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⚡ Claude Code Setup

Claude Code is Anthropic's official CLI coding tool for code generation, editing, debugging, and project management. By routing through this platform, you can use a unified API key and billing system to access Claude models. Official docs

📋 Prerequisites

  • Node.js 18+
  • An API key from this platform (create one in API Key Management)
  • Ensure the token has access to Claude models

📥 Installation

PlatformRecommendedAlternative
macOSbrew install --cask claude-codecurl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
Linuxcurl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash—
Windowsirm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iexCMD: curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd

Verify: claude -v. npm install is not recommended (versions may lag behind).

⚡ Skip Onboarding (Required for First Install)

When using a relay, Claude Code's first launch attempts to connect to the official API for onboarding, showing this error:

Welcome to Claude Code
Unable to connect to Anthropic services
Failed to connect to api.anthropic.com: ERR_BAD_REQUEST

After installation but before first launch, add the following to ~/.claude.json to skip onboarding:

{
  "installMethod": "unknown",
  "autoUpdates": true,
  "hasCompletedOnboarding": true
}

⚠️ JSON Format

If the file already has content, add a comma after the previous field before adding "hasCompletedOnboarding": true. Invalid JSON will prevent Claude Code from starting.

🔧 Environment Variables

Replace sk-xxx with your API Key.

Bash / Zsh (macOS / Linux)

export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="sk-xxx"
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.tokenreply.com"

# Add to shell config for persistence:
# echo 'export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="sk-xxx"' >> ~/.zshrc
# echo 'export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.tokenreply.com"' >> ~/.zshrc

PowerShell (Windows)

[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN", "sk-xxx", "User")
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL", "https://api.tokenreply.com", "User")

CMD (Windows)

setx ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN "sk-xxx"
setx ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL "https://api.tokenreply.com"

Restart the terminal after setting variables, then run claude.

💡 Tip

Note the variable names: ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL (without /v1 suffix) and ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN (not ANTHROPIC_API_KEY).

✅ Verify Configuration

After restarting the terminal, test the connection:

claude "hello"

If configured correctly, Claude Code will respond.

❓ Troubleshooting

claude command not found

  • Check if PATH includes the installation directory
  • Restart the terminal
  • Try reinstalling

Connection failed / ERR_BAD_REQUEST

  • Verify ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL is set to https://api.tokenreply.com (without /v1)
  • Verify the API key is valid and the account has in-plan usage available; once in-plan usage runs out, paid models fall through to the wallet balance, so make sure it is sufficient
  • Verify hasCompletedOnboarding: true is added to ~/.claude.json

Model not available

  • Confirm the token's group has access to Claude models
  • Check if Claude models are available on the Models page

🔗 Related Links