Claude Code + kie.ai Integration Guide

With a simple environment variable setup, you can route your local Claude Code through kie.ai's proxy and use your kie.ai account credits. Takes about 3 minutes.

Prerequisites: Configuration Values You Need

Variable	Value
`ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL`	`https://api.kie.ai/claude`
`ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`	`Bearer <your kie.ai API Key>`
`ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN`	`<your kie.ai API Key>` (alternative to `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` — no Bearer prefix needed)

Important Notes
Set ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL to https://api.kie.ai/claude only — do not append /v1/messages. Claude Code appends that automatically.
There are two ways to provide your API Key — choose one:
Option 1: Use ANTHROPIC_API_KEY. The value must start with Bearer (note the space after Bearer). Example: Bearer sk-kie-abc123xxx
Option 2: Use ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN. Set it directly to the Key value — no Bearer prefix. Example: sk-kie-abc123xxx

Step 1: Install Claude Code

Mac

Open Terminal and paste:

Windows

Open PowerShell from the Start menu and paste:

irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

After installation, run claude --version. If you see a version number, the installation succeeded.

⚠️ If the claude command is not found, check that Claude Code was added to your PATH.
⚠️ After installing, do not log in with an Anthropic account. You will connect using your kie.ai credentials in the next step.

Step 2: Set Your Credentials (Choose One Method)

Method A: System Environment Variables (Recommended)

Configure once — every terminal session will automatically route through kie.ai.

Mac

Open Terminal and paste one of the following (replace the key with your own):

Windows

Open PowerShell and paste one of the following (replace the key with your own):

# Option 1: ANTHROPIC_API_KEY (Bearer prefix required)
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL", "https://api.kie.ai/claude", "User")
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("ANTHROPIC_API_KEY", "Bearer your_kie_API_Key", "User")

# Option 2: ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN (no Bearer prefix)
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL", "https://api.kie.ai/claude", "User")
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN", "your_kie_API_Key", "User")

After running these commands, close all open terminal windows and reopen them — new windows are required to pick up the variables.

Method B: Claude Code Settings File

Takes effect only when running claude. Does not affect other programs on your system — a cleaner option if you prefer isolation.

Open the file below (create it if it doesn't exist), add the content, and replace the key:

Mac: ~/.claude/settings.json

Windows: C:\Users\<your-username>\.claude\settings.json

// Option 1: ANTHROPIC_API_KEY (Bearer prefix required)
{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://api.kie.ai/claude",
    "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "Bearer your_kie_API_Key"
  }
}

// Option 2: ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN (no Bearer prefix)
{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://api.kie.ai/claude",
    "ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "your_kie_API_Key"
  }
}

Method C: CC-SWITCH

Installation Steps:

Download the CC-Switch-Windows.msi file.

https://github.com/farion1231/cc-switch/releases

Double-click to run the installer and follow the wizard to complete the installation.

After installation, find CC Switch in the Start Menu or on the desktop and launch it.

Enter the following information:

API KEY (No Bearer required)

Request URL 'https://api.kie.ai/claude' (It is recommended to disable the full URL)

Enter the corresponding model name from the KIE documentation in the advanced options.

Save and enable.

Step 3: Verify the Connection

Open a terminal and run in any directory:

Once the interactive session starts, send any message (e.g. "Hello").

✅ Gets a normal reply → kie.ai is connected. You can also verify usage in the kie.ai logs page.

❌ Prompted to log in with an Anthropic account → See FAQ item #1 below.

FAQ

Symptom	Cause / Solution
Still prompted to log in with Anthropic account	Environment variables not loaded. Fully close all terminal windows (Mac: right-click Terminal → Quit; Windows: close all PowerShell processes) and reopen.
`401 Unauthorized` error	API Key is wrong or expired. If using `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`, confirm the `Bearer` prefix is present. If using `ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN`, set it to the raw Key with no prefix. Check your key in the kie.ai dashboard.
`model not found` error	Inside Claude, run `/model` and switch to a model supported by kie.ai.
Windows — changes still not working	Close all terminals, including built-in terminals in VSCode, Cursor, and other editors. Fully quit those apps and relaunch.

To inspect the actual requests Claude Code sends, start with claude --debug and review the detailed logs.

Security Tips

Keep your API Key private — never share it in screenshots, chat groups, or code repositories.

If the settings file lives inside a project directory, add .claude/settings.json to .gitignore. Files placed in your home directory (~/.claude/) are safe by default.

If your key is compromised, reset it immediately from the kie.ai dashboard.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.

Claude Code + kie.ai Integration Guide

Prerequisites: Configuration Values You Need#

Step 1: Install Claude Code#

Mac#

Windows#

Step 2: Set Your Credentials (Choose One Method)#

Method A: System Environment Variables (Recommended)#

Mac#

Windows#

Method B: Claude Code Settings File#

Method C: CC-SWITCH#

Step 3: Verify the Connection#

FAQ#

Security Tips#

Prerequisites: Configuration Values You Need

Step 1: Install Claude Code

Mac

Windows

Step 2: Set Your Credentials (Choose One Method)

Method A: System Environment Variables (Recommended)

Mac

Windows

Method B: Claude Code Settings File

Method C: CC-SWITCH

Step 3: Verify the Connection

FAQ

Security Tips