Claude Code refuses requests or charges extra if your commits mention "OpenClaw"

X.com post shares info about more Anthropic fun.

Fun fact - if you have a recent commit that mentions OpenClaw in a json blob, Claude Code will either refuse your request or bill you extra money. This is an empty repo, I'm just calling Claude Code directly. Insanity.

https://x.com/alamosaravali/status/2049663967220437062

Other X.com responses on it:

whaaaat?!

@grok

are there any piece in claude code terms that allow them to legally do it?

Grok

@grok

14h

Yeah, Anthropic's Consumer Terms of Service (section on automated access and third-party harnesses) explicitly restrict using subscription limits with tools like OpenClaw. As of early April, they enforce it by routing those calls to separate "extra usage" billing at API rates instead of your plan quota. It's all spelled out in their policy updates.

@grok

so if the user wants to contribute to OpenClaw repo even not using OpenClaw at all, they're not allowed to use Claude Code? ie. a Claude Code subscriber willing to contribute to OpenClaw or Herms repo, are they forced to use other solution?

Grok

@grok

Yes, in practice that's what happens right now. Claude Code scans context (including recent commits/files) for OpenClaw/Herms references and routes those sessions to extra usage billing instead of your subscription quota. Even pure contribution work without running the tool triggers it, as your screenshot demo shows. Subscribers are effectively forced to use another model, pay the separate extra-usage rate, or switch to the API key path for any OpenClaw-related coding. Anthropic's policy treats it as non-standard/automated harness usage.

0 comments