` Hi,
Starting April 4 at 12pm PT / 8pm BST, you’ll no longer be able to use your Claude subscription limits for third-party harnesses including OpenClaw. You can still use them with your Claude account, but they will require extra usage, a pay-as-you-go option billed separately from your subscription.
Your subscription still covers all Claude products, including Claude Code and Claude Cowork. To keep using third-party harnesses with your Claude login, turn on extra usage for your account. This will be enforced April 4 starting with OpenClaw, but this policy applies to all third-party harnesses and will be rolled out to more shortly (read more).
To make the transition easier, we’re offering a one-time credit for extra usage equal to your monthly subscription price. Redeem your credit by April 17. We’re also introducing discounts when you pre-purchase bundles of extra usage (up to 30%).
We’ve been working to manage demand across the board, but these tools put an outsized strain on our systems. Capacity is a resource we manage carefully and we need to prioritize our customers using our core products. You will receive another email from us tomorrow where you’ll have the ability to refund your subscription if you prefer. `
What's changing:
- Claude sub still works for Claude ai, Claude Code, Claude cowork - OpenClaw (and other third-party harnesses) now requires "extra usage", which is pay-as-you-go billed separately from your sub - You need to enable extra usage in your account settings to keep using Claude through OpenClaw - This starts with OpenClaw but they say it will apply to all third-party harnesses soon.
Their reasoning: OpenClaw and similar tools put "outsized strain" on their systems and they want to prioritize capacity for their own products.
If you're running OpenClaw with Claude as your main model this basically doubles your cost overnight.
delphic-frog•1h ago