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Connect Claude Code / Cline / Cursor to ClaudeAPI.com in (Copy-Paste JSON Templates Included)

Step-by-step guide to connecting Claude Code, Cline, and Cursor to ClaudeAPI.com. Includes ready-to-use JSON config templates for Windows, Mac, and Linux — so you never have to guess where the settings live.

ToolsClaude APIJsonEst. read
2026.04.23 published
Connect Claude Code / Cline / Cursor to ClaudeAPI.com in (Copy-Paste JSON Templates Included)

Connect Claude Code / Cline / Cursor to ClaudeAPI.com in 5 Minutes (Copy-Paste JSON Templates Included)

The #1 question our support team gets isn’t about pricing — it’s:

“How do I configure Claude Code in VS Code?”
“Which base URL does Cline need?”
“What provider do I pick in Cursor?”

This guide has one job: give you copy-paste-ready config templates so you can be up and running in 5 minutes.

Tools covered: Claude Code CLI · VS Code (Claude Code Extension) · Cline · Cursor
Platforms covered: Windows · macOS · Linux

Get Your API Key First

Log in to your ClaudeAPI.com dashboard → API Keys → Create or copy your key.

You’ll need two pieces of information:

  • API Key: sk-ant-api03-xxxxxxxx (your key)
  • Base URL: https://api.claudeapi.com

Note: ClaudeAPI.com supports both the Anthropic format (native for Claude Code / Cline) and the OpenAI-compatible format (for Cursor / ChatBox / etc.). Details for each are covered below.

1. Claude Code CLI (Command Line)

Claude Code reads two environment variables to determine its API endpoint — no config files to edit.

macOS / Linux Setup

Add the following to your shell config file (~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc):

# ClaudeAPI.com configuration
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.claudeapi.com"
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-api03-yourKeyHere"

# ClaudeAPI.com configuration
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.claudeapi.com"
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-api03-yourKeyHere"

Then reload:

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

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

Windows Setup (Three Options)

Option A: Command Prompt (current session only)

set ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://api.claudeapi.com
set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-api03-yourKeyHere

set ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://api.claudeapi.com
set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-api03-yourKeyHere

Option B: PowerShell (current session only)

$env:ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL = "https://api.claudeapi.com"
$env:ANTHROPIC_API_KEY = "sk-ant-api03-yourKeyHere"

$env:ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL = "https://api.claudeapi.com"
$env:ANTHROPIC_API_KEY = "sk-ant-api03-yourKeyHere"

Option C: System Environment Variables (persistent — recommended)

  1. Win + R → type sysdm.cpl → Advanced → Environment Variables
  2. Under “User variables”, create:
    • Variable: ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL, Value: https://api.claudeapi.com
    • Variable: ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, Value: yourKeyHere
  3. Restart your terminal for changes to take effect

Verify It Works

claude "Hello, say something to test"

claude "Hello, say something to test"

A normal response means you’re all set. To confirm you’re hitting the ClaudeAPI.com endpoint:

echo $ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL   # macOS/Linux
echo %ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL%  # Windows CMD

echo $ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL   # macOS/Linux
echo %ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL%  # Windows CMD

2. VS Code Extension (Claude Code Extension)

If you’re using the Claude Code extension inside VS Code (not the CLI), there are two configuration methods. Method A is recommended.

The Claude Code global settings file is located at:

OS Path
macOS/Linux ~/.claude/settings.json
Windows C:\Users\yourUsername\.claude\settings.json

If the file doesn’t exist, create it with the following content:

{
  "$schema": "https://json.schemastore.org/claude-code-settings.json",
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://api.claudeapi.com",
    "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "sk-ant-api03-yourKeyHere"
  }
}

{
  "$schema": "https://json.schemastore.org/claude-code-settings.json",
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://api.claudeapi.com",
    "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "sk-ant-api03-yourKeyHere"
  }
}

Save the file and restart VS Code. The extension will pick up the config automatically.

Tip: Including the $schema line enables autocomplete and field validation for settings.json in VS Code — handy when tweaking other settings later.

Method B: VS Code Extension Settings UI

  1. Press Ctrl+, to open Settings
  2. Search for Claude Code
  3. Find Environment Variables and add:
    • ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL = https://api.claudeapi.com
    • ANTHROPIC_API_KEY = yourKeyHere

Verify

After restarting VS Code, ask any question in the Claude Code panel. The model name should appear in the status bar at the bottom left.

Cline is one of the most feature-rich AI coding assistants available for VS Code. It supports two connection methods:

This method provides full Tool Use support, meaning Cline’s file editing, terminal execution, and other agent capabilities all work out of the box.

