Use ChatGPT with OpenClaw: Flat-Rate Power for Your Agent

Since Anthropic blocked Claude subscription logins for OpenClaw in April 2026, one door has stayed open — and it's a big one: OpenAI still lets ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscribers sign in to OpenClaw with their existing subscription. If you already pay for ChatGPT, your agent can run on it at no extra model cost.

Why this matters

The alternative is metered API billing, where every message, every memory lookup and every skill run consumes paid tokens. That's fine for light use, but a busy agent adds up — our cost guide covers how quickly. Subscription sign-in flips the model: one flat monthly price you were probably paying anyway, and the agent rides along.

	API key	ChatGPT sign-in
Billing	Per token, scales with use	Flat — included in Plus/Pro
Heavy-use months	Can spike	Same price
Model choice	Any provider, any model	OpenAI models
Setup	Create key, set limits	Sign in with your account

Setting it up on ClawHost

1. In your dashboard, open the AI Provider settings and choose Sign in with ChatGPT.
2. Approve the connection with your OpenAI account (you'll confirm a code — the standard device sign-in flow).
3. That's it. Your agent now thinks with GPT under your subscription, across every channel it's connected to.

When an API key is still the better choice

• You want Claude or Gemini — sign-in is OpenAI-only; other providers need keys. See choosing a model.
• Multiple heavy agents — a subscription is tied to your account; a fleet of busy agents may fit API billing better.
• You don't use ChatGPT otherwise — if the subscription exists only for the agent, compare its price against your realistic token spend first.

The honest caveat

Provider policies move — April 2026 proved it. Subscription sign-in for OpenClaw is allowed by OpenAI today; if that ever changes, switching your agent to an API key is a two-minute dashboard change on ClawHost, and your memory, channels and skills carry over untouched.