Using BeatAPI in Claude Code

Claude Code is a command-line coding agent that reads and writes files, runs commands, and works through a task in the terminal. It speaks the Anthropic Messages format, which BeatAPI serves directly at POST /v1/messages — so pointing it at BeatAPI is a base-URL change, not a translation layer.

Prerequisites

1. Claude Code installed — see Step 1 if you have not installed it yet.
2. A BeatAPI API key — create one in Dashboard → API Keys.

Step 1: Install Claude Code

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

brew install --cask claude-code

Confirm the install:

claude --version

Step 2: Point Claude Code at BeatAPI

Three configuration methods, in descending order of durability. Pick one.

Method 1: settings.json

The most stable approach — configure once and it persists across terminals.

Locate the configuration directory:

• macOS / Linux: ~/.claude
• Windows: %userprofile%\.claude

If it does not exist, run claude once and press Ctrl + C to exit; the directory is created for you.

Create or edit settings.json:

{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://api.beatapi.io",
    "ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "<BEATAPI_API_KEY>",
    "ANTHROPIC_MODEL": "claude-fable-5-1",
    "CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC": "1"
  }
}

Save the file and restart Claude Code.

Method 2: Persistent environment variables

echo 'export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.beatapi.io"' >> ~/.zshrc
echo 'export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="<BEATAPI_API_KEY>"' >> ~/.zshrc
echo 'export ANTHROPIC_MODEL="claude-fable-5-1"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

Method 3: One terminal only

Useful for a quick test. The values disappear when the terminal closes.

export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.beatapi.io"
export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="<BEATAPI_API_KEY>"
export ANTHROPIC_MODEL="claude-fable-5-1"
claude

Step 3: Verify and start working

claude "Hello"

A reply means the configuration took effect. A login prompt, a 401, or a 403 means it did not — see the FAQ below.

Claude Code has two interaction modes:

• Interactive — run claude for a continuing session, suited to multi-step work.
• One-shot — run claude "your question" for a single answer.

Models

Every Claude model on the account is reachable with the same key. Switch with /model inside an interactive session, or change ANTHROPIC_MODEL and restart.

Prices for each are on the pricing page; the Claude API page documents the request shape.

Configure Sonnet 5.5

Merge these values into ~/.claude/settings.json, replace the key placeholder, then restart Claude Code:

{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://api.beatapi.io",
    "ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "<BEATAPI_API_KEY>",
    "ANTHROPIC_MODEL": "claude-sonnet-5-5"
  }
}

Sonnet 5.5 uses adaptive thinking by default. Let Claude Code manage its thinking and tool settings. See the Sonnet 5.5 model guide for limits and current token rates.

Common commands

FAQ

The login screen still appears after configuring

The configuration did not take effect.

1. Using settings.json — check the path is ~/.claude/settings.json (%userprofile%\.claude\settings.json on Windows).
2. Using environment variables — make sure you launched Claude Code from the terminal where the variables were set.
3. Check the JSON is valid: matching braces, no trailing comma, straight quotes rather than typographic ones.

401 or 403

Also confirm ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL is https://api.beatapi.io and not the vendor’s own address.

”Auth conflict” on startup

Auth conflict: Both a token (claude.ai) and an API key (ANTHROPIC_API_KEY) are set.

You are signed in to a first-party account and have an API key set at the same time. Run /logout inside Claude Code to drop the session and keep the key.

402 insufficient_credits

Insufficient balance: the account balance is zero or below the price of the request. Top up from the dashboard; in-flight requests fail rather than queue.

429 rate_limit_exceeded

The key exceeded its request rate. BeatAPI returns Retry-After — wait that long before retrying. The per-minute allowance rises with lifetime top-ups and is shown on the dashboard.

Connection failures

1. Check general connectivity.
2. Re-check ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL for a typo or a stray /v1.
3. Behind a corporate proxy, allow api.beatapi.io.

Checking usage and spend

The dashboard shows calls, token consumption, and cost per key. The same numbers are available programmatically from GET /v1/usage.

Support

Open a support ticket from the dashboard and include the request_id from the failing response — it identifies the exact call in the logs.