SetupLesson 1 of 23
Get Your Anthropic API Key
2 min readClaude Code for DesignersUpdated Feb 18, 2026
Claude Code needs an API key to connect to the Claude AI service. Your API key is like a secret password that tells Anthropic it's really you.
1
Create an Anthropic Account
- Go to console.anthropic.com in your web browser
- Click "Sign up" in the top right
- Create an account using your email and password
- Check your email for a verification link and click it
2
Generate Your API Key
- Once logged in, find "API Keys" in the left menu
- Click "Create Key"
- Name it something like "Claude Code for Design"
- Click "Create"
- Copy your key immediately and save it somewhere safe (like a password manager)

Keep Your Key Secure
Your API key is like a password. Never share it with anyone, post it in Slack/email/public docs, commit it to GitHub, or store it in plain text files in your projects.
API key ready
- Created an Anthropic Console account
- Generated and copied your first API key
- Stored it somewhere safe and out of any code files
Next up: getting Node.js running so Claude Code has somewhere to live.