OpenCode, the open-source coding CLI that doubled as a cheaper way to run Claude, just removed its Claude Max plugin entirely. The reason: Anthropic sent lawyers.
OpenCode creator Dax Raad confirmed the change in version 1.3.0, writing that his team "did our best to convince Anthropic to support developer choice but they sent lawyers." The plugin has been pulled from GitHub and marked deprecated on npm.
The $200/Month Loophole That Started It All
Here's what was happening. Claude Max costs $200/month for a flat-rate subscription with generous usage limits. Developers figured out they could route that subscription through OpenCode instead of Anthropic's official Claude Code CLI, essentially getting a premium AI coding assistant inside a third-party tool. The same workload would cost $1,000+ per month through the API.
Anthropic saw this as subscription arbitrage and started blocking it back on January 9, deploying technical safeguards that stopped subscription OAuth tokens (the authentication credentials that prove you're a paying subscriber) from working outside official apps. By February 19, the company formalized the crackdown into updated Terms of Service with an explicit ban: using subscription OAuth tokens "in any other product, tool, or service" is now a violation that can get your account banned.
OpenCode initially tried workarounds, including changing tool prefixes so Anthropic's servers wouldn't recognize the requests as coming from a third-party client. That cat-and-mouse game ended with the legal letter.
OpenAI Saw an Opening
The contrast here is sharp. While Anthropic locked down, OpenAI went the other direction. OpenAI officially partnered with OpenCode, extending ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscription support to the tool. GitHub and GitLab did the same.
Dax's post made the comparison explicit, thanking "partners at OpenAI, GitHub and GitLab who are going the other direction and supporting developer freedom."
The numbers tell the story. OpenCode's GitHub stars roughly doubled from 56,000 to over 112,000 during this saga, fueled partly by developers frustrated with Anthropic's restrictions and partly by the new OpenAI integration giving them an alternative.
Anthropic's Bet
Anthropic is making a calculated choice. Claude Code is a significant revenue driver, and letting third-party tools siphon flat-rate subscribers undermines the business model. From a pure business perspective, the logic holds: if developers can get Claude Max quality through a free open-source tool at subscription prices, nobody pays API rates.
But the developer goodwill cost is real. The open-source coding tool market is competitive. Cursor, Continue, Cody, and now OpenCode with OpenAI backing all offer alternatives. Every developer who gets a legal scare or a banned account becomes a customer for someone else.
Dax struck a balanced tone: "It's your right to access services however you wish but it is also their right to block whoever they want." Fair enough. But when one AI company sends lawyers while another sends partnership offers, developers notice which door is open.