#Claude token key

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mystic tendonBOT
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sterile whaleBOT
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Yep — you can add/switch this after install. Also: don’t paste any tokens/keys in this thread.

First, quick clarification: which “token key” do you mean?

A) Anthropic / Claude setup-token (Claude Pro/Max subscription auth)

This is the “token” OpenClaw supports (it comes from Claude Code), not something from the Anthropic web console.

On the machine that runs your OpenClaw gateway, either:

  • generate + store it in one go:
openclaw models auth setup-token --provider anthropic

or if you already generated it elsewhere with claude setup-token, paste it:

openclaw models auth paste-token --provider anthropic
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Then verify:

openclaw models status

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/help/faq#where-do-i-find-an-anthropic-setuptoken
(and https://docs.openclaw.ai/help/faq#how-does-anthropic-setuptoken-auth-work)

B) Gateway/Dashboard access token (to connect the Control UI)

That token is gateway.auth.token. You can view/generate it on the gateway host:

openclaw config get gateway.auth.token
openclaw doctor --generate-gateway-token

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/help/faq#how-do-i-authenticate-the-dashboard-token-on-localhost-vs-remote

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If you tell me which one you meant and your openclaw --version (no secrets), I can point you at the exact fix for your setup.

sonic dust
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I paid $20 to get the monthly membership from Claude code I generated thru my terminal I paste it and it didn’t work

sterile whaleBOT
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If you generated a Claude setup-token and OpenClaw rejected it, it’s usually one of these:

  1. Wrong token type copied (not the setup-token), or
  2. Old OpenClaw version that doesn’t understand the current token format.

A real Claude setup-token (from claude setup-token) should start with:

sk-ant-oat01-... (and it’s long — ~80+ chars)

You don’t need to paste it here — just check whether yours starts with that prefix.

Best “no copy/paste” way (run on the SAME machine where the Gateway runs)

openclaw models auth setup-token --provider anthropic
openclaw models status
sonic dust
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So I installed it with a api key from Claude but I was wondering if I can change it to the token when I would generate it it was on the same iMac about 2 days ago and it did start with sk ant

sterile whaleBOT
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Yep — you can switch after install. No reinstall needed.

A quick sanity check first, because API keys and setup-tokens both start with sk-ant-:

  • Anthropic API key usually looks like: sk-ant-...
  • Claude setup-token (from claude setup-token) should start with: sk-ant-oat01-...

So if your “token” only starts with sk-ant- but doesn’t include oat01, it’s probably just another API key.

Switch OpenClaw to the setup-token (on the same iMac where the Gateway runs)

Run one of these:

Option 1 (easiest, avoids copy/paste)

openclaw models auth setup-token --provider anthropic
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Option 2 (paste a token you already generated)

openclaw models auth paste-token --provider anthropic

Then verify:

openclaw models status

If the Gateway is running as a service, restart it after changing auth:

openclaw gateway restart

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/providers/anthropic

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If you tell me what your token prefix is up to the first 12–15 chars (example: sk-ant-oat01-… vs sk-ant-… — don’t paste the full token), I can confirm which kind you have.

sonic dust
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What’s the difference from the api key and token I do know api is expensive im burning thru money quick

sterile whaleBOT
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In OpenClaw, Anthropic API key and Claude setup-token are two different billing/auth paths:

Anthropic API key (sk-ant-… from the Anthropic Console)

  • Billing: pay‑as‑you‑go per token (this is the “burning money quick” path).
  • Pros: most “official”/stable for API usage; you can control spend with Anthropic billing limits.
  • Extra note: OpenClaw can use Anthropic prompt caching with API keys (can reduce cost when you reuse the same big context a lot).

Claude setup-token (sk-ant-oat01-… from claude setup-token)

  • Billing: uses your Claude Pro/Max subscription (not your Anthropic API billing).
  • Pros: can be way cheaper if you’re currently paying per-token with an API key.
  • Cons: still has subscription usage limits, and tokens can expire / get revoked → you may need to re-run claude setup-token occasionally.

