Claude Code

Kimi K3 in Claude Code: API Key, Base URL, and Model Setup

Connect Kimi K3 to Claude Code manually. Set a BetterToken API Key, Base URL, and kimi-k3 model mappings in settings.json or VS Code. Practical guidance.

You can connect Kimi K3 directly to Claude Code with the Anthropic-compatible setup. Use your BetterToken API Key, the Base URL https://bettertoken.ai, and map kimi-k3 for the Haiku, Sonnet, and Opus roles.

Key settings

Field	Value
API Key	BetterToken API Key
Base URL	`https://bettertoken.ai`
Model	`kimi-k3`

Prerequisites

Install the latest Claude Code.
Copy the exact Model ID from the model plaza.
Confirm that kimi-k3 is available in the Setup dialog.

Configure Claude Code CLI

Open ~/.claude/settings.json on macOS/Linux or %USERPROFILE%\\.claude\\settings.json on Windows. Add or update the env object:

{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://bettertoken.ai",
    "ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "YOUR_API_KEY",
    "ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL": "kimi-k3",
    "ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL": "kimi-k3",
    "ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL": "kimi-k3",
    "CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC": "1",
    "API_TIMEOUT_MS": "3000000"
  }
}

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your BetterToken API Key. If the file already contains env, add these fields to the existing object instead of creating a second one.

Configure the Claude Code VS Code extension

Open VS Code user settings.json and add:

{
  "claudeCode.environmentVariables": [
    { "name": "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL", "value": "https://bettertoken.ai" },
    { "name": "ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN", "value": "YOUR_API_KEY" },
    { "name": "ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL", "value": "kimi-k3" },
    { "name": "ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL", "value": "kimi-k3" },
    { "name": "ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL", "value": "kimi-k3" },
    { "name": "CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC", "value": "1" },
    { "name": "API_TIMEOUT_MS", "value": "3000000" }
  ]
}

Run Developer: Reload Window or fully restart VS Code.

Verify the connection

Run this command in your project:

claude

Send a short prompt. A response without authentication, connection, or model errors confirms that Kimi K3 is connected. Fully restart Claude Code after every settings.json change.

Common errors

Error	What to check
`401`	Copy your BetterToken API Key again into `ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN`.
`404` or endpoint error	Use `https://bettertoken.ai` as the Base URL, without `/v1` or `/messages`.
Model not found	Set all three `ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_*_MODEL` values to `kimi-k3` available in your Setup dialog.
Configuration is not applied	Check the file path and fully restart Claude Code or VS Code.

Technical details

Why map three model roles

Claude Code requests Haiku, Sonnet, and Opus roles. Map kimi-k3 to all three variables so the same available Model ID is used for each role. Claude Code appends the Anthropic Messages path itself, so do not add /v1 to the Base URL.