ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN

Updated October 13, 2026 by Alex Sorokoletov

ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN is a Claude Code environment variable: Alternative bearer token; takes priority over API key. Its release history is not tracked here. It is listed in the official reference.

Status	Present in v2.1.294
Category	Authentication
Official docs	Listed

How to set it

For one session, export it in the shell that starts Claude Code:

export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN=<value>
claude

To apply it to every session, add it to the env object of a settings file:

// ~/.claude/settings.json
{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "<value>"
  }
}

Related variables

CLAUDE_CODE_MCP_SERVE_AUTH_TOKEN
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY: Primary API key for Claude API.
CLAUDE_BG_AUTH_SNAPSHOT_PATH: Path for snapshotting background session auth credentials to disk.
CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_AUTH_REFRESH_LOCK: Turns off the lock that coordinates a GCP or AWS credential refresh across processes.
CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_PROXY_AUTH_HELPER: Set to "1" to enable the proxy auth helper subsystem.
CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_TOKEN_USAGE_ATTACHMENT: Attach token usage info to messages.
CLAUDE_CODE_IDLE_TOKEN_THRESHOLD: Works alongside CLAUDE_CODE_IDLE_THRESHOLD_MINUTES to gate when the idle-return prompt appears.
CLAUDE_CODE_MESSAGING_TOKEN: Controls access to the local inbox for cross-session messages.

Frequently asked questions

What does ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN do?

Alternative bearer token; takes priority over API key

Which Claude Code version has ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN?

Its release history is not tracked here.

How do I set ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN?

Export it before starting Claude Code (export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN=value), or add it to the "env" object in ~/.claude/settings.json to apply it to every session.

All variables, searchable: Claude Code environment variables.