Using Anthropic With Kilo Code

Anthropic is an AI safety and research company that builds reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems. Their Claude models are known for their strong reasoning abilities, helpfulness, and honesty.

Website: https://www.anthropic.com/

Getting an API Key

1. Sign Up/Sign In: Go to the Anthropic Console. Create an account or sign in.
2. Navigate to API Keys: Go to the API keys section.
3. Create a Key: Click "Create Key". Give your key a descriptive name (e.g., "Kilo Code").
4. Copy the Key: Important: Copy the API key immediately. You will not be able to see it again. Store it securely.

Configuration in Kilo Code

{% tabs %} {% tab label="VSCode (Legacy)" %}

1. Open Kilo Code Settings: Click the gear icon ({% codicon name="gear" /%}) in the Kilo Code panel.
2. Select Provider: Choose "Anthropic" from the "API Provider" dropdown.
3. Enter API Key: Paste your Anthropic API key into the "Anthropic API Key" field.
4. Select Model: Choose your desired Claude model from the "Model" dropdown.
5. (Optional) Custom Base URL: If you need to use a custom base URL for the Anthropic API, check "Use custom base URL" and enter the URL. Most people won't need to adjust this.

{% /tab %} {% tab label="VSCode" %}

Open Settings (gear icon) and go to the Providers tab to add Anthropic and enter your API key.

The extension stores this in your kilo.json config file. You can also edit the config file directly — see the CLI tab for the file format.

{% /tab %} {% tab label="CLI" %}

Set the API key as an environment variable or configure it in your kilo.json config file:

Environment variable:

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-api-key"

Config file (~/.config/kilo/kilo.json or ./kilo.json):

{
  "provider": {
    "anthropic": {
      "env": ["ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"],
    },
  },
}

Then set your default model:

{
  "model": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-20250514",
}

{% /tab %} {% /tabs %}

Tips and Notes

• Prompt Caching: Claude 3 models support prompt caching, which can significantly reduce costs and latency for repeated prompts.
• Context Window: Claude models have large context windows (200,000 tokens), allowing you to include a significant amount of code and context in your prompts.
• Pricing: Refer to the Anthropic Pricing page for the latest pricing information.
• Rate Limits: Anthropic has strict rate limits based on usage tiers. If you're repeatedly hitting rate limits, consider contacting Anthropic sales or accessing Claude through a different provider like OpenRouter or Requesty.