How to Use Claude Code Seamlessly with XAI Control

Claude Code is a powerful terminal-based AI coding assistant from Anthropic. While it typically requires an official subscription, its configurable API endpoint provides a more flexible solution: building a dedicated relay service through XAI Control, powered by your own Claude account.

This guide will walk you through the entire process, allowing you to enjoy the powerful features of Claude Code while benefiting from the security, cost control, and unified management provided by XAI Control.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, please ensure you have the following:

1. An official Anthropic Claude Code Pro/Max account.
2. An XAI Control account: If you don't have one, sign up for free at a.xaicontrol.com and be sure to read the documentation at xaixapi.com/docs/products/xai-control.
3. A local Node.js environment: If you haven't installed it yet, please follow Step 1.

Step 1: Install the Node.js Environment

Claude Code is a command-line tool built on Node.js, so its runtime environment must be installed first.

macOS Installation

Method 1: Using Homebrew (Recommended)

# Update Homebrew
brew update
# Install Node.js
brew install node

Method 2: Official Website Download

1. Visit https://nodejs.org/
2. Download the LTS (Long-Term Support) version for macOS.
3. Open the downloaded .pkg file and follow the installer instructions.

Windows Installation

Method 1: Official Website Download (Recommended)

1. Visit https://nodejs.org/
2. Click the "LTS" version to download it.
3. Once downloaded, double-click the .msi file and follow the installation wizard, keeping the default settings.

Method 2: Using a Package Manager If you have Chocolatey or Scoop installed, you can use the command line:

# Using Chocolatey
choco install nodejs
# Or using Scoop
scoop install nodejs

Verify the Installation

After installation, open your terminal (Terminal or PowerShell) and enter the following commands:

node --version
npm --version

If the version numbers are displayed correctly, your Node.js environment is ready.

Step 2: Install the Claude Code CLI

Now, let's install the Claude Code command-line tool.

macOS Installation

Open Terminal and run the following command:

# Install Claude Code globally
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

If you encounter permission issues, try adding sudo before the command:

sudo npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Windows Installation

Open PowerShell (it's recommended to run as Administrator) and run the following command:

# Install Claude Code globally
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Verify the Installation

Once the installation is complete, enter the following command to check if it was successful:

claude --version

If a version number is displayed, congratulations! The Claude Code tool has been successfully installed.

Step 3: Get Your CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN

This token serves as the authorization credential for your Claude account.

1. Run the following command in your terminal to generate an authorization link:

   claude setup-token
   

2. Copy the https://claude.ai/oauth/authorize?... link and open it in your browser.

   

3. Log in and click Authorize.
4. The browser will redirect and display an Authentication Code. Copy it.
5. Return to your terminal, paste the copied code, and press Enter.
6. The terminal will generate a string starting with sk-ant-oat01. This is the CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN we need. Please keep it safe.

   

Step 4: Configure the Model Provider in XAI Control

Next, we will securely add your CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN to XAI Control, allowing it to act as your key relay.

1. Log in to your XAI Control account: a.xaicontrol.com.
2. Navigate to the "Model Providers" menu and click "Add New Provider Key".
3. Fill out the form with the following information:
   • Name (Optional): Claude Code (or any name for easy identification).
   • Level: 1 (or any positive integer for grouping).
   • Provider: http://172.31.88.86:7789 (This is the multi-tenant Claude Code conversion service we provide).
   • SecretKey: Paste the sk-ant-oat01... token you obtained in Step 3.
4. Click "Add Provider Key".

Step 5: Configure Local Environment Variables

This is the most crucial step. We need to tell the local claude command to use the XAI Control service URL and your XAI API Key.

Important Note

• When you successfully register for XAI Control, you will receive an email with the subject "Welcome to XAI - Your Account is Ready!" which contains your unique XAI API Key.
• The ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN you are about to configure must be your XAI API Key, not the CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN from the previous step.

macOS Configuration

Method 1: Temporary Setup (Current Session Only)

export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.xaicontrol.com"
export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="Your_XAI_API_Key_Here"

Method 2: Permanent Setup (Recommended)

# For zsh (macOS default)
echo 'export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.xaicontrol.com"' >> ~/.zshrc
echo 'export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="Your_XAI_API_Key_Here"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

# For bash
echo 'export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.xaicontrol.com"' >> ~/.bash_profile
echo 'export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="Your_XAI_API_Key_Here"' >> ~/.bash_profile
source ~/.bash_profile

Windows Configuration

Method 1: Temporary Setup in PowerShell (Current Window Only)

$env:ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL = "https://api.xaicontrol.com"
$env:ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN = "Your_XAI_API_Key_Here"

Method 2: Permanent Setup in PowerShell (User-Level)

# Set user-level environment variables (permanent)
[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL", "https://api.xaicontrol.com", [System.EnvironmentVariableTarget]::User)
[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN", "Your_XAI_API_Key_Here", [System.EnvironmentVariableTarget]::User)

Note: After setting this, you must reopen a new PowerShell window for the changes to take effect.

