How to Use Claude Pro/Max Credits With OpenClaw Instead of API Fees (2026)

Lead

Run OpenClaw on a Claude Pro or Max subscription and get a fixed monthly bill instead of metered API costs. For small teams running daily automations and scheduled reports, this single change cuts Claude spend by 70–80%.

• Switch from API keys to device-code auth so agents use subscription credits
• Retire the API key to close open-ended billing
• Set agent model defaults (Sonnet for daily work, Haiku for background jobs) to stay within your ceiling

Verified against OpenClaw and Anthropic Claude on 2026-05-04.

Prerequisites

How ScaleIT handles this: See AI Quick-Start

• Active OpenClaw installation
• Claude Pro or Max subscription (not API-only)
• Terminal access to OpenClaw host machine
• Ability to restart the OpenClaw service

Steps

1. Confirm Active Claude Subscription

Before switching, verify your Claude account has a paid plan.

1. Log in to https://claude.ai
2. Click profile icon → Settings → Plan
3. Confirm Claude Pro or Claude Max (not "Free Trial")
4. Note the account email—this becomes your OpenClaw identity
5. One subscription seat per OpenClaw install is the pattern; don't share across gateways

2. Run Device-Code Auth Wizard

Replace your API key with device-code auth.

1. Open terminal on OpenClaw host
2. Run: openclaw wizard auth
3. Select Anthropic provider
4. Select device-code (labeled "subscription" in newer versions)
5. Wizard prints device code and opens browser to https://claude.ai/auth/device
6. Sign in with your Claude account, paste code, click Approve
7. Return to terminal; wizard writes refresh token to ~/.openclaw/agents//auth-profiles.json

For headless servers: openclaw auth set anthropic:default --mode device --headless and complete the flow on a different machine.

3. Verify Device-Code Auth

Confirm authentication succeeded.

1. Run: openclaw auth verify
2. Output should show: Anthropic (default): ✓ OK with Mode: device-code and your account email
3. If you see an error, re-run the wizard and double-check the device code approval

4. Remove the API Key

Stop any fallback to metered billing.

For systemd service:

1. Edit: nano ~/.config/systemd/user/openclaw-gateway.service.d/env.conf
2. Delete line: ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-...
3. Run: systemctl --user daemon-reload && systemctl --user restart openclaw-gateway

For CLI:

1. Remove export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-... from ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
2. Run: source ~/.bashrc or restart terminal

Revoke key:

1. Go to https://console.anthropic.com
2. Click API Keys → [Your Key] → Revoke
3. Confirm revocation

5. Test Subscription Auth

Verify agents use device-code, not API key.

1. Run agent: openclaw run
2. Trigger an action that calls Claude
3. Check logs: journalctl --user -u openclaw-gateway -f
4. Look for "device-code" or "subscription" auth mention, not API key
5. Confirm agent responds normally

6. Set Conservative Model Defaults

Keep usage within subscription ceiling.

1. Open: ~/.openclaw/config.json (or gateway config)
2. Set agent models:

• main: Sonnet (daily work, balanced quality and cost)
• tester: Sonnet
• summarizer: Haiku (background jobs, cheapest)
• synthesis: Opus (only for complex analysis, rarely)

1. Save file
2. Restart: systemctl --user restart openclaw-gateway

7. Monitor Usage Weekly

Catch runaway agents and stay within ceiling.

1. Run: openclaw doctor (checks token freshness and expiring tokens)
2. Log in to https://claude.ai → Settings → Usage
3. Check usage bar (not dollar amount—you're on subscription)

• Under 30%: well-sized
• Approaching 100%: agents are heavy or misconfigured

1. If high, drop a low-value agent, upgrade to Max, or move one agent to dedicated API key

Verify

1. Run openclaw auth verify and confirm "device-code" in output.
2. Run echo $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY; should print nothing.
3. Run openclaw run --verbose and confirm no "api_key" string in logs.
4. Log in to https://claude.ai → Usage and confirm the bar moved this week.

Troubleshooting

Agent hangs after switching to device-code

• Cause: Refresh token expired or auth incomplete.
• Fix: Re-run openclaw wizard auth and complete approval. If "pairing required" error, re-check browser approval.

"Anthropic: ✗ Auth failed" on verify

• Cause: Token stale or Claude account password changed.
• Fix: Re-run openclaw wizard auth. If you changed password/2FA, re-authorize.

Agent still hits API rate limits

• Cause: Old API key still in environment or stray process using it.
• Fix: Confirm ANTHROPIC_API_KEY not set: env | grep ANTHROPIC. Check systemd: grep -r ANTHROPIC_API_KEY ~/.config/systemd/. Revoke old key in Console.

Usage bar shows 0% but agents running

• Cause: Agents using old API key instead of subscription.
• Fix: Run openclaw auth verify, check for "device-code". If showing "api_key", re-run auth wizard.

"Device code expired" during auth

• Cause: Took too long to approve in browser (5–10 minute window).
• Fix: Re-run openclaw wizard auth and approve within the time limit.

CTA

Predictable automation costs are one less thing to forecast when scaling. Contact us for a free consultation if you'd like help switching to subscription auth or sizing your agent fleet for your workload.