Anthropic launches Claude Agent SDK credits for paid tiers
- Source
- VentureBeat
- Time
- 11:41 PM
- Weight
- 94/100
Anthropic has updated its Claude subscription tiers to reinstate support for third-party AI agents and programmatic usage through a new "Agent SDK" credit system. This move reverses a policy introduced in April 2026 that blocked subscribers from using flat-rate plans to power external tools like OpenClaw, a restriction originally implemented to address unsustainable compute costs and service instability.
Under the new framework, paid subscribers receive a dedicated monthly credit ranging from $20 to $200, depending on their tier, which can be used specifically for non-interactive tasks and third-party integrations. The transition to a metered credit system is designed to manage the technical strain caused by external agents that often bypass Anthropic’s prompt-caching efficiencies.