Google Restricts AI Ultra Subscribers for Using OpenClaw OAuth, Gmail and Workspace at Risk

Google AI Ultra account locked out due to OpenClaw OAuth access restriction

Google has quietly restricted accounts of AI Ultra subscribers paying $249.99 per month — after they accessed Gemini models through OpenClaw, an open-source AI agent framework that uses standard OAuth authentication. The crackdown came without warning, without a policy update, and without any explanation to affected users.

The enforcement arrived just two days after Anthropic explicitly banned third-party OAuth token usage in its own updated terms of service — making this the second major AI provider to crack down on OpenClaw access in the same week.

What Happened?

Users on the Google AI Developer Forum began reporting account restrictions after connecting Gemini to OpenClaw, an agent framework with over 200,000 GitHub stars. The restrictions appeared suddenly:

  • No prior notice or warning
  • No explanation of which policy was violated
  • No clear path to appeal or restoration
  • Automated replies only — no human support available

One user summarized the situation: "No warnings, no nothing, just a ban after being a customer for decades."

The Real Risk: It's Not Just Gemini

Here's what makes this especially alarming. Google's AI products sit on top of the same account infrastructure as Gmail, Google Workspace, and Google Drive. A restriction triggered by Gemini usage can potentially cascade across all linked services. For developers and businesses whose entire operation runs on Google services, getting flagged for AI usage puts everything at risk.

Why Is Google Doing This?

Google hasn't said publicly, but the economics tell the story. AI subscriptions like the $249.99/month AI Ultra plan were priced assuming human-paced usage. Tools like OpenClaw allow subscribers to route their tokens through automated, high-throughput agent workflows — burning far more compute than the flat-rate pricing was designed to absorb.

This is what Anthropic's engineer Thariq Shihipar called "token arbitrage" in a January social media post: pay a flat subscription rate, then extract far more value than the provider priced for.

Anthropic Was More Transparent

Anthropic, which updated its terms two days before Google's crackdown, at least told users what was happening:

  • Updated its legal terms explicitly banning OAuth token usage in third-party tools
  • Had an engineer publicly explain the business reasoning
  • Gave tool developers a few days to adjust (OpenCode removed Claude support within a week)

Google, by contrast, just started restricting accounts. No policy update. No public statement. No explanation.

OpenAI Is Taking the Opposite Approach

While Google and Anthropic close the door on third-party access, OpenAI is doing the opposite. OpenAI publicly endorsed using Codex subscriptions with third-party harnesses — and hired OpenClaw's own creator, Peter Steinberger, on February 15. This is deliberate competitive positioning: own the developer relationship and the agent infrastructure rather than protecting subscription margins.

What Developers Should Do Now

Short-term advice circulating in developer communities:

  • Stop using third-party OAuth clients with AI subscriptions immediately
  • Switch to API key access — per-token pricing avoids automated enforcement
  • Consider local models — tools like Kimi K2.5 or Qwen 3.5 eliminate provider dependency entirely
  • One documented setup replaced a $200/month Claude Max + OpenClaw configuration with a $15/month dual-VPS running open-source models

The Bigger Picture

The trust damage here runs deeper than any workaround. Developers choosing an AI platform now have to factor in a new risk: the provider may retroactively restrict how you access what you've already paid for. Google used OAuth everywhere — Gmail, YouTube, Drive — and now restricts it for Gemini without explanation. That inconsistency, for a company that literally invented modern OAuth, is jarring.

Bottom Line

Paying $249.99/month doesn't buy you flexibility. It buys you access — on the provider's terms, enforced without warning. Before choosing an AI subscription platform, ask yourself: what happens when the rules change and nobody tells you? Google just answered that question.