Tag: Claude Opus 4.7

Last verified: September 26, 2026 (Pacific Time)

macOS / Linux:
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-YOUR_KEY_HERE"
Windows (PowerShell):
setx ANTHROPIC_API_KEY "sk-ant-YOUR_KEY_HERE"

An Anthropic API key is the secret token that authenticates your requests to Claude models over the API. It starts with sk-ant-, is created in the Anthropic Console at console.anthropic.com under API Keys → Create Key, and is displayed exactly once — requests only succeed after you add a payment method.

Official links:Create a key (console) · API docs · API rates · Help center

Quick answer: sign in at console.anthropic.com (it now redirects to the same developer console as platform.claude.com), add a payment method under Settings → Billing, click API Keys → Create Key, name it, and copy it immediately – Anthropic shows the key exactly once. Keys start with sk-ant-. The whole process takes about five minutes.

Below is the full walkthrough, where to put the key so it doesn’t leak, the newer no-static-key option most tutorials haven’t caught up with, and the errors that account for nearly every failed first request. For the full reference – pricing tiers, key rotation, security, and workspace and organization keys – see our Anthropic API key reference and management guide.

What you need before you start

• An email address (or Google / SSO login)
• A payment method – your key will not work until billing is set up, even though you can create one
• Five minutes

One distinction that confuses almost everyone: a Claude.ai subscription is not API access. Claude Pro, Max, and Team plans cover the Claude apps (web, desktop, mobile). The API is billed separately, by usage, through the developer console. You can have either one without the other – see our complete Claude pricing guide for how the two systems differ.

Step 1: Create your account

Open the Anthropic console ?

Go to console.anthropic.com – Anthropic’s developer console. (Both console.anthropic.com and platform.claude.com land in the same place in 2026; older tutorials treat them as different sites.) Sign up with email, Google, or SSO, and answer the brief onboarding questions about whether you’re an individual or an organization. For a tour of everything inside the console, see our Anthropic Console guide.

Step 2: Add billing

Open billing settings ?

In the console, open Settings → Billing and add a credit card (self-serve accounts typically purchase prepaid usage credits). Skipping this step is the #1 reason a brand-new key returns errors – the key exists, but requests are rejected until the account can be billed.

Step 3: Create the key

Create the key in the console ?

Click API Keys in the left sidebar (direct link: platform.claude.com/settings/keys), then Create Key. Give it a descriptive name like my-app-dev – future you will thank present you when it’s time to rotate or revoke. If your organization uses multiple workspaces, note that keys are scoped to a workspace: the key only sees resources in the workspace it was created in.

Step 4: Copy it immediately

The key is displayed exactly once. It starts with sk-ant- followed by a long string. Copy it straight into a password manager, a .env file, or your secrets manager. If you lose it, there is no way to view it again – you revoke it and create a new one (takes a minute, harms nothing).

Where to put the key (and where never to put it)

Set it as an environment variable named ANTHROPIC_API_KEY – every official Anthropic SDK reads that variable automatically, so your code never contains the key:

• macOS / Linux:export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
• Windows (PowerShell):setx ANTHROPIC_API_KEY "sk-ant-..."
• Python:client = anthropic.Anthropic() – no key argument needed
• TypeScript:const client = new Anthropic() – same

Never hardcode the key in source files, never commit it to a repository, and never paste it into a system prompt or chat message. Leaked Anthropic keys get scraped and drained like any other credential.

The 2026 no-key option: OAuth login

Newer than most guides: Anthropic’s CLI can authenticate without any static key. Run ant auth login and a browser window authorizes a short-lived OAuth profile on your machine – the SDKs and Claude Code pick it up automatically, and there is no permanent secret to leak or rotate. For CI servers and production workloads, Workload Identity Federation serves the same purpose. If you’re setting up a personal development machine in 2026, this is arguably the better default; create a static key when you need one for a deployed service.

Test your key

One request confirms everything works (Haiku keeps the test nearly free):

curl https://api.anthropic.com/v1/messages 
 -H "x-api-key: $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY" 
 -H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" 
 -H "content-type: application/json" 
 -d '{"model": "claude-haiku-4-5", "max_tokens": 32, "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Say hello"}]}'

A JSON response with a content array means you’re live.