Step 6: Start Using!

🎉 Congratulations! All configurations are complete. You can now interact with Claude Code in your terminal just as you would with the official service.

Example 1: Direct Question

claude "Write a simple HTTP file server in Go"

Example 2: Explain Existing Code

cat main.go | claude "Explain the logic of this Go code"

Example 3: Interactive Mode

claude

> How can I help you today?
> write a dockerfile for a node.js app

All requests made through the claude command will now be intelligently routed via api.xaicontrol.com to the Claude token you configured in XAI Control. You can monitor all usage clearly in your XAI Control dashboard at m.xaicontrol.com.

VS Code: Configure the Claude Code Plugin in VS Code

In addition to using it in the terminal, you can seamlessly integrate this setup into Visual Studio Code to enjoy the convenience of coding directly within your editor.

Step A: Install the Claude Code Plugin

Install the official Claude Code Plugin

Step B: Configure the Plugin to Use XAI Control

We need to tell the VS Code plugin to use XAI Control's service address and your API key.

1. Configure the API Base URL

   • Open VS Code settings (shortcut: Ctrl+, or Cmd+,).
   • In the search box, type claude-code.environmentVariables.
   • In the found setting, click "Edit in settings.json".
   • Add the following JSON block to your settings.json file. If this setting already exists, make sure to merge the content correctly.

   "claude-code.environmentVariables": [
       {
           "name": "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL",
           "value": "https://api.xaicontrol.com"
       }
   ]
   

2. Configure the Authentication Key (API Key)

   • Unlike the CLI, the VS Code plugin typically reads the key through a specific configuration file.
   • You need to create a folder named .claude in your user home directory and create a config.json file within it.
   • For macOS/Linux, open the terminal and execute:

     mkdir -p ~/.claude
     echo '{"primaryApiKey": "Your_XAI_API_Key_Here"}' > ~/.claude/config.json
     

   • For Windows, open PowerShell and execute:

     New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path "$HOME\.claude"
     Set-Content -Path "$HOME\.claude\config.json" -Value '{"primaryApiKey": "Your_XAI_API_Key_Here"}'
     

   • Be sure to replace Your_XAI_API_Key_Here with your actual XAI Control API key.

Step C: Restart and Start Using

1. Completely quit and restart VS Code to ensure all configurations take effect.
2. Click the Claude icon in the VS Code activity bar to open the chat window and start a conversation.
3. You can now interact with Claude directly in VS Code. All requests will be managed and logged through XAI Control.

Related Claude Code Resources

• Anthropic Claude Code Official Documentation 1: Official Claude Code documentation
• Anthropic Claude Code Official Documentation 2: Learn about the detailed information and capabilities of the models driving Claude Code (such as Claude 4 Opus).
• Claude Code Complete Guide: A comprehensive Claude Code usage guide
• Claude Code GitHub Repository: View the source code of the Claude Code CLI, report issues, or learn about advanced usage.
• Claude Programming Best Practices: Master core techniques of AI agent programming and improve workflow efficiency
• AI Programming Best Practices: In-depth analysis of how to fully leverage Claude Code's potential

Why Choose This Method?

• Centralized Management: Manage all your model keys for OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, and more in one place at a.xaicontrol.com.
• User Management: Allocate and manage your AI resources for sub-users or team members through the dashboard at m.xaicontrol.com.
• Secure and Reliable: Your original tokens are never exposed in your local environment. They are stored with zero-trust encryption, eliminating the risk of leaks.
• Cost and Permission Control: Leverage XAI Control's powerful sub-account system to create separate keys for team members or projects with fine-grained control over quotas, model access, and rate limits.
• High Availability: Benefit from enterprise-grade features like failover and key rotation provided by XAI Control to ensure service stability.