Claude Code API key: get one and set it up in 1 minute

API key vs subscription login

Claude Code has two ways to authenticate. With /login it uses your Claude Pro or Max plan, and usage counts against that plan's 5-hour and weekly allowance. With an API key it sends requests to the API endpoint you configure, and you pay per token.

When an API key is configured, Claude Code bills that key and does not use your Claude plan allowance. Remove the variables and run /login to switch back.

How Claude Code usage limits work

Where to get a key and how to top up

1. 1. Sign up

   Create an account on aicodewith.ai with email, Google or GitHub.

2. 2. Top up your balance

   Billing is prepaid. International accounts pay in USD by card through Stripe; mainland China accounts pay in CNY through Alipay. The billing region is chosen on your first top-up and the minimum amount is shown at checkout.

3. 3. Create the key

   Open API Keys in the dashboard and create a key. Optionally set a daily, monthly or total spend cap. Copy the key; you will paste it into Claude Code next.

Your balance is charged per token at the price of the model and channel you use. Credits are valid for one year, and unused balance can be refunded within 90 days of the top-up with a 10% fee deducted.

Top-up optionsPayments and refunds FAQRefund policy

"From" prices are based on the Economy channel, the lowest-priced Claude channel currently listed (about 19% of Anthropic list price). Other channels cost more; the rate depends on the channel you choose, and the models page is always the source of truth.

Where to put the key

Pick one place. settings.json is the most reliable because the Claude Code CLI and its IDE extensions all read it. Shell variables are handy for a quick test or a CI job.

1. 1. Option A: ~/.claude/settings.json (recommended)

   macOS and Linux: ~/.claude/settings.json. Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.claude\settings.json. Create the file if it does not exist, and merge the env block if it does.

   ~/.claude/settings.json

   {
     "env": {
       "ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "YOUR_API_KEY",
       "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "",
       "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://api.aicodewith.ai"
     }
   }

2. 2. Skip the first-run sign-in screen

   On a fresh install, add this field to ~/.claude.json so Claude Code does not ask you to sign in to an Anthropic account. If the file exists, add the field instead of overwriting it.

   ~/.claude.json

   {
     "hasCompletedOnboarding": true
   }

3. 3. Option B: shell environment variables

   Add these lines to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc (or export them in a CI step), then open a new terminal.

   bash / zsh

   export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.aicodewith.ai"
   export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="YOUR_API_KEY"
   export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=""

4. 4. Option B on Windows (PowerShell)

   Sets user-level variables. Open a new terminal afterwards.

   PowerShell

   [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL", "https://api.aicodewith.ai", "User")
   [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN", "YOUR_API_KEY", "User")

ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL is the bare domain https://api.aicodewith.ai. Do not add /v1; Claude Code appends the path itself and /v1 leads to 404 errors.

ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN or ANTHROPIC_API_KEY?

Setting ANTHROPIC_API_KEY to an empty string matters: if an old Anthropic key is still exported in your shell, it can be sent instead of your aicodewith key and the request fails with 401.

Full Claude Code setup guide

Check that it works, and what errors mean

1. Close every Claude Code session and run claude again.
2. Run /status and confirm the API endpoint shows api.aicodewith.ai.
3. Send a short message. The request and its charge appear in the dashboard usage records.
4. Run /cost to see the session's per-token cost.

One key on several projects and machines

A key is not tied to a device or a project. Use the same key on your laptop, a dev server and CI, or create one key per project, teammate or pipeline. Separate keys give you separate usage records and separate spend caps, and you can delete one without touching the others.

• •Per-key daily, monthly or total spend caps stop a runaway agent loop from draining the balance.
• •Usage records show each request with its model, tokens and cost.
• •Treat keys like passwords: keep them out of git, and rotate a key if it leaks.

Next steps

Use Claude Code without a subscriptionClaude Max alternative: pay per tokenClaude Code usage limits explainedClaude Code integration guideDocs

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