Troubleshooting the four common errors

• 401 authentication_error – the key is missing, mistyped, or revoked. Subtle 2026 variant: if both ANTHROPIC_API_KEY and ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN are set, the SDK sends both and the API rejects the request – unset one.
• 403 permission_error – the key works but lacks access to that model or feature; check your key’s workspace and your organization’s model access.
• 429 rate_limit_error – you’re sending faster than your usage tier allows. The response includes a retry-after header; official SDKs retry automatically. For tier details and fixes, see our Claude rate limits guide.
• Key created but every request fails – almost always billing not completed (Step 2).

FAQ

Is the Anthropic API free? No – it’s usage-priced per million tokens with no permanent free tier (current rates in our Claude pricing guide and API token rates schedule, including the September 2026 lineup).

Where do I find my existing API key? You can’t – Anthropic shows keys only at creation. Revoke the old one and create a replacement.

Where is the API Keys page in console.anthropic.com? Sign in at console.anthropic.com, choose API Keys in the left navigation — or go straight to platform.claude.com/settings/keys — then click Create Key.

Does my Claude Pro or Max subscription include an API key? No. App subscriptions and API billing are separate systems; an API account starts at $0 and bills per token used.

Lineup currency (Sept 2026, verified): Sonnet 5 ($2/$10), Opus 5.5 ($4/$20), Haiku 4.5 ($1/$5), Fable 5.1 ($10/$50). Legacy (still listed): Opus 4.8 ($5/$25), Sonnet 4.6 ($3/$15).

Sources

• Anthropic Help Center: Claude API and Console
• Claude API docs: Get started
• Anthropic Academy: Claude API development guide

>Part of the complete guide: Claude Pricing, Plans & Limits

Last verified: August 26, 2026 (Pacific Time)May 2026 edition covered the Opus 4.8 launch, the SpaceX compute deal, and Managed Agents memory features.

June 2026 is one of the biggest months for Anthropic since the Claude 4 launch: a new top-tier model is generally available, two workhorse models retire in four days, and Managed Agents can now run inside infrastructure you control. Here is everything that changed, with dates and migration paths.

Claude Fable 5 — the Mythos-class model goes public (June 9, 2026)

Anthropic released Claude Fable 5 on June 9, 2026 — the public version of what had been known as its Mythos-class model tier. It is positioned as a new tier above Opus, and it is Anthropic’s most capable generally available model. According to CNBC’s launch coverage, Fable 5 scored more than 10% higher than Claude Opus 4.8 on some benchmarks, with exceptional performance across software engineering and knowledge work. Anthropic credits new safeguards that block responses in specific high-risk areas for making a broad release possible.

The practical details developers need:

• Model ID: claude-fable-5
• Availability: enterprise customers and paid subscribers
• Context window: 1 million tokens; maximum output 128K tokens
• API pricing: $10 per million input tokens / $50 per million output tokens
• API surface: adaptive thinking only — temperature, top_p, top_k, and budget_tokens are not accepted, and unlike Opus 4.8, an explicit thinking: {type: "disabled"} returns a 400 error. Omit the thinking parameter entirely if you do not want it.

For where Fable 5 sits against every other Claude model on price, see our continuously updated Claude AI pricing guide, and our complete Fable 5 guide for capabilities and use cases.

June 15 deadline: Claude Opus 4 and Sonnet 4 retire in four days

If you are still calling claude-opus-4-20250514 or claude-sonnet-4-20250514, those models retire from the Claude API on June 15, 2026. Requests after retirement return 404 errors. The drop-in replacements:

• claude-opus-4-20250514 → claude-opus-4-8
• claude-sonnet-4-20250514 → claude-sonnet-4-6

Note that both replacements use adaptive thinking rather than manual thinking budgets, and the 4.6+ models reject assistant-turn prefills — so this is a small migration, not just a string swap. Anthropic also deprecated Claude Opus 4.1 this month, with API retirement scheduled for August 5, 2026 — worth adding to your migration calendar now.

Current Claude model lineup and API pricing (June 2026)

Opus 4.7, 4.6, 4.5, and 4.1 and Sonnet 4.5 remain active for pinned workloads. We track which model is current at any moment in our current Claude model version reference.