  1. Click the Cline icon in the VS Code sidebar
  2. Click the ⚙️ settings icon in the top right
  3. Fill in the fields as follows:
Field Value
API Provider Anthropic
Base URL https://api.claudeapi.com
API Key Your ClaudeAPI Key
Model claude-sonnet-4-6

Method B: OpenAI-Compatible Format (for multi-model workflows)

Use this if you want to access GPT, Gemini, or other non-Claude models through Cline as well:

Field Value
API Provider OpenAI Compatible
Base URL https://api.claudeapi.com/v1
API Key Your ClaudeAPI Key
Model ID claude-sonnet-4-6

Direct settings.json Edit

If you prefer editing the config file directly, add the following to your VS Code settings.json:

{
  "cline.apiProvider": "anthropic",
  "cline.apiKey": "sk-ant-api03-yourKeyHere",
  "cline.anthropicBaseUrl": "https://api.claudeapi.com",
  "cline.apiModelId": "claude-sonnet-4-6"
}

{
  "cline.apiProvider": "anthropic",
  "cline.apiKey": "sk-ant-api03-yourKeyHere",
  "cline.anthropicBaseUrl": "https://api.claudeapi.com",
  "cline.apiModelId": "claude-sonnet-4-6"
}

Or using the OpenAI-Compatible method:

{
  "cline.apiProvider": "openai-compatible",
  "cline.openAiCompatible.baseUrl": "https://api.claudeapi.com/v1",
  "cline.openAiCompatible.apiKey": "sk-ant-api03-yourKeyHere",
  "cline.openAiCompatible.modelId": "claude-sonnet-4-6"
}

{
  "cline.apiProvider": "openai-compatible",
  "cline.openAiCompatible.baseUrl": "https://api.claudeapi.com/v1",
  "cline.openAiCompatible.apiKey": "sk-ant-api03-yourKeyHere",
  "cline.openAiCompatible.modelId": "claude-sonnet-4-6"
}

4. Cursor IDE Configuration

Cursor uses the OpenAI-compatible format — all custom endpoints go through the OpenAI API protocol.

Setup Steps

  1. Open Cursor and press Ctrl+, (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+, (macOS) to open Settings
  2. Click Models in the left sidebar
  3. Find the “Override OpenAI Base URL” field and enter:
    https://api.claudeapi.com/v1

    https://api.claudeapi.com/v1
  4. Enter your ClaudeAPI Key in the “OpenAI API Key” field
  5. Click “+ Add Model” and enter the model name:

Available Claude model names:

claude-opus-4-7
claude-opus-4-6
claude-sonnet-4-6
claude-haiku-4-5-20251001

claude-opus-4-7
claude-opus-4-6
claude-sonnet-4-6
claude-haiku-4-5-20251001
  1. Save, then select your added model in the Cursor Chat panel to test

Important Notes for Cursor

  • Cursor only supports the OpenAI format, meaning all requests go through the /v1/chat/completions endpoint
  • The Base URL must include /v1 (Cursor appends /chat/completions automatically)
  • If you see a “Model not found” error, double-check that the model name matches exactly (case-sensitive)

5. Model Selection Guide

Not sure which model to use? Here’s a quick decision framework:

Model Best For Standard Pricing (Input / Output)
claude-opus-4-7 Complex architecture design, long documents, deep reasoning $4.00 / $20.00 per 1M tokens
claude-opus-4-6 Large-scale code refactoring, specialized tasks $4.00 / $20.00 per 1M tokens
claude-sonnet-4-6 Day-to-day coding, code completion, doc generation (Recommended) $2.40 / $12.00 per 1M tokens
claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 Quick Q&A, code comments, fast responses $0.80 / $4.00 per 1M tokens

Our recommendation for IDE use: Stick with claude-sonnet-4-6 for everyday development — it’s the best balance of quality and cost. Switch to claude-opus-4-6 when you’re tackling complex architecture or thorny refactors.

6. Troubleshooting

Issue 1: “401 Unauthorized”

Cause: Incorrect API key, or extra whitespace copied before/after the key.

Fix:

  1. Go to your ClaudeAPI.com dashboard and confirm the key is valid
  2. Make sure the full key was copied — it should start with sk-ant-api03-

Issue 2: “Connection refused” or Timeout

Cause: Incorrect Base URL.

Most common mistake:

# Wrong — extra /v1
ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://api.claudeapi.com/v1   ❌

# Correct (for Claude Code and Cline Anthropic mode)
ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://api.claudeapi.com       ✅

# Correct (for Cursor and Cline OpenAI Compatible mode)
Base URL = https://api.claudeapi.com/v1            ✅

# Wrong — extra /v1
ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://api.claudeapi.com/v1   ❌

# Correct (for Claude Code and Cline Anthropic mode)
ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://api.claudeapi.com       ✅

# Correct (for Cursor and Cline OpenAI Compatible mode)
Base URL = https://api.claudeapi.com/v1            ✅

Easy rule to remember: Anthropic format → no /v1. OpenAI-compatible format → include /v1.

