Claude Code Installation and Configuration

Claude Code is Anthropic's terminal-based coding agent. This guide covers installation on macOS and Windows, followed by authentication through either Anthropic or Ya Code's Anthropic-compatible endpoint.

I. Prerequisites

• macOS 10.15 or later, or Windows 10 version 1809 / Windows Server 2019 or later.
• Native Windows use requires Git for Windows. WSL users can follow the Linux installation path instead.
• Use a Claude account for Anthropic's service. To use Ya Code, create an access key first. Do not combine the two authentication methods.
• Commands and system requirements can change; check the official Claude Code installation guide before installing.

II. Installation (macOS and Windows)

macOS

Run Anthropic's recommended native installer:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
claude --version

Homebrew is also supported:

brew install --cask claude-code

Windows

Run the official installer from PowerShell:

irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex
claude --version

If claude is not found after installation, close and reopen the terminal. On managed devices, ask an administrator to review the installer instead of weakening the machine-wide script execution policy.

III. Configuration Directories (macOS and Windows)

macOS

• User settings: ~/.claude/settings.json
• User state: ~/.claude.json; Claude Code manages this file, so do not use it as a hand-maintained gateway configuration.
• Shared project settings: <project>/.claude/settings.json
• Local project settings: <project>/.claude/settings.local.json

Windows

• User settings: %USERPROFILE%\.claude\settings.json
• User state: %USERPROFILE%\.claude.json; this file is managed by Claude Code.
• Shared project settings: <project>\.claude\settings.json
• Local project settings: <project>\.claude\settings.local.json

Create the user directory if it does not exist. See the Claude Code settings documentation for scope and precedence. If you set CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR, use that custom location instead.

IV. Configuration Examples

The following user-level settings.json connects Claude Code to Ya Code. Replace the placeholder locally and never commit a real key:

{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://yacode.xyz",
    "ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "sk-your-yacode-key"
  }
}

To avoid storing a key in plain-text JSON, keep only ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL in the file and set the token for the current terminal session before launching Claude Code:

export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="sk-your-yacode-key"
claude

$env:ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="sk-your-yacode-key"
claude

V. Configuration Notes

• ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL selects the Ya Code root URL; Claude Code then calls an Anthropic Messages-compatible endpoint.
• ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN sends the Ya Code key as a bearer token. Do not set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY at the same time, as competing authentication headers can cause failures.
• For Anthropic's hosted service, leave the Ya Code variables unset, run claude, and follow the sign-in flow. See the Claude Code authentication guide.
• settings.json uses JSON. Shared project settings are suitable for team-wide behavior, but credentials belong in user settings, environment variables, or an approved secret manager.

VI. Important Notes

• sk-your-yacode-key is a nonfunctional placeholder. Never expose a real key in source control, screenshots, or logs.
• Native installations update automatically. When options differ by release, follow the official Claude Code documentation.
• Gateway support depends on both the Claude Code release and the gateway's compatibility with the Anthropic Messages API. For authentication or model errors, record claude --version and verify the models currently available through Ya Code.
• Claude Code can read and modify files in the current project. Review repository instructions and the requested permission scope before using it in an unfamiliar codebase.