Managed Agents: self-hosted sandboxes and private MCP servers

Claude Managed Agents — Anthropic’s server-managed agent platform — can now execute tools inside a sandbox you control. The agent loop still runs on Anthropic’s orchestration layer, but bash commands, file operations, and code execution happen in your own container, behind your own firewall, with your own egress rules. Your worker long-polls Anthropic’s work queue over outbound-only connections; Anthropic never dials into your network. Managed Agents can also now connect to private MCP servers, which matters for any organization whose internal tools are not on the public internet.

For regulated industries — healthcare, finance, legal — this is the missing piece that lets you adopt hosted agents while keeping data residency: files and tool output never leave infrastructure you own.

Claude Code: nested sub-agents and plugin search

Claude Code shipped a steady stream of updates in June: nested sub-agents (agents can now spawn their own sub-agents for deeper task decomposition), smarter model and region handling, a new plugin search, and improved Chrome, VS Code, and terminal workflows.

Legal expansion: 20+ MCP connectors and 12 practice-area plugins

Anthropic released more than 20 new legal MCP connectors and 12 practice-area plugins, covering research, contracts, discovery, matter management, and legal aid. The pattern to note: Anthropic is increasingly shipping vertical integration bundles rather than leaving connector-building entirely to the ecosystem.

Claude Corps: $150M for nonprofit AI adoption

Anthropic announced Claude Corps, a $150 million fellowship program that will embed roughly 1,000 trained fellows inside nonprofit organizations for a year to help them use AI effectively. Applications and program details are rolling out through Anthropic’s newsroom.

Apple Foundation Models integration

Claude support is coming to Apple’s Foundation Models framework on iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, and visionOS 27 — meaning third-party Apple developers will be able to call Claude through Apple’s native AI framework rather than integrating the API directly.

What to watch for in July

• August 5, 2026: Claude Opus 4.1 retires from the API — migrate to claude-opus-4-8 before then.
• Fable 5 ecosystem: expect Claude Code, Cowork, and Managed Agents to expose Fable 5 more broadly through July as capacity scales.
• Apple rollout: developer betas of the iOS 27 family will show what Claude-via-Foundation-Models actually looks like in practice.

Sources

• CNBC: Anthropic releases Mythos-like AI model to the public, Claude Fable 5
• Anthropic Newsroom
• Claude API docs: Model deprecations
• Releasebot: Anthropic release notes, June 2026

May 2026 has been one of Anthropic’s busiest months yet. Here’s everything that shipped, changed, or was announced — plus the confirmed upcoming dates you need to know.

Claude Opus 4.8 — Generally Available (April 16, 2026)

Opus 4.8 (legacy — still listed) launched April 16 as the current flagship model, priced identically to Opus 4.6 at $5/$25 per million tokens (input/output). Key changes:

• Vision resoluti

  Lineup currency (Sept 2026): Current API list (Sept 2026, verified): Sonnet 5 $2/$10, Opus 5.5 $4/$20, Haiku 4.5 $1/$5, Fable 5.1 $10/$50. Legacy (still listed on Anthropic’s card): Opus 4.8 $5/$25, Sonnet 4.6 $3/$15.

  • Vision resolution: 3× higher at 2,576px (~3.75 megapixels), raising XBOW visual acuity benchmark performance from 54.5% to 98.5%
  • Coding: 70% on CursorBench (vs 58% for 4.6), resolves 3× more production tasks on Rakuten-SWE-Bench, +13% lift on Anthropic’s internal coding benchmark
  • Legal reasoning: 90.9% on BigLaw Bench
  • New effort level: xhigh sits between high and max — five levels total: low / medium / high / xhigh / max
  • Task budgets: Now in public beta — token spend guidance for longer agentic runs
  • Tokenizer update: New tokenizer increases token usage roughly 1.0–1.35× for the same content; API pricing unchanged
  • Breaking change: Opus 4.8 has API breaking changes versus 4.6 — review Anthropic’s migration guide before upgrading

  Alongside Opus 4.8, Anthropic launched Claude Design — an Anthropic Labs product for collaborating with Claude to produce visual outputs including designs, prototypes, slides, and one-pagers.

