Anthropic Chokes Off Third-Party Tools, Reshaping AI Platform Economics

Anthropic has strategically revised its legal terms to explicitly forbid using third-party harnesses with its Claude subscriptions. This move is far more than a policy clarification; it's an inflection point aimed at asserting control over its platform ecosystem. By mandating use through its own interfaces, Anthropic is moving to protect its revenue model, ensure data integrity, and prevent the commoditization of its flagship AI, signaling a major strategic push for vertical integration.

This policy shift directly benefits Anthropic's enterprise sales channel but places significant pressure on developers and companies whose services rely on Claude access via external tools. The second-order effect is a chilling of the third-party ecosystem, which could reshape platform competition by forcing a choice between integration flexibility and model access. This development signals a move toward a more closed, 'walled garden' approach, raising critical questions about the future of open innovation on proprietary models.