Anthropic’s updated Usage Policy is scheduled to take effect November 12, 2026. Announced October 8, the update adds a rule against sustained, needless abusive or cruel behavior toward its models, aimed at extreme cases of repeated cruelty with no discernible purpose. Anthropic’s policy announcement describes a narrow threshold, not a general politeness requirement.
The stated threshold is extreme, repeated cruelty without a discernible purpose, not everyday frustration or pushback.
What the conduct rule excludes
Anthropic says the added prohibition does not cover common user frustration, pushback, dark creative themes, or model testing and research. Those exclusions distinguish the rule from a blanket ban on criticism, challenging Claude, or writing dark fiction.
How Anthropic says it will enforce the rule
Anthropic says Claude can end rare conversations with persistently abusive users on Claude.ai and Claude Code. The company identifies ending those conversations as the rule’s primary enforcement mechanism.
