AI coding tools FAQ
These pages are for developers searching for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Cline, and other AI coding tool concepts. They explain the tool first, then show where API Key, Base URL, protocol choice, and usage visibility connect to BetterToken.- What is Claude Code and how does it work?
- Claude Code vs Claude Desktop
- Claude Code vs Cursor for local development
- Does Claude Code use a Claude.ai account or an API Key?
- How to configure API Key and Base URL in Claude Code
- What is CLAUDE.md in Claude Code?
- How to switch Sonnet and Opus in Claude Code
- Claude Code permissions and hooks explained
- Why Claude Code uses so many tokens and how to reduce cost
- How to configure MCP in Claude Desktop
- Claude Desktop custom endpoint
- Claude Desktop Cowork vs Code Gateway
- What is Codex CLI?
- Codex CLI vs Codex App vs Codex Web
- How to configure Codex CLI config.toml
- What are model_provider, base_url, and wire_api in Codex CLI?
- What do review_model and reasoning_effort mean in Codex CLI?
- What is AGENTS.md in Codex CLI?
- What are Codex CLI sandbox and approval modes?
- How do I configure GPT-6 Astra in Codex API mode?
- How to keep the official Codex login state with a third-party API
- How to configure a custom OpenAI API Key and Base URL in Cursor
- Cursor Rules, AGENTS.md, and .cursorignore explained
- How to configure MCP in Cursor
- How to configure an OpenAI-compatible API in Cline
- OpenAI-compatible API vs Anthropic-compatible API
- Claude Code vs Codex CLI
- MCP vs API Key and Base URL
Account and billing
How does BetterToken charge usage?
How does BetterToken charge usage?
BetterToken charges by actual token usage and follows Anthropic / OpenAI pricing without adding an extra markup.See the pricing page for details.
Can I get a refund after signup?
Can I get a refund after signup?
Contact support if you need a refund for a paid top-up.
Can I use the same API Key in multiple tools?
Can I use the same API Key in multiple tools?
Yes. The same API Key can be used in Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and other tools at the same time. Usage is shared.
Where can I check my usage?
Where can I check my usage?
Log in to the dashboard to view current usage and billing records.
Setup and configuration
What is BetterToken's base_url?
What is BetterToken's base_url?
BetterToken now uses two different endpoints by protocol:
Do not reuse one address across every tool.
Do I need to specify a model when using Claude Code?
Do I need to specify a model when using Claude Code?
Connect Claude Code with your BetterToken API Key, Base URL
https://bettertoken.ai, and the Model ID you want to use. Replace YOUR_MODEL_ID with the Model ID you copied. Set ANTHROPIC_MODEL for the main model and the three ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_*_MODEL variables for the Haiku, Sonnet, and Opus aliases. You can map them to the same model or choose a different model for each role. Copy the exact Model ID from the model plaza.Do I need to specify a model when using Codex?
Do I need to specify a model when using Codex?
Copy the exact Model ID from the model plaza.
Do I need to specify a model when using other tools like Cursor?
Do I need to specify a model when using other tools like Cursor?
Copy the exact Model ID from the model plaza.
Do OpenClaw and other external tools need extra headers?
Do OpenClaw and other external tools need extra headers?
Usually not.Based on the official docs we checked, common external tools like Cursor, Cline, and Zed focus on the
Base URL, API key, and model ID. OpenCode and OpenClaw do support optional headers, but their official docs describe that as custom headers or custom auth needs, not as a required BetterToken setup step.Only add extra headers when the tool’s official docs, or your own upstream gateway, tenant routing, observability, or caching layer explicitly requires them.What should I do if authentication fails after setup?
What should I do if authentication fails after setup?
Check the following:
- Make sure the API Key is correct and has no extra spaces
- Confirm Claude Code uses
https://bettertoken.ai, while Codex / external tools usehttps://bettertoken.ai/v1 - Check whether old
ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN,ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL,OPENAI_API_KEY, orOPENAI_BASE_URLvariables are overriding the config - For external tools, check whether there are additional official requirements such as version limits, model allowlists, or extra headers explicitly required by your upstream gateway
Reliability and rate limits
How does BetterToken stay reliable?
How does BetterToken stay reliable?
BetterToken connects to multiple suppliers and uses the following mechanisms:
- Multi-source supply: one supplier outage does not take down your requests
- Dynamic routing: BetterToken picks the fastest and most stable path in real time
- Flagship focus: reliability work is concentrated on Claude Code and the Codex ecosystem
What should I do if I hit rate limits or timeouts?
What should I do if I hit rate limits or timeouts?
BetterToken automatically handles individual supplier rate limits and timeouts. If issues continue:
- Check that your balance is sufficient
- Increase the timeout for your tool (
API_TIMEOUT_MS=3000000is recommended) - Contact support to confirm the current quota status
Is BetterToken suitable for production?
Is BetterToken suitable for production?
BetterToken is primarily built for individual developers using AI coding tools such as Claude Code and Codex. For large-scale production API workloads, evaluate it against your own requirements.
Privacy and security
Does BetterToken store my request content?
Does BetterToken store my request content?
BetterToken acts as a relay and does not persist conversation content. See the Privacy Policy for details.
What should I do if my API Key leaks?
What should I do if my API Key leaks?
Log in to the dashboard immediately, delete the old key, and generate a new one. Then update every tool that uses that key.