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Connecting BetterToken to Claude Code requires only two config changes: ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL and ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN. No model name is needed — BetterToken routes automatically.

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Prerequisites

Before configuring, clear any existing Anthropic environment variables to prevent them from overriding your settings:
unset ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN
unset ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL

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Setup

1

Edit the Claude Code config file

Config file location:
  • macOS / Linux: ~/.claude/settings.json
  • Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.claude\settings.json
Add the following (replace YOUR_API_KEY with your BetterToken API Key):
{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://www.bettertoken.com/v1",
    "ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "YOUR_API_KEY",
    "API_TIMEOUT_MS": "3000000",
    "CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC": "1"
  }
}
Unlike other relay services, BetterToken does not require you to set ANTHROPIC_MODEL, ANTHROPIC_SMALL_FAST_MODEL, or any other model variables. BetterToken routes to the appropriate Claude model automatically.
2

Complete onboarding (first-time only)

If this is your first time using Claude Code, edit ~/.claude.json to skip the onboarding flow:
{
  "hasCompletedOnboarding": true
}
3

Start Claude Code

Navigate to your working directory and run:
claude
On first launch, select Trust This Folder to allow Claude Code to access files in that directory.

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VS Code extension

If you use the Claude Code VS Code extension:
1

Install the extension

Search for Claude Code in the VS Code extension marketplace and install it.
2

Configure environment variables

Click Edit in settings.json and update claudeCode.environmentVariables:
{
  "claudeCode.environmentVariables": [
    { "name": "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL", "value": "https://www.bettertoken.com/v1" },
    { "name": "ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN", "value": "YOUR_API_KEY" },
    { "name": "API_TIMEOUT_MS", "value": "3000000" },
    { "name": "CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC", "value": "1" }
  ]
}

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Verify

Start Claude Code and send a message. A normal response confirms the connection is working. If you see an auth error, check that ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN is set to your BetterToken API Key and run echo $ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN to confirm no stale env var is overriding it.