---

name: anth-install-auth description: 'Install and configure Anthropic Claude SDK authentication for Python and TypeScript.

Use when setting up a new Claude API integration, configuring API keys,

or initializing the Anthropic SDK in your project.

Trigger with phrases like "install anthropic", "setup claude api",

"anthropic auth", "configure anthropic API key", "claude sdk setup".

' allowed-tools: Read, Write, Edit, Bash(npm:), Bash(pip:), Grep version: 1.7.0 license: MIT author: Jeremy Longshore jeremy@intentsolutions.io tags:

• saas
• ai
• anthropic compatibility: Designed for Claude Code

---

Anthropic Install & Auth

Overview

Set up the official Anthropic SDK for Python or TypeScript and configure API key authentication. The SDK wraps the Claude Messages API at https://api.anthropic.com/v1/messages.

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ or Python 3.8+
• Package manager (npm, pnpm, yarn, or pip)
• Anthropic account with API access at console.anthropic.com
• API key from Console > API Keys

Instructions

Step 1: Install SDK

# Python
pip install anthropic

# TypeScript / Node.js
npm install @anthropic-ai/sdk

# With pnpm
pnpm add @anthropic-ai/sdk

Step 2: Configure API Key

# Set environment variable (recommended)
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-api03-..."

# Or add to .env file
echo 'ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-api03-your-key-here' >> .env

# Verify it's set
echo $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY | head -c 15
# Expected: sk-ant-api03-...

Step 3: Verify Connection (Python)

import anthropic

client = anthropic.Anthropic()  # reads ANTHROPIC_API_KEY from env

message = client.messages.create(
    model="claude-sonnet-4-20250514",
    max_tokens=64,
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Say hello in exactly 5 words."}]
)
print(message.content[0].text)
print(f"Model: {message.model}, Tokens: {message.usage.input_tokens}+{message.usage.output_tokens}")

Step 4: Verify Connection (TypeScript)

import Anthropic from '@anthropic-ai/sdk';

const client = new Anthropic();  // reads ANTHROPIC_API_KEY from env

const message = await client.messages.create({
  model: 'claude-sonnet-4-20250514',
  max_tokens: 64,
  messages: [{ role: 'user', content: 'Say hello in exactly 5 words.' }],
});

if (message.content[0].type === 'text') {
  console.log(message.content[0].text);
}
console.log(`Stop reason: ${message.stop_reason}`);

Output

• Installed SDK package (anthropic for Python, @anthropic-ai/sdk for TS)
• Environment variable ANTHROPIC_API_KEY configured
• Successful API response confirming authentication works

Examples

For local Python development, install anthropic in the project virtual environment, export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY only in the current shell, then run the Step 3 script. Its successful text response confirms both package resolution and authentication without adding a secret to the repository. For a Node service, set the same variable in the deployment platform's secret manager and run the TypeScript check once in a non-production environment; keep the key out of source, logs, and client-side bundles.

Error Handling

Error	HTTP Code	Cause	Solution
authentication_error	401	Invalid or missing API key	Verify key starts with sk-ant-api03-
permission_error	403	Key lacks required scope	Generate new key in Console
not_found_error	404	Invalid API endpoint	Ensure SDK is latest version
ModuleNotFoundError	N/A	SDK not installed	Run pip install anthropic or npm install @anthropic-ai/sdk
connection_error	N/A	Network/firewall blocking	Ensure HTTPS to api.anthropic.com is allowed

Enterprise Configuration

# Custom base URL (for proxied environments)
client = anthropic.Anthropic(
    api_key="sk-ant-...",
    base_url="https://your-proxy.internal.com/v1",
    timeout=60.0,
    max_retries=3
)

# With explicit headers
client = anthropic.Anthropic(
    default_headers={"anthropic-beta": "messages-2024-12-19"}
)

Security Considerations

• Never commit API keys to source control
• Use .env files with .gitignore exclusion
• Rotate keys periodically via Console > API Keys
• Use separate keys per environment (dev/staging/prod)
• Consider Anthropic's Workspace feature for team key isolation

Resources

• Anthropic API Getting Started
• Python SDK
• TypeScript SDK
• Console

Next Steps

After successful auth, proceed to anth-hello-world for your first Messages API call.