Anthropic enforced a policy change at 12 PM PT today: Claude Pro and Max subscription tokens can no longer power third-party tools like OpenClaw. If your agents stopped working this afternoon, this guide will get you back online in under five minutes.
What Happened
Anthropic formally revised its Terms of Service in February 2026 to restrict OAuth authentication to Claude Code and the official Claude.ai interface. Server-side enforcement went live today, April 4, 2026. Subscription OAuth tokens sent by OpenClaw now return authentication errors.
The good news: Anthropic is offering a one-time credit equal to your monthly subscription price, redeemable until April 17. If you prefer to walk away entirely, a full refund is available.
Your Options
There are three viable paths forward:
- Claude CLI backend — delegate to the locally installed
claudebinary. Your Max subscription still works here because it uses the official client. - Anthropic API key — switch to pay-as-you-go metered billing directly through the API.
- Alternative providers — OpenAI, Gemini, DeepSeek, and others work out of the box with OpenClaw.
The CLI backend approach is the fastest option for existing Claude Max users who want to preserve their flat-rate subscription.
Migrating to the Claude CLI Backend
Step 1: Install the Claude CLI
If you do not have it already, install the official Claude CLI:
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
Verify it works:
claude --version
Step 2: Log in via Claude CLI
claude auth login
This opens your browser for standard OAuth sign-in through Anthropic's official client — the same flow Claude Code uses. Your Max subscription is valid here.
Step 3: Switch OpenClaw to the CLI Backend
Run the following command from an interactive terminal (this cannot be run through an agent):
openclaw models auth login --provider anthropic --method cli --set-default
This tells OpenClaw to delegate all Anthropic requests to the local claude binary rather than making direct API calls with your subscription token.
Step 4: Verify
Start or restart OpenClaw:
openclaw gateway restart
Send a test message to your agent. You should see responses flowing normally within seconds.
If You Prefer the Direct API
If you would rather avoid the CLI dependency, a direct API key is equally straightforward:
- Visit console.anthropic.com and generate an API key.
- Set it in OpenClaw:
openclaw config set providers.anthropic.apiKey YOUR_KEY - Restart the gateway.
API pricing is pay-per-token. For typical personal use, costs are often comparable to or lower than the monthly subscription, especially after Anthropic's offered credits are applied.
What About the One-Time Credit?
Anthropic confirmed it is issuing a credit equal to your current monthly plan to existing subscribers. This applies automatically to your account and offsets early API usage costs. Check your Anthropic billing dashboard to confirm receipt. The credit expires April 17, so activate API usage soon if you plan to use it.
Extra Usage Bundles
Anthropic is also offering pre-purchased "Extra Usage" bundles at up to 30% off for subscribers who want predictable monthly costs without the pay-as-you-go unpredictability. These appear in your account settings under Plans & Usage.
The Bottom Line
The disruption is real, but the workaround is clean. The Claude CLI backend is the fastest route for existing Max subscribers, requiring a single command to redirect OpenClaw's traffic through the official client. For users comfortable with API pricing, a direct key is even simpler. Either way, your OpenClaw setup can be fully operational again today.
If you run into issues, the OpenClaw docs on provider configuration have been updated to reflect the new authentication paths.