The shift reflects how the company is adjusting its pricing model for more complex usage patterns. Anthropic’s head of Claude Code, Boris Cherny, said subscriptions were not designed to support how these external tools are being used and that the company is working “to be intentional in managing our growth to continue to serve our customers sustainably long-term.”
The decision has drawn pushback from developers tied to OpenClaw. Its creator, Peter Steinberger, said he and others attempted to delay the change, ultimately pushing it back by a week. He also criticized the timing, noting Anthropic had recently added similar features to its own tools before restricting external ones.
Anthropic, however, framed the move as a technical and operational adjustment rather than a shift away from open-source support. Cherny said the team remains supportive of open-source projects and pointed to recent contributions aimed at improving OpenClaw performance. He added that refunds are being offered to users who were unaware of the limitations around third-party usage.
The change comes amid broader competition for developer adoption. OpenClaw continues as an open-source project, now backed by OpenAI after Steinberger joined the company. At the same time, OpenAI has reportedly scaled back parts of its own product lineup, including its Sora video tools, as it focuses more heavily on software developers and enterprise users.
Anthropic’s pricing update highlights increasing pressure on AI companies to manage infrastructure costs tied to advanced workflows, particularly as developer-focused tools grow in complexity.
This analysis is based on reporting from TechCrunch.
Image courtesy of The Verge.
This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy and quality.
