# Claude Code just walled off your subscription.

Mid‑task.

Max plan.

And then this line shows up and murders your workflow:

(ON SCREEN: `RooCodeInc/Roo-Code#10566` — timestamp + excerpt)

> “This credential is only authorized for use with Claude Code and cannot be used for other API requests.”

[PAUSE_250]

That’s not a bug.

That’s a boundary.

**A subscription is not an API contract.**

(ON SCREEN: thesis on black — hold)

[PAUSE_250]

## The “loophole” everyone loved

A bunch of third‑party coding tools had the most tempting button in AI:

(ON SCREEN: `anomalyco/opencode#7471` — “Log in with Anthropic to use your Claude Pro or Max account”)

No API key.

No billing setup.

Just OAuth… and Opus inside your editor.

And yes—people went full gremlin mode with it.

(ON SCREEN: `frankbria/ralph-claude-code` — “Autonomous AI development loop”)

And the ecosystem around this stuff is huge.

(ON SCREEN: OpenCode repo — stars)

Per GitHub, OpenCode has **76,555** stars.

If that’s not “viral”… it’s at least *very online*.

[PAUSE_250]

## Then it face‑planted

Starting January 9, 2026, issues started popping up across projects: OpenCode, Roo Code, oh‑my‑opencode… then Kilo Code on January 14.

(ON SCREEN: `anomalyco/opencode#7471`, `Kilo-Org/kilocode#5038`, `code-yeongyu/oh-my-opencode#626`, `RooCodeInc/Roo-Code#10566`)

Same sentence.

Same brick wall.

And GitHub search for that exact sentence shows **total_count=47** as of January 18, 2026.

(ON SCREEN: “exact sentence” search → total_count=47)

[PAUSE_250]

## Why the error matches the behavior

Here’s the technical “aha” — and it’s the whole story.

(ON SCREEN: `clawdbot/clawdbot#1189`)

Some developers report OAuth returning **Claude Code‑restricted credentials** instead of “Max subscription credentials.”

Translation:

The credential is valid…

but scoped.

Valid for Claude Code.

Not valid for “other API requests.”

So when a third‑party tool tries to use it like an API key, the server rejects it.

That’s why the wording matches perfectly.

And it also explains the “before / after”.

For a while, the credential apparently worked more broadly in third‑party tools… then the safeguards got tightened and the scope started getting enforced.

[PAUSE_250]

## The sting

Because people didn’t just lose convenience.

They lost the assumption that “I pay for this, therefore it works everywhere.”

(ON SCREEN: `code-yeongyu/oh-my-opencode#626` — highlight the excerpt)

One report says the tool fails to use the subscription… then falls back to a managed backend — which “demands a separate payment.”

That’s the moment you feel it in your stomach.

[PAUSE_250]

## Anthropic basically said: “stop doing that”

This part is the spiciest, because it’s not subtle.

(ON SCREEN: Thariq Shihipar’s post + highlighted lines)

Claude Code’s Thariq Shihipar said they “tightened” safeguards against **spoofing the Claude Code harness**… and that third‑party integrations relying on Claude subscriptions violate their ToS.

And the punchline:

“Please use the API for integrations.”

[PAUSE_250]

Also: Reddit did the full panic‑cycle.

(ON SCREEN: r/opencodeCLI post titles — “Anthropic blocks OpenCode…” → “update: not banned”)

There’s even an update claiming some bans were a mistake and got reversed.

Whether the restriction persists for everyone right now is [UNVERIFIED] — but the policy statement is clear.

[PAUSE_250]

## What to do Monday morning

BYOK. Real API keys for third‑party tools.

Route and fallback if your tool supports it.

Or use Claude Code itself — because that’s explicitly what this credential is authorized for.

[PAUSE_250]

Because the rule is simple:

**A subscription is not an API contract.**