3  Creating an Anthropic Account

Branch Section

This section is for those who don’t yet have an Anthropic account. If you already have an API key, skip to Installing Claude Code.

Claude Code uses Anthropic’s API to communicate with Claude. You’ll need an account and an API key.

3.1 Step 1: Create an Account

  1. Go to console.anthropic.com
  2. Click Sign Up
  3. You can sign up with:
    • Google account
    • Email address
  4. Verify your email if required

3.2 Step 2: Understanding the Console

Once logged in, you’ll see the Anthropic Console. Key areas:

  • Dashboard: Overview of your usage
  • API Keys: Where we’ll create your key
  • Usage: Detailed breakdown of API calls
  • Billing: Payment methods and invoices

3.3 Step 3: Create an API Key

  1. Click API Keys in the left sidebar

  2. Click Create Key

  3. Give it a descriptive name like “Claude Code - My Laptop”

  4. Click Create Key

  5. IMPORTANT: Copy the key immediately! It looks like:

    sk-ant-api03-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Save Your API Key Securely

You’ll only see this key once. After you close this dialog, you cannot retrieve it—you’d have to create a new one.

Save it in a password manager (1Password, Bitwarden, etc.) or a secure note. Never put it in a file that gets committed to git.

3.4 Step 4: Add Payment Method (or Check for Credits)

Claude Code uses the API, which has usage-based pricing. Check if you have any credits:

  1. Go to Billing in the sidebar
  2. Look for “Credits” or “Free tier”

3.4.1 If You Need to Add Payment

  1. Click Add Payment Method
  2. Enter your credit card details
  3. Set a usage limit to avoid surprises (e.g., $20/month)

3.4.2 Academic/Student Options

Possible Free Access Routes
  • Workshop credits: Your instructor may provide API access
  • Institutional access: Some universities have agreements with Anthropic
  • Research credits: Anthropic occasionally offers credits for academic research
  • Free tier: Check if Anthropic currently offers free API credits for new accounts

3.6 Understanding API Pricing

Claude Code uses Claude’s API. Pricing is based on tokens (roughly 4 characters = 1 token):

Model Input (per 1M tokens) Output (per 1M tokens)
Claude Sonnet ~$3 ~$15
Claude Opus ~$15 ~$75

In practice, for typical academic use:

  • A coding session with lots of file reading: ~10k-50k tokens
  • Asking Claude to analyze a paper: ~5k-20k tokens
  • A full day of moderate use: $1-5

These are rough estimates—your usage will vary.

3.7 Keeping Your Key Safe

Your API key is like a password. Here’s how to handle it:

3.7.1 Do:

  • Store in a password manager
  • Set up spending limits
  • Rotate (create new, delete old) if you suspect compromise

3.7.2 Don’t:

  • Put it in code files
  • Commit it to git
  • Share it with others
  • Post it online (even accidentally in screenshots)

3.8 Next Steps

You have an Anthropic account and API key. Before installing Claude Code, we’ll optionally set up GitHub for version control.

Continue to Setting Up GitHub or skip to Installing Claude Code.