Usage Policy \ Anthropic
https://www.anthropic.com/legal/aup
Anthropic usage policy — the prohibited-use claim rests on it
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Was read
2026-10-20
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Changed by
2026-10-22
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1+Section 01 : Universal Usage Standards
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13 Our Usage Policy (also referred to as our “Acceptable Use Policy” or “AUP”) applies to anyone who submits inputs to Anthropic’s products or services, all of whom we refer to as “users.” This includes individuals using our apps (such as Claude.ai and Claude Code), developers and businesses using our API and developer platforms, customers accessing Claude through cloud providers and authorized resel…
24 Please review this Usage Policy carefully before using our products or services.
35 We will update our policy as our technology and the associated risks evolve or as we learn about unanticipated risks.
46 Our Usage Policy is divided into three categories:
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911 Anthropic’s Safeguards Team implements detection and monitoring to enforce our Usage Policy. If we suspect that you may have violated our Usage Policy, we may warn you or throttle, limit, suspend, or terminate your access to our products and services.
1012 Our products also include real-time safeguards that may block or limit certain outputs, but encountering a block does not by itself indicate a violation of the Usage Policy. For certain dual-use or high-risk use cases covered by real-time safeguards in select domains, we may offer programs where you can apply to be granted access to our products and services with adjusted safeguards, such as our C…
1113 If you believe that our model outputs are potentially inaccurate, biased, or harmful, please notify us at [email protected], or report it directly in our product through the “report issues” thumbs down button or similar feedback features (where available). You can read more about our Safeguards practices and recommendations in our Safeguards Support Center .
1214 This Usage Policy is calibrated to strike an optimal balance between enabling beneficial uses and mitigating potential harms. Anthropic may enter into contracts with certain governmental customers that tailor use restrictions to that customer’s public mission and legal authorities if, in Anthropic’s judgment, the contractual use restrictions and applicable safeguards are adequate to mitigate the p…
13−Universal Usage Standards High-risk Use Case Requirements Additional Use Case Guidelines
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15+Universal Usage Standards
1516 Do Not Violate Applicable Laws or Engage in Illegal Activity
1617 This includes using our products or services to:
1718 Illegally produce, acquire, sell, or distribute controlled or regulated substances
1819 Engage in or facilitate human trafficking or prostitution
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133134 Depict or request sexual intercourse or sex acts
134135 Generate content related to sexual fetishes or fantasies
135136 Facilitate, promote, or depict incest or bestiality
136137 Engage in erotic chats
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138+High-risk Use Case Requirements
138139 Certain uses of our products and services can impact an individual’s health, legal rights, finances, livelihoods, or access to housing, education, or essential services. When our products are used for these high-risk use cases, we require that a qualified person remain accountable for what is delivered or decided, and that the impacted individual knows AI was involved in the advice or decision. Th…
139140 These requirements for high-risk use cases are meant to protect individuals. However, they do not replace local legal requirements and restrictions. Users should always default to following local laws if those laws conflict with or add additional requirements to the requirements listed below. Our products and services may not be suitable for all use cases.
140141 Requirements
141142 For High-risk AI Recommendations or Physical Actions, users must implement the following controls:
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187188 Approving coverage or prior authorization for care a clinician has ordered.
188189 Granting eligibility for a healthcare service or program.
189190 Granting or continuing a public benefit or service.
190191 Additional legal obligations such as disclosure may still apply. A partial approval, reduced amount, or approval with conditions is not considered “wholly favorable.”
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192+Additional Use Case Guidelines
192193 The below use cases — regardless of whether they involve High-risk AI Recommendations or Physical Actions — must comply with the additional guidelines provided.
193194 All consumer-facing chatbots or AI agents that communicate directly with external users must disclose to users that they are interacting with AI rather than a human. This disclosure must be provided at a minimum at the beginning of each chat session or in the product interface. The disclosure does not need to identify Anthropic, Claude, or the model used.
194195 Products serving minors, including organizations providing minors with the ability to directly interact with products that incorporate our API(s), must comply with the additional guidelines outlined in our Support article and all applicable laws.
195196 Agentic use cases must comply with the Usage Policy. Users are responsible for ensuring that agents they build or deploy, including actions those agents take through tools, browsers, or connected systems, comply with this Usage Policy.