Connect Anthropic (Claude) to Knit
Knit can drive any chat with Anthropic’s Claude models. When you bring your own Anthropic API key (BYO), Knit calls the model with your credentials and your run consumes zero Knit credits — you pay Anthropic directly. The key is encrypted at rest and never shown again after you save it.
Before you start
- An Anthropic account with access to the Claude API (console.anthropic.com).
- An Anthropic API key (starts with "sk-ant-").
- A Knit account, signed in.
Steps
- 1
Create an Anthropic API key
Sign in to the Anthropic Console at console.anthropic.com, open API Keys, and create a new key. Copy it — Anthropic shows the secret only once.
- 2
Open Knit settings → API Keys
In Knit, open the app at /app, click the settings gear, and select the "API Keys (BYO)" tab.
- 3
Add the key
Click add, give it a label (for example "My Claude key"), choose Anthropic as the provider, and paste your API key into the key field. Leave the base URL empty — Anthropic uses its default endpoint. Save.
- 4
Select Claude in the chat
Open a project and pick your Anthropic connection in the model selector. The default model is claude-sonnet-4-5; you can switch to any Claude model your account can access.
- 5
Generate a schematic
Describe your circuit in chat. Knit asks Claude to write SkiDL (Python), runs it in a sandbox, and returns the schematic preview and the KiCad export — all with no Knit credits consumed.
Frequently asked questions
- Does using my own Anthropic key cost Knit credits?
- No. With a bring-your-own (BYO) Anthropic key, Knit calls Claude with your credentials and the run costs zero Knit credits. You are billed by Anthropic for the tokens used.
- Where is my Anthropic API key stored?
- The key is encrypted at rest with AES-GCM and is never returned to the browser after you save it. You can delete it at any time, but you cannot view or edit it — to rotate a key, delete it and add a new one.
- Which Claude model does Knit use by default?
- The default Anthropic model is claude-sonnet-4-5. You can choose any other Claude model your Anthropic account has access to from the model selector.
- Do I need to set a base URL for Anthropic?
- No. Leave the base URL field empty for Anthropic; Knit uses the official Anthropic Messages API endpoint automatically.