Docs:

If you want to stop the bleeding right now

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  • Switch to setup-token auth (subscription), or
  • Stay on API key but switch your default model to a cheaper one via /model list (don’t guess—pick from the list), and consider turning thinking down/off for casual chat.

If you tell me whether you’re using an API key right now (Anthropic Console billing) or a setup-token (subscription), I can suggest the most cost-effective config path.

lavish saffron
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Claude setup-token gives a different token what openclaw expecting, like there is no sk-ant-oat01 at the beginning in the token

sterile whaleBOT
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Yeah — if your claude setup-token output doesn’t start with sk-ant-oat01-, OpenClaw will reject it (it currently validates the prefix/length for Anthropic setup-tokens).

So either:

  1. you’re not copying the actual token line from claude setup-token, or
  2. Claude Code CLI changed the setup-token format and your OpenClaw version hasn’t caught up yet.

Can you paste only (no secrets):

  • openclaw --version
  • claude --version
  • the exact error OpenClaw shows when you paste the token (e.g. “Expected token starting with …”)

Workaround until it’s fixed: use an Anthropic API key (pay-per-token), or upgrade OpenClaw (openclaw update + openclaw gateway restart). If it still fails on latest, this is very likely a real bug → please file an issue with the versions + the first ~10 chars of the token prefix (not the full token): https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/issues

lavish saffron
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2.1.69 (Claude Code)
openclaw 2026.3.2

sterile whaleBOT
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Thanks — with openclaw 2026.3.2, OpenClaw is currently expecting Anthropic setup-tokens to look like:

  • prefix: sk-ant-oat01-...
  • and be fairly long (it rejects “short” tokens)

So if Claude Code 2.1.69 is generating something without sk-ant-oat01-, that’s a real compatibility break (either new token prefix like …oat02…/something else, or you’re seeing a different credential type).

Can you share (redacted — don’t paste the full token):

  1. the first ~12–20 characters of what claude setup-token prints (example: sk-ant-xxxx...)
  2. the exact OpenClaw error message when you paste it

If it’s a new prefix, this likely needs an OpenClaw update → please file a bug with those two details + versions here:
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/issues

Workaround meanwhile: use an Anthropic API key (pay-per-token) and reduce burn by switching to a cheaper model via /model list + disabling thinking for casual chat (setup-token path won’t work until the prefix issue is fixed).

sterile whaleBOT
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Delete that message right now (and generate a new setup-token). What you just pasted looks like a live credential — assume it’s compromised the moment it hits Discord logs / bots / search.

After you delete + regenerate:

  • OpenClaw 2026.3.2 is expecting an Anthropic setup-token that starts with sk-ant-oat01-….
  • The string you pasted doesn’t match that format, so OpenClaw will reject it. This looks like a Claude Code CLI token format change.

Next step (safe to paste here):

  1. Run:
claude setup-token --help

and paste the output (no secrets).
2) File a bug with versions + “Claude setup-token no longer starts with sk-ant-oat01-”:
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/issues

Workaround until OpenClaw supports the new format: stick with an Anthropic API key (and use /model list to pick a cheaper model to stop the spend).

lavish saffron
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zso@openclaw:~$ claude setup-token --help
Usage: claude setup-token [options]

Set up a long-lived authentication token (requires Claude subscription)

Options:
-h, --help Display help for command

sterile whaleBOT
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Got it — that --help output confirms there are no flags to force an “old style” token format.

So with:

  • Claude Code 2.1.69
  • openclaw 2026.3.2

…if claude setup-token is now emitting an opaque token that doesn’t start with sk-ant-oat01-, then OpenClaw’s current setup-token parser is out of date and will reject it. There isn’t a clean user-side fix besides waiting for an OpenClaw update.

What to do next:

  1. Please revoke/regenerate the token you pasted earlier (treat it as compromised).
  2. File a bug: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/issues
    Include:
  • the two versions above
  • that claude setup-token now returns a token without sk-ant-oat01-
  • paste the claude setup-token --help output (what you posted is perfect)
  • optional but helpful: the first 6–10 characters only of the generated token + total length (don’t post the full token)