LIVE · Quickstart

Use the Claude API
on AI Prime Tech

Drop-in Claude API replacement — works with Claude Code, Cursor, Cline, and the official Anthropic SDK. Two environment variables and you're done. ~60 seconds to first response.

1 Install Claude Code

Official Anthropic installer. One command per platform — picks up automatic updates.

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
ℹ️

Windows tip: install Git for Windows first so Claude Code can use Bash. Otherwise it falls back to PowerShell.

2 Point Claude Code at AI Prime Tech

Two environment variables — ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL and ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN. Set them either for the current shell only, or persistently for every future session.

~ — bash

A. Temporary — current shell only

Good for trying it out or one-off scripts. Variables disappear when you close the terminal.

export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://aiprimetech.io" export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="sk-your-key-here" claude
$env:ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL = "https://aiprimetech.io" $env:ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN = "sk-your-key-here" claude
set ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://aiprimetech.io set ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN=sk-your-key-here claude

B. Persistent — set once, every shell forever

Recommended for normal use. Survives reboots and new terminal windows.

# Append to your shell rc file (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, or ~/.config/fish/config.fish) echo 'export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://aiprimetech.io"' >> ~/.bashrc echo 'export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="sk-your-key-here"' >> ~/.bashrc source ~/.bashrc
# Run once — applies to every new PowerShell session for this user [System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL", "https://aiprimetech.io", "User") [System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN", "sk-your-key-here", "User") # Close and reopen PowerShell, then run `claude`
:: Run once — applies to every new CMD session for this user setx ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL "https://aiprimetech.io" setx ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN "sk-your-key-here" :: Close and reopen CMD, then run `claude`
🔑

Don't have a key yet? Create an accountDashboard → API Keys → Create. Keys start with sk-.

3 Start a session

Open any project folder and run claude. That's it.

~/my-project
$ cd ~/my-project
$ claude
 
# Claude Code starts...
# Routed via aiprimetech.io · 78ms latency
✓ Ready
 
what does this project do?

Switch models inside a session

Type /model to pick which Claude model handles your messages. The next prompt uses the selected one.

One-off queries (no interactive session)

claude "explain the auth flow in this codebase"

Supported models

Same identifiers as the official Anthropic API. Pick by task.

Model IDBest forContext
claude-opus-4-7Hardest reasoning, planning, autonomous agents200K / 1M
claude-opus-4-6Deep analysis, advanced coding200K
claude-sonnet-4-6Everyday coding, fast responses200K / 1M
claude-haiku-4-5Quick tasks, classification, tool dispatch200K

Other clients

The same two env vars work in every Anthropic-SDK-compatible tool.

Troubleshooting

"API key invalid" / 401 Unauthorized
Your ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN isn't loaded or has a typo. Verify with echo $ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN (Linux/Mac) or echo $env:ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN (PowerShell). Should start with apt-. If empty, restart your terminal after running setx — it only takes effect in NEW shells.
"Connection refused" / "ENOTFOUND"
Check ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL is set to exactly https://aiprimetech.io (no trailing slash, no /v1). Claude Code adds the path itself.
"Insufficient balance"
Top up at your dashboard via card, crypto, or redeem a code at /redeem. Credits never expire.
Want to A/B against the official Anthropic API
Unset both env vars in a separate terminal: unset ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN. Claude Code will fall back to your Anthropic.com login.
Specific model isn't responding
Try a different model with /model inside the session. Models map to different upstream account pools — if one is rate-limited, the others usually aren't.

Need help?

Real humans answer in < 1 hour, weekdays.