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Get your Anthropic API key

This is the regular key an app's connect box asks for. It starts with sk-ant-api. It stays on your device and the app talks to Anthropic directly with it, billed to your own account.

Heads up: this is your API account, not your Claude subscription. The API account lives at platform.claude.com and has its own balance, separate from a Claude Pro or Max plan. The key only works once that balance has credit, so add a few dollars under Billing if your account is new.

Steps

Sign in to the Claude Console

Go to platform.claude.com and sign in, creating the account if you don't have one. Older links to console.anthropic.com land in the same place.

Open the API keys page

Go straight to platform.claude.com/settings/keys, or open Settings, then API keys.

Screenshot slot: API keys page

Create the key and copy it

Click Create Key, name it after the app you're connecting, and copy the sk-ant-api... key right away. It is shown only once. If you lose it, delete it there and make a new one.

Screenshot slot: Create Key dialog

Paste it into the app

Paste the key into the app's connect box. To cut the app off later, delete that key on the same page.

If a key starts with sk-ant-admin, stop. That is an admin key. It controls your whole organization and no app should ever see it. Apps take sk-ant-api keys; the admin key is only for connecting your account to Outlet.

Learn more

Anthropic's official pages: Get started with Claude and API key best practices.