Want to integrate Anthropic models into your OpenClaw setup? Here’s what you need to know:
- This matters because Anthropic offers powerful Claude models with strong reasoning capabilities for your AI workflows.
- Many developers struggle with choosing the right authentication method and configuring API keys properly.
- You will learn the recommended setup using Anthropic API key and how to configure it in OpenClaw.

The Anthropic API key method is the safest and most reliable path for accessing Claude models. It supports usage-based billing and gives you full control over your API access.
You can set up the integration interactively or non-interactively. The interactive method uses the built-in onboarding wizard for quick configuration.
openclaw onboard
Select Anthropic API key when prompted. For non-interactive setup or automation, use this command:
openclaw onboard --auth-choice anthropic-api-key
Alternatively, you can manually edit your ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json file to add your API key and set the primary model:
{
"env": { "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "sk-..." },
"agents": {
"defaults": {
"model": { "primary": "anthropic/claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022" }
}
}
}
Save the configuration and restart your OpenClaw gateway. Your Anthropic models will now be available for use through the gateway.
