Anthropic Restricts Claude Code API Access, Igniting Developer Backlash

Anthropic has unilaterally initiated a policy change, preventing users of its subsidized Claude Code subscription plans from utilizing their API keys with third-party applications. This abrupt restriction, which manifested as an “unauthorized” credential error, immediately impacted popular developer tools like Open Code and Claudebot, sparking a significant outcry within the developer community.

The Claude Code plans, priced at $100 for ‘5x’ and $200 for ‘20x’ usage tiers, were established to provide power users with substantially higher token limits than standard API rates, effectively subsidizing usage to thousands of dollars in value. While Anthropic, through an employee statement, cited concerns over unusual traffic patterns, lack of telemetry for debugging, and terms of service violations, developers largely perceive this as an aggressive lock-in strategy. Critics highlight Anthropic’s history of what they describe as anti-developer practices, including numerous DMCA requests and cutting off access for other companies like XAI. This move is interpreted as an attempt to funnel users into Anthropic’s proprietary tools and closed-source Agent SDK, leveraging their model’s perceived superiority to control the developer experience, even at the cost of fostering innovation on open platforms. In stark contrast, other major LLM providers like OpenAI and Google are reportedly collaborating with third-party tools such as Open Code to integrate subscriptions directly, offering a more open approach to their developer ecosystems.