How to Use Your Claude Pro Subscription with OpenClaw (Instead of API Keys)

What Most People Don’t Know About OpenClaw + Claude

If you’re running OpenClaw with Claude, you probably think you have to use Anthropic API keys and pay per token. But there’s another way that most people miss:

You can use your Claude Pro or Claude Max subscription instead.

If you already pay $20/month (Pro) or $200/month (Max) for Claude, you can route OpenClaw through that subscription — no API keys, no per-token billing. As long as you stay under your usage limits, you’re golden.

How It Works: Setup Tokens

Anthropic offers two authentication methods:

API Key (Option A) — Usage-based billing, pay per token
Setup Token (Option B) — Uses your Claude Pro/Max subscription

Option B is the hidden gem. Here’s how to set it up.

Step-by-Step: Connect Your Claude Subscription to OpenClaw

1. Generate a Setup Token

On any machine where you have Claude Code CLI installed, run:

claude setup-token

This generates a special token that links to your Claude subscription. Copy it.

2. Paste the Token into OpenClaw

On your OpenClaw gateway host (the machine running OpenClaw), paste the token:

openclaw models auth paste-token --provider anthropic

It will prompt you to paste the setup-token. Done.

3. Set Your Model in Config

In your openclaw.json, set the model you want to use:

{
  "agents": {
    "list": [
      {
        "id": "main",
        "model": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Notice: no API key needed. The setup-token handles authentication.

4. Restart OpenClaw

openclaw gateway restart

That’s it. Your OpenClaw agent now runs on your Claude subscription instead of API billing.

When to Use This vs. API Keys

Use Setup Token (Subscription)	Use API Key
You already have Claude Pro/Max	You don’t have a subscription
Your usage stays under subscription limits	You need unlimited usage
You want predictable monthly costs	You prefer pay-as-you-go

Important Notes

Prompt caching doesn’t work with setup tokens — it’s API-key only.
Token can expire or be revoked — if you get 401 errors, regenerate the setup-token and paste it again.
Each agent needs auth — if you spawn new agents, they won’t inherit the main agent’s auth automatically.

Why This Matters

If you’re already paying for Claude Pro ($20/month) or Claude Max ($200/month), you’re leaving money on the table by using API keys for OpenClaw.

Route your OpenClaw traffic through your subscription instead. Same models, same performance, zero API billing.

Resources

Got questions? Drop them in the OpenClaw Discord.