  SpaceX Compute Deal — Rate Limits Doubled (May 2026)

  

  Anthropic announced a partnership with SpaceX to access Colossus 1 compute capacity. The immediate practical impact for subscribers:

  • Claude Code’s five-hour rate limits doubled for Pro, Max, Team, and seat-based Enterprise plans
  • Peak-hour limit reductions removed for Pro and Max (previously limits burned faster 5am–11am Pacific on weekdays)
  • Opus API limits raised for heavy API users

  Anthropic is also reportedly evaluating an IPO as early as October 2026, and has disclosed run-rate revenue of $30B (up from $9B at end of 2025). The SpaceX deal comes as the company prepares that filing.

  Claude Managed Agents — Three New Features (May 7, 2026)

  Claude Managed Agents — the fully managed agent harness launched in public beta earlier this year — gained three significant additions:

  • Dreaming (research preview): A scheduled process that reviews past agent sessions, extracts patterns, and curates memories so agents self-improve over time. Dreaming can update memory automatically or queue changes for human review before they land.
  • Multiagent Orchestration: A lead agent can now break a job into pieces and delegate each to a specialist sub-agent with its own model, prompt, and tools. Specialists work in parallel on a shared filesystem. Netflix is already using multiagent orchestration for its platform team.
  • Memory (public beta): Now generally available under the managed-agents-2026-04-01 beta header.

  Claude Cowork — Generally Available

  Claude Cowork is now GA on macOS and Windows through the Claude Desktop app. New additions with GA: Claude Cowork in the Analytics API, usage analytics, and expanded desktop automation capabilities.

  Claude Code — What Shipped in May

  

  Claude Code has been shipping near-daily updates. Notable May additions include:

  • Plugin URL loading: --plugin-url <url> flag fetches a plugin .zip from a URL for the current session
  • Project purge: claude project purge [path] deletes all Claude Code state for a project (transcripts, tasks, file history, config) with dry-run support
  • Package manager auto-update: CLAUDE_CODE_PACKAGE_MANAGER_AUTO_UPDATE runs upgrade in the background on Homebrew or WinGet installs
  • Push notifications: Claude can now send mobile push notifications when Remote Control is enabled
  • VS Code Remote Control: /remote-control bridges sessions to claude.ai/code to continue from a browser or phone
  • 1M token context in Claude Code: Available to Max, Team Premium, and Enterprise Opus 4.6/4.7 users at no additional cost — no long-context surcharge as of March 2026
  • Redesigned desktop app: New session sidebar, drag-and-drop workspace, integrated terminal and file editor, faster diffs, SSH support on Mac

  New Connectors Expansion

  Claude’s connector directory has grown beyond work tools. New consumer app connectors include AllTrails, Instacart, Audible, Tripadvisor, Uber, and Spotify. The directory now exceeds 200 connectors. Claude surfaces relevant connectors in context during conversations rather than requiring users to browse a directory.

  Finance Agent Templates

  Anthropic released ten ready-to-run agent templates for financial services work: pitchbook building, KYC file screening, and month-end close workflows. Microsoft 365 add-ins for Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook are coming soon. A Moody’s MCP app brings Claude into financial data workflows.

  Confirmed Upcoming Dates

  These are officially announced by Anthropic — not speculation:

  • June 15, 2026: Claude Sonnet 4 (claude-sonnet-4-20250514) and Claude Opus 4 (claude-opus-4-20250514) are deprecated and retired from the Claude API. Migrate to Sonnet 4.6 and Opus 4.8 respectively before this date.
  • Microsoft 365 add-ins: Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook integrations announced as “coming soon” — no specific date published.
  • Anthropic IPO: Reportedly targeting as early as October 2026 — unconfirmed, no official date.
  • Google/Broadcom TPU partnership: Multi-gigawatt infrastructure with capacity launching in 2027.

  Model Deprecation Summary

  Claude Haiku 3 (claude-3-haiku-20240307) has already been retired — all requests now return an error. Migrate to Claude Haiku 4.5. Claude Sonnet 4 and Opus 4 retire June 15, 2026.

  What to Watch For

  Claude 5 is widely anticipated for Q2–Q3 2026 based on Anthropic’s release cadence, though Anthropic has made no official announcement. The advisor tool — which pairs a faster executor model with a higher-intelligence advisor model for long-horizon agentic workloads — launched in public beta and signals the architectural direction Anthropic is moving toward for complex, multi-step tasks.

  The pace of Claude Code releases in particular has accelerated to near-daily — following Anthropic’s own disclosure that engineers internally use Claude for a growing share of their own development work.