Claude Code Setup

Claude Code is Anthropic’s command-line coding agent. This page walks you through pointing it at KeyMaker so it runs on campusGenAI’s models, billed to your sponsor’s funding.

Prerequisites

• Terminal access (macOS or Linux)
• A valid KeyMaker API key from your sponsor — see Getting Started

Installation

1. Open a new terminal.

2. Install Claude Code:

   curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

3. Add Claude Code to your path:

   echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc && source ~/.zshrc

   Note

   This command is for the zsh shell (the default on macOS). If you use bash, replace ~/.zshrc with ~/.bashrc.

4. Go to your home directory and locate (or create) the ~/.claude folder:

   mkdir -p ~/.claude

5. Create a new file called settings.json inside ~/.claude.

6. Open settings.json in your preferred text editor and add the configuration below. Replace YOUR_KEY_HERE with your actual KeyMaker API key:

   {
     "env": {
       "ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "YOUR_KEY_HERE",
       "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://thekeymaker.umass.edu"
     }
   }

   Already set up Codex?

   If you configured Codex first, your key is already saved as the KEYMAKER_API_KEY environment variable. You can print it to copy into ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN:

   echo $KEYMAKER_API_KEY

   It’s the same KeyMaker key — only the variable name differs (Claude Code uses ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN).

7. Save the file.

8. Start Claude Code by typing claude in the terminal:

   claude

Keep your key private

Your settings.json now contains your API key. Don’t commit it to a repository or share it. See security best practices.

Troubleshooting

claude: command not found The install directory isn’t on your path. Re-run step 3, then close and reopen your terminal. Confirm the binary exists with ls ~/.local/bin/claude. If you use bash rather than zsh, make sure you edited ~/.bashrc.

Invalid key / authentication errors

• Confirm you copied the full key from the KeyMaker portal with no extra spaces or line breaks.
• Make sure the key is set as ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN (not ANTHROPIC_API_KEY) in settings.json.
• Check that your sponsor’s funding is active and your access hasn’t been removed.

Connection or base URL errors

• Verify ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL is exactly https://thekeymaker.umass.edu with no trailing slash.
• Confirm your settings.json is valid JSON — a missing comma or brace will prevent it from loading. Paste it into a JSON validator if unsure.
• If you’re off-campus, make sure you can reach institutional services (some require a VPN).

Next steps

• Usage and Best Practices — monitoring usage, cost awareness, and security

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Need help?

• Get help: Contact us
• About campusGenAI: Main site

Your interface may look slightly different depending on your institution’s deployment.