Claude Code Setup Guide

Prerequisites

Before getting started, make sure you have:

Claude Code installed Install the Claude Code CLI via npm or pnpm:
# npm npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code # pnpm pnpm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
Or visit the Claude Code official docs for the latest installation instructions.
A ToAPIs API key Sign in to the ToAPIs Console to obtain your API key (starts with sk-).

Note: If you don’t have a ToAPIs account yet, register at ToAPIs first.

Configuration

Claude Code supports multiple ways to configure a custom API endpoint. You can point it to ToAPIs as a drop-in replacement for the Anthropic API. Claude Code uses two separate JSON files: onboarding state and environment variables must go in the correct file to take effect.

Ensure onboarding is complete

In your home directory, set ~/.claude.json (create the file if it does not exist):

{
  "hasCompletedOnboarding": true
}

This file is only for CLI state. Put your API token and base URL in settings.json below.

Option 1: `settings.json` (Recommended)

Configure environment variables in ~/.claude/settings.json (global) or .claude/settings.json (project-level). No shell config changes required:

{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "sk-xxxxxxxxxxxx",
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://toapis.com"
  }
}

Global config (applies to all projects — recommended):

mkdir -p ~/.claude

Then write the JSON above into ~/.claude/settings.json. Project-level config (applies only to the current project): Create .claude/settings.json in your project root. Do not put your API key in project-level config; keep ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN in the global config and only set ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL at the project level:

{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://toapis.com"
  }
}

Note: Put hasCompletedOnboarding in ~/.claude.json and env in ~/.claude/settings.json or .claude/settings.json. Do not mix them in the same file.

Option 2: Environment Variables

Best for temporary use or CI/CD pipelines.

macOS / Linux

Set temporarily for the current session:

export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="sk-xxxxxxxxxxxx"
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://toapis.com"
claude

Set permanently by adding the following to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc:

export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="sk-xxxxxxxxxxxx"
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://toapis.com"

Then reload your shell:

source ~/.zshrc  # or source ~/.bashrc

Windows

Set temporarily in PowerShell:

$env:ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN = "sk-xxxxxxxxxxxx"
$env:ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL = "https://toapis.com"
claude

Set permanently (user-level):

[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN", "sk-xxxxxxxxxxxx", "User")
[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL", "https://toapis.com", "User")

Option 3: `.env` File

Create a .env file in your project root:

ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN=sk-xxxxxxxxxxxx
ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://toapis.com

Important: Add .env to your .gitignore to avoid leaking your API key.

Configuration Reference

Variable	Value
ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN	Your ToAPIs API key (`sk-xxxxxxxxxxxx`)
ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL	`https://toapis.com`

Verify the Setup

Run the following to check your installation:

claude --version

Then start Claude Code:

claude

If configured correctly, Claude Code will connect through ToAPIs and respond normally.

Recommended Models

The following Claude models are available through ToAPIs:

Model Name	Model ID	Description
Claude Opus 4.6	`claude-opus-4-6`	Most capable, best for complex tasks
Claude Sonnet 4.6	`claude-sonnet-4-6`	Balanced performance and speed — recommended for daily use
Claude Haiku 4.5	`claude-haiku-4-5-20251001`	Fastest, best for lightweight tasks

To switch models, use the /model command inside Claude Code, or pass --model at startup:

claude --model claude-sonnet-4-6

Troubleshooting

`Authentication error` or `401 Unauthorized`?

Check that ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN is set correctly and starts with sk-
Verify the key is active in the ToAPIs Console
Ensure your account has sufficient balance

`Connection refused` or unable to connect?

Confirm ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL is set to https://toapis.com
Check your network connection and ensure https://toapis.com is reachable

Check current environment variables

echo $ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN
echo $ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL

Common error codes

Error	Cause	Fix
`401 Unauthorized`	Invalid or expired API token	Generate a new API key
`429 Too Many Requests`	Rate limit exceeded	Wait a moment and retry
`500 Internal Server Error`	Temporary server issue	Retry in a few minutes
`insufficient_quota`	Insufficient account balance	Top up in the console

Tips

1. Launch in a project directory

Navigate to your project folder and run claude — it will automatically pick up the project context:

cd /your/project
claude

2. Useful commands

Command	Description
`/help`	Show help
`/model`	Switch model
`/clear`	Clear the current conversation
`/exit` or `Ctrl+C`	Exit Claude Code

3. Working with code

Claude Code can read and modify project files. Common use cases:

Code review — Ask Claude Code to review your code and suggest improvements
Code generation — Describe what you need; Claude Code writes it directly to files
Debugging — Paste error messages and get targeted fixes
Refactoring — Let Claude Code restructure and clean up your code

Support

If you encounter any issues:

[## Get Started with ToAPIs Sign up for ToAPIs, get your API key, and supercharge your coding with Claude Code!](https://toapis.com)

Overview

Quick Start

Chat API

Image API

Video API

Task Management

File Uploads

Account

FAQs

Prerequisites

Configuration

Ensure onboarding is complete

Option 1: `settings.json` (Recommended)

Option 2: Environment Variables

macOS / Linux

Windows

Option 3: `.env` File

Configuration Reference

Verify the Setup

Recommended Models

Troubleshooting

`Authentication error` or `401 Unauthorized`?

`Connection refused` or unable to connect?

Check current environment variables

Common error codes

Tips

1. Launch in a project directory

2. Useful commands

3. Working with code

Support

​Prerequisites

​Configuration

​Ensure onboarding is complete

​Option 1: settings.json (Recommended)

​Option 2: Environment Variables

​macOS / Linux

​Windows

​Option 3: .env File

​Configuration Reference

​Verify the Setup

​Recommended Models

​Troubleshooting

​Authentication error or 401 Unauthorized?

​Connection refused or unable to connect?

​Check current environment variables

​Common error codes

​Tips

​1. Launch in a project directory

​2. Useful commands

​3. Working with code

​Support

Prerequisites

Configuration

Ensure onboarding is complete

Option 1: `settings.json` (Recommended)

Option 2: Environment Variables

macOS / Linux

Windows

Option 3: `.env` File

Configuration Reference

Verify the Setup

Recommended Models

Troubleshooting

`Authentication error` or `401 Unauthorized`?

`Connection refused` or unable to connect?

Check current environment variables

Common error codes

Tips

1. Launch in a project directory

2. Useful commands

3. Working with code

Support