How to Set Up OpenClaw with Claude Max Subscription

Mar 24, 2026

I was bleeding money on API costs. Every time my automation scripts ran, I watched my Anthropic balance drop. A few hundred tokens here, a few thousand there—by the end of the month, I had spent over $600 on API calls alone.

Then I discovered there was a better way.

The Problem: Pay-Per-Token Adds Up Fast

Here’s what my monthly API bill looked like:

Week 1: $87.42
Week 2: $134.18
Week 3: $156.33
Week 4: $198.67
Total: $576.60/month

I was using OpenClaw to automate several workflows:

Customer support response drafting
Content summarization
Code review assistance
Email drafting and replies

The more I automated, the more I paid. It felt like a tax on productivity.

I knew Claude had a Pro Max subscription for $200/month with 200 hours of usage. The math was obvious: $200 fixed versus $576 variable. But how could I make OpenClaw use my subscription instead of the API?

The Solution: Subscription-Based Routing

After some research, I found that OpenClaw can be configured to route requests through your existing subscriptions rather than using pay-per-token APIs.

Important note: This is NOT OAuth. I’ll say it again because it matters: Do not try to use OAuth with Anthropic. More on that later.

Cost Comparison

Let me show you the math:

# API pricing (approximate for Claude)
CLAUDE_INPUT_PER_1M = 3.00   # $3 per million input tokens
CLAUDE_OUTPUT_PER_1M = 15.00  # $15 per million output tokens
CLAUDE_PRO_MAX = 200         # $200/month flat

def calculate_api_cost(tokens, input_ratio=0.5):
    """Calculate cost using pay-per-token API"""
    input_tokens = tokens * input_ratio
    output_tokens = tokens * (1 - input_ratio)

    input_cost = (input_tokens / 1_000_000) * CLAUDE_INPUT_PER_1M
    output_cost = (output_tokens / 1_000_000) * CLAUDE_OUTPUT_PER_1M

    return input_cost + output_cost

# My usage: about 30 million tokens per month
my_tokens = 30_000_000

api_cost = calculate_api_cost(my_tokens)
subscription_cost = CLAUDE_PRO_MAX

print(f"API Cost: ${api_cost:.2f}")
print(f"Subscription Cost: ${subscription_cost:.2f}")
print(f"Monthly Savings: ${api_cost - subscription_cost:.2f}")

API Cost: $270.00
Subscription Cost: $200.00
Monthly Savings: $70.00

That’s $70/month saved with my usage. But here’s the thing—if you’re using more tokens (and many businesses do), the savings grow exponentially.

Step-by-Step Setup

First, subscribe to Claude Pro Max at $200/month. This gives you 200 hours of usage.

Go to Anthropic’s website and upgrade your account.

Step 2: The Critical Configuration (Not OAuth!)

This is where I almost got it wrong. I initially tried to set it up using OAuth because that’s what worked for OpenAI. But Anthropic is different.

Do NOT use OAuth with Anthropic. You will get banned.

The correct method requires a specific configuration in OpenClaw’s settings. The exact steps are shown in Berman’s YouTube video “5 Billion Tokens on Openclaw” at the 31-minute mark.

I can’t stress this enough: watch that section of the video. It explains the non-OAuth configuration that keeps your account safe.

Step 3: Configure OpenAI Codex (If You Want Both)

OpenAI’s setup is actually easier because it uses OAuth:

Subscribe to OpenAI Codex ($200/month)
Open OpenClaw settings
Select OAuth authentication
Authorize your OpenAI account

That’s it for OpenAI. The OAuth flow works as expected.

Step 4: Test Your Setup

After configuration, test with a simple request:

providers:
  anthropic:
    type: subscription
    model: claude-sonnet-4
    # Non-OAuth configuration here
    # See video for exact settings

  openai:
    type: oauth
    model: codex
    subscription: true

Send a test prompt through OpenClaw and verify it’s using your subscription, not the API.

A Real Business Example

I’m not the only one doing this. A Reddit user shared their company’s setup:

15 employees
$1M+ annual revenue
Automating 30-40% of business functions

Their use cases:

- Job briefings for technicians
- Equipment registrations
- AR (Accounts Receivable) follow-up
- Email marketing automation
- Client text notifications
- Mission Control dashboard
- Part order tracking
- Onsite chatbot tied to ERP

They reported saving “tens of thousands of dollars” with a combined OpenAI + Anthropic setup.

Hybrid Setup Recommendation

For maximum coverage, consider using both subscriptions:

monthly_budget:
  openai_codex: 200
  claude_pro_max: 200
  total: 400

routing_rules:
  - task_type: "reasoning"
    provider: "anthropic"
    model: "claude-sonnet-4"

  - task_type: "code_generation"
    provider: "openai"
    model: "codex"

  - task_type: "simple_tasks"
    provider: "openai"
    # Preserve Claude hours for complex work

This gives you:

Claude for complex reasoning tasks
OpenAI for code generation
OpenAI for simple tasks to preserve your Claude hours

Total cost: $400/month fixed, regardless of token usage.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

I made these mistakes so you don’t have to:

Mistake 1: Using OAuth with Anthropic

# This will get your account banned
providers:
  anthropic:
    type: oauth  # WRONG!

Don’t do this. Use the configuration from the video.

Mistake 2: Following Old Tutorials

The policies changed. Before 2026, this was against terms of service. Anthropic used to ban people for this. Now both OpenAI and Anthropic allow subscription routing.

Always check for recent tutorials and current policies.

Mistake 3: Not Having a Backup

While this setup is now allowed, policies can change. I recommend:

Keep a small API balance as backup
Monitor official communications from Anthropic and OpenAI
Have a contingency plan if policies change

Is This Safe?

Let me address the elephant in the room.

Some users in discussion threads expressed concern:

"are you sure about anthropic lol, pretty sure they will ban ppl eventually"

Here’s what I know:

Originally: Against ToS
Months ago: Anthropic was banning users
Current (2026): Both OpenAI and Anthropic have updated policies

The Reddit thread OP stated:

“It used to be against Terms of Service, but it’s not anymore. OpenAI openly has said that they’re fine with it. Anthropic initially was banning people months ago… but they’ve since changed their stance.”

My advice: proceed with confidence but stay informed. Policies evolve.

Final Thoughts

Setting up OpenClaw with your Claude Max subscription takes about 30 minutes once you know the right configuration. The key is using the non-OAuth method for Anthropic (watch the video at 31:00) while OAuth works fine for OpenAI.

For $200/month per provider, you get predictable costs and massive token usage. My monthly bill dropped from nearly $600 to a flat $200. That’s real savings that compounds over time.

The setup works for individuals and businesses alike. Whether you’re automating personal workflows or running a company with 15 employees, subscription routing is the smart way to use OpenClaw.

Final Words + More Resources

My intention with this article was to help others share my knowledge and experience. If you want to contact me, you can contact by email: Email me

Here are also the most important links from this article along with some further resources that will help you in this scope:

Oh, and if you found these resources useful, don’t forget to support me by starring the repo on GitHub!