How to connect Claude (Anthropic) as your AI Brain
Claude is made by Anthropic and is the recommended AI provider for most businesses. To connect it, you need an Anthropic API key.
Step 1 — Create an Anthropic account
Go to console.anthropic.com and sign up or log in.
Step 2 — Get your API key
- In the Anthropic Console, click API Keys in the left menu.
- Click Create Key.
- Give it a name (e.g. OpenClaw) and click Create.
- Copy the key — it starts with
sk-ant-. You will not be able to see it again.
Step 3 — Add billing
Anthropic requires a credit card before the API works. Go to Billing in the Console and add a payment method. A small initial credit is sometimes provided for new accounts.
Step 4 — Enter the key in your dashboard
- Open your OpenClaw configuration dashboard.
- Click AI Brain to expand it.
- Click the Claude tile.
- Paste your API key into the Claude API Key field.
- Choose a model. Claude Sonnet is the best balance of speed and quality for most businesses.
- Click Save AI Brain.
The AI Brain badge will change to Active once the key is saved successfully.
Pricing
You are billed directly by Anthropic based on usage. Typical small business usage costs a few dollars per month. See anthropic.com/pricing for current rates.
