action as a violation of terms rather than a direct capacity issue. As the landscape of AI technology evolves, companies are increasingly grappling with how to balance demand with infrastructure capabilities.