Issue 3: Cline Agent Features (File Editing / Terminal) Not Working

Cause: You’re using OpenAI Compatible mode, which has incomplete Tool Use support.

Fix: Switch to Anthropic native mode (Method A). Tool Use is a first-class feature of the Anthropic protocol and works much more reliably.

Issue 4: VS Code Extension Still Asks You to Log In After Configuration

Cause: Environment variables haven’t taken effect, so the extension is falling back to the default Anthropic login flow.

Fix:

// Add to ~/.claude/settings.json
{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://api.claudeapi.com",
    "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "yourKeyHere"
  }
}

// Add to ~/.claude/settings.json
{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://api.claudeapi.com",
    "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "yourKeyHere"
  }
}

Save, then fully quit and reopen VS Code (not just reload the window — actually close and relaunch).

Issue 5: Environment Variables Not Taking Effect on Windows

Cause: You set system environment variables but didn’t restart your terminal.

Fix: Close all PowerShell/CMD windows completely and reopen them. If you’re using VS Code’s integrated terminal, restart VS Code itself.

7. Quick Verification Scripts

Not sure if everything is working? Run one of these to verify:

Python (recommended):

import anthropic

client = anthropic.Anthropic(
    api_key="sk-ant-api03-yourKeyHere",
    base_url="https://api.claudeapi.com"
)

message = client.messages.create(
    model="claude-sonnet-4-6",
    max_tokens=100,
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Say 'Setup successful'"}]
)

print(message.content[0].text)
print(f"Input: {message.usage.input_tokens} tokens")
print(f"Output: {message.usage.output_tokens} tokens")

import anthropic

client = anthropic.Anthropic(
    api_key="sk-ant-api03-yourKeyHere",
    base_url="https://api.claudeapi.com"
)

message = client.messages.create(
    model="claude-sonnet-4-6",
    max_tokens=100,
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Say 'Setup successful'"}]
)

print(message.content[0].text)
print(f"Input: {message.usage.input_tokens} tokens")
print(f"Output: {message.usage.output_tokens} tokens")

curl (no dependencies needed):

curl -X POST https://api.claudeapi.com/v1/messages \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-api-key: sk-ant-api03-yourKeyHere" \
  -H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" \
  -d '{
    "model": "claude-sonnet-4-6",
    "max_tokens": 50,
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Say setup successful"}]
  }'

curl -X POST https://api.claudeapi.com/v1/messages \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-api-key: sk-ant-api03-yourKeyHere" \
  -H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" \
  -d '{
    "model": "claude-sonnet-4-6",
    "max_tokens": 50,
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Say setup successful"}]
  }'

If you get a JSON response containing a "content" field, you’re good to go.

Quick Reference Card (Bookmark This)

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           ClaudeAPI.com Configuration Cheat Sheet        │
├──────────────┬──────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Tool         │ Configuration                            │
├──────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Claude Code  │ ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL (without /v1)         │
│ CLI          │ = https://api.claudeapi.com              │
├──────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ VS Code      │ ~/.claude/settings.json                  │
│ Extension    │ env.ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL (without /v1)     │
├──────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Cline        │ Provider: Anthropic                      │
│ (Recommended)│ Base URL: https://api.claudeapi.com      │
├──────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Cursor       │ Override OpenAI Base URL                  │
│              │ = https://api.claudeapi.com/v1 (with /v1)│
└──────────────┴──────────────────────────────────────────┘

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           ClaudeAPI.com Configuration Cheat Sheet        │
├──────────────┬──────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Tool         │ Configuration                            │
├──────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Claude Code  │ ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL (without /v1)         │
│ CLI          │ = https://api.claudeapi.com              │
├──────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ VS Code      │ ~/.claude/settings.json                  │
│ Extension    │ env.ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL (without /v1)     │
├──────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Cline        │ Provider: Anthropic                      │
│ (Recommended)│ Base URL: https://api.claudeapi.com      │
├──────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Cursor       │ Override OpenAI Base URL                  │
│              │ = https://api.claudeapi.com/v1 (with /v1)│
└──────────────┴──────────────────────────────────────────┘

Once configured, all your AI coding tools route through ClaudeAPI.com — unified billing, with detailed usage breakdowns available anytime in your dashboard.

Run into issues during setup? Send a screenshot of your error message to our support team and you’ll typically get a response within 10 minutes.

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