Bad news! Boris Cherny, head of Anthropic Claude Code, announced a major policy change this week: starting April 4, 2026, at 12:00 PM (Pacific Time), users who use third-party tools such as OpenClaw and log in with a Claude Pro/Max subscription will no longer receive the credits included in their subscription. This means users will continue to pay their monthly fee, but the AI usage of third-party tools will be charged separately.
The impact is actually quite large. OpenClaw is one of the most watched open-source AI agent projects this year. After connecting with Claude, many people have transformed from code assistants into personal assistants who can handle emails, manage calendars, and check in for flights. Its popularity, especially in China, has forced Anthropic to respond directly.
How do OAuth vulnerabilities work?
Behind OpenClaw's meteoric rise lies a key technical detail. Users discovered that Claude Pro/Max subscription accounts generate an OAuth token (environment variable name CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN ) during authentication. By copying this token and feeding it to OpenClaw, third-party tools can call Claude as subscribers, completely bypassing Anthropic's API billing.
Paying a monthly fee for a Pro subscription allows third-party tools to mistakenly believe they are using the official platform, shifting all computing costs onto Anthropic. This vulnerability was discovered by the community at the end of 2025. Anthropic was briefly shut down in January 2026 before being restored, but the problem was never fundamentally resolved.
Anthropic is facing a shortage of computing power, so in the announcement they stated that their products were never designed for the high-intensity usage patterns of third-party tools, and the company needs to allocate computing power more prudently, prioritizing the service quality of official products and normal API users.
Compensation plans and alternative paths for users
Anthropic offers three solutions for affected subscribers.
First, you can receive a one-time credit equal to the monthly subscription fee, which can be used to offset subsequent charges. Second, you can purchase an extra usage package at a discounted price to keep your third-party tools running. Third, you can choose to request a full refund via a link in the email.
If users wish to continue using Claude on OpenClaw, the technical path remains the same, but they will need to apply for an Anthropic API key themselves, and will be charged based on actual usage, instead of using the free subscription. This path is roughly the same cost for light users, but for heavy Claude users, the bill may be significantly higher.
From a business perspective, Claude Code alone generates approximately $2.5 billion in annualized revenue, while Anthropic's overall valuation has reached $380 billion, with annualized revenue exceeding $14 billion. At this scale, any systemic "free computing power" loophole directly harms their gross profit. 
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