--- title: "Anthropic Claude" description: "Set up Claude as the brain behind your HolaClaw assistant with an Anthropic API key. Get the key, connect it, pick a model, and know what it costs." updated: 2026-06-11 canonical: https://holaclaw.ai/docs/ai-providers/anthropic-claude --- Claude is HolaClaw's default recommendation. Made by Anthropic, it has a warm, attentive conversational style that pairs beautifully with HolaClaw's memory system — it picks up small details you mention and weaves them back in later. If you want one provider that's great at long conversations, nuance, and writing, this is it. ```provider-card name: Claude company: Anthropic tagline: Thoughtful, steerable assistants from Anthropic. hue: 25 key-url: https://platform.claude.com key-label: platform.claude.com auth: API key cost: $$ recommended: Claude Sonnet 4.6 ``` ## What you'll need - An Anthropic account at [platform.claude.com](https://platform.claude.com). - A payment method — Anthropic works on **prepaid credits**, so you top up a balance before you chat. - HolaClaw installed on your Mac. The whole setup takes about five minutes. ## Get your API key Claude connects to HolaClaw with an **API key** — a long secret code that proves to Anthropic that requests come from your account. Think of it as a password your assistant uses on your behalf. Anyone who has the key can spend your credits, so treat it like a password too. 1. Sign in at [platform.claude.com](https://platform.claude.com). 2. Open **API keys** and click to create a new key. Give it a name you'll recognize later, like "HolaClaw". 3. Copy the key right away — it starts with `sk-ant-` and is shown in full only once. If you lose it, just create a new one. 4. While you're there, add some credits on the [billing page](https://console.anthropic.com/settings/billing) if your balance is empty. Without credits, every request will fail even though the key itself is valid. ![Creating an API key in the Anthropic console at platform.claude.com](/videos/docs/ai-providers/platform-api-key.mp4) > **Heads-up — a Claude subscription is not API access.** If you pay for Claude Pro or Max on claude.ai, that subscription covers the Claude apps and website only. It does **not** power HolaClaw — Anthropic keeps the consumer subscription and API access as separate products with separate billing. For HolaClaw you need an API key and prepaid API credits, even if you already subscribe. ## Connect it to your assistant You pick the provider while creating an assistant, in **Step 2 · Model provider** — the screen that says "Connect the brain behind your assistant." 1. In HolaClaw, start the **Create Assistant** flow and go to Step 2. 2. Choose **Claude** in the provider sidebar. You'll see **Claude · Anthropic** with the tagline "Thoughtful, steerable assistants from Anthropic." 3. Paste your key into the **Claude API Key** field. It's masked like a password, which is normal. 4. Pick a model (more on that below) and continue with the rest of the setup. ![HolaClaw Create Assistant Step 2 with Claude selected, showing the API key field and model list](/images/docs/ai-providers/providers-claude.webp) As the app says right below the key field: "Your credentials stay on your Mac — we never send them anywhere." The key is stored inside the assistant's private virtual machine on your Mac. HolaClaw's servers never see it, and Anthropic bills you directly — HolaClaw adds nothing on top. ## Choosing a model HolaClaw offers two Claude models: | Model | Best for | Speed | Cost | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Claude Sonnet 4.6** (recommended) | Everyday chat, journaling, planning, writing | Fast | Moderate | | **Claude Opus 4.8** | Heavyweight reasoning, complex multi-step tasks | Slower | Higher | **Claude Sonnet 4.6** is the recommended default and the right pick for almost everyone — it balances speed and quality, and it's plenty smart for a daily companion, a travel planner, or a writing partner. **Claude Opus 4.8** is Anthropic's most capable model. Reach for it when your assistant regularly tackles genuinely hard problems — deep research, intricate planning, demanding analysis. It's pricier and slower, and frankly overkill for everyday conversation. > **Tip — when in doubt, Sonnet.** The model choice is per-assistant, made at creation time. If you later decide you want the other model, create a new assistant with it — your existing assistant keeps the brain it was born with. ## What it costs Anthropic charges per **token** — roughly a short word or word-fragment of text. Every message you send and every reply your assistant writes consumes some, and your prepaid credit balance ticks down accordingly. There's no monthly fee: you pay only for what you use. In practice, a chatty daily assistant on Sonnet typically costs cents per day. Opus multiplies that — same conversation, noticeably bigger bill. For current per-token prices, see your [billing dashboard](https://console.anthropic.com/settings/billing) — we don't quote numbers here because they change. ## Troubleshooting When something goes wrong with the connection to Anthropic, HolaClaw shows a banner in the chat explaining what happened. Here's what each one means: - **"Claude is out of credits"** — your prepaid balance hit zero. Top up at [console.anthropic.com/settings/billing](https://console.anthropic.com/settings/billing) and your assistant resumes on the next message. - **"Claude API key is invalid, expired, or out of credits"** — the key was revoked, mistyped, or the account can't pay. Create a fresh key at platform.claude.com and update it in the assistant's settings, or top up your balance. - **"Claude rate limit or quota reached"** — you're sending requests faster than your account tier allows. Wait a little and try again, or upgrade your plan with Anthropic. - **"Claude is currently unreachable"** — Anthropic's servers are having a moment. Nothing to fix on your end; the next attempt goes through once their service recovers. Still stuck? The [HolaClaw Discord](https://discord.gg/FbxAbS5sGQ) is a friendly place to ask. ## Next steps Not sure Claude is the right brain for this assistant? Compare all the options in [Choosing an AI provider](/docs/ai-providers/choosing-a-provider) — and remember you can always create another assistant with a different one. And if you'd rather not manage an Anthropic account at all, you can also reach Claude models through [OpenRouter](/docs/ai-providers/openrouter) with a single key that covers many providers.