Anthropic made a mistake in cutting off third-party clients

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

What Changed and Why It Matters

  • Anthropic is enforcing existing terms so that Claude Code subscriptions (Max, etc.) can only be used via its own client, not via third‑party tools like OpenCode that were spoofing OAuth to reuse those plans.
  • API access remains available for third‑party tools, but at normal per‑token API rates rather than heavily discounted “Claude Code” pricing.
  • Some see this as closing a loophole; others as a deliberate strategic shift toward a vertically integrated, closed toolchain.

Pricing, Subsidies, and Lock‑In

  • Many commenters argue Claude Code is clearly subsidized: token costs are far lower than API rates, so Anthropic wants something in return—telemetry, UX control, upsell funnel, and investor‑friendly usage metrics.
  • Critics see this as classic “predatory” play: subsidize, drive ecosystem to your client, then later extract value via lock‑in and price hikes.
  • Defenders respond that no one is entitled to subsidized tokens in arbitrary clients; if you want neutral access, pay API prices.

Tooling Quality: Claude Code vs OpenCode

  • Several developers say they used OpenCode with their Claude subscription because Claude Code is buggy, slow, and less featureful (terminal glitches, latency, weaker controls, less transparency).
  • Others report the exact opposite: Claude Code + recent Opus models are stable and superior, with plan mode and good agent behavior, so they don’t miss OpenCode at all.
  • Some note OpenCode’s advantages in advanced setups: mixing multiple providers and local models, richer knobs, and better openness.

Customer Reactions and Boycott Debate

  • A subset of paying users canceled or turned off auto‑renew, partly to “send a signal” and test alternatives; others predict this is a loud but small minority with negligible business impact.
  • There’s back‑and‑forth on whether permanent “never again” stances are meaningful leverage or just self‑disempowering rhetoric.
  • Some argue public criticism and churn are legitimate market feedback; others say Anthropic is rationally protecting its core product.

Open Source, Ecosystem, and Strategy

  • Strong thread about developers underestimating vendor lock‑in and drifting away from valuing open source tools.
  • Some believe models are rapidly commoditizing, so Anthropic must own the whole coding stack (agent, client, integrations) to avoid becoming “just a model provider.”
  • Others think this is short‑sighted: restricting third‑party clients reduces experimentation, weakens trust, and may push motivated users to competing models and open tools.