Anthropic MCP — Auth Setup
Anthropic uses API keys to authenticate requests to Claude models via the Anthropic API.
1. Get your credentials
- Open the Anthropic API keys page (opens Anthropic Console — we never see your key)
- Click Create Key, give it a name, and copy the key value
- Store the key securely — it will not be shown again after you leave the page
2. Set environment variables
macOS / Linux — add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc:
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEY_HERE
Then run source ~/.zshrc (or open a new terminal).
Windows — run in Command Prompt (then restart):
setx ANTHROPIC_API_KEY "YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
3. Verify
npx claude-skills doctor
You should see ✅ next to the Anthropic MCP entry. If you see ❌, confirm the key is set: echo $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY.
4. Restart Claude Code
Quit and reopen Claude Code (or run /mcp list inside Claude Code to confirm the Anthropic MCP appears).

