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Environment Variables & API Keys

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ANTHROPIC_API_KEY Inheritance

Anthropic recently changed how Claude Code handles API keys. If you have an ANTHROPIC_API_KEY in your .env file, Claude Code will automatically inherit and use that API key instead of your signed-in account credentials. This behavior can frequently come as a surprise. If you’d like to see a fix, please upvote our GitHub issue: anthropics/claude-code#12047.

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What This Means

  • If you’re signed into Claude Code with a Pro or Max plan, but have an ANTHROPIC_API_KEY in your environment, Claude Code will use the API key instead of your subscription
  • This can result in unexpected API usage charges if the API key is connected to a pay-per-use account
  • Your subscription benefits (higher rate limits, priority access) won’t apply when using the environment API key

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Check Your Environment

To see if you have an API key set in your environment: 
echo $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY
Or check your .env file: 
grep ANTHROPIC_API_KEY .env

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Managing API Keys

If you want Claude Code to use your signed-in account instead of an environment API key:
  1. Remove or comment out the ANTHROPIC_API_KEY from your .env file
  2. Restart Conductor