Claude Code

Claude Code is Anthropic’s official CLI tool for interacting with Claude directly from your terminal. By routing Claude Code through Shinzo, you gain visibility into your AI usage patterns, token consumption, response times, and costs.

How It Works

Shinzo acts as a transparent proxy between Claude Code and the Anthropic API. When you configure Claude Code to use Shinzo:

Your requests are sent to Shinzo instead of directly to Anthropic
Shinzo authenticates your request using your Shinzo API key
The request is forwarded to Anthropic with your Anthropic credentials
Analytics are recorded (tokens, latency, errors, etc.)
The response is returned to Claude Code

Understanding API Keys

Shinzo uses two types of API keys that serve different purposes:

Shinzo API Key (Platform Key)

The Shinzo API Key authenticates you with the Shinzo platform. This key:

Identifies your account and project
Enables analytics tracking for your requests
Format: sk_shinzo_live_xxxxx or sk_shinzo_test_xxxxx

You create and manage Shinzo API keys in the Shinzo Platform under Settings > API Keys.

Provider API Key (Anthropic Key)

The Provider API Key is your actual Anthropic API key that authenticates requests with Claude. This key:

Grants access to Claude models
Is billed by Anthropic for token usage
Format: sk-ant-api03-xxxxx (standard API key) or sk-ant-oat01-xxxxx (OAuth token)

Configuration Modes

Shinzo supports two methods for configuring Claude Code. Both methods require updating the API endpoint to Shinzo’s proxy URL.

Shinzo as API Key (Recommended)
Shinzo as Custom Header

Mode 1: Shinzo as the API Key

This is the recommended approach. Your Anthropic API key is stored securely in Shinzo, and you use your Shinzo API key in place of your Anthropic key.How it works:

Store your Anthropic API key securely in Shinzo (encrypted at rest)
Set your Shinzo API key as the ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable
Update ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL to point to Shinzo’s endpoint
Shinzo retrieves your stored Anthropic key server-side for each request

Benefits:

Your Anthropic key is stored securely and never transmitted from your machine
Easy key rotation - update in Shinzo without reconfiguring Claude Code
Works with any tool that supports ANTHROPIC_API_KEY
Compatible with all Anthropic SDKs

Add your Anthropic API key to Shinzo

Go to app.shinzo.ai
Navigate to Settings > API Keys
Click the Provider Keys tab
Click Add Provider Key
Select Anthropic as the provider
Paste your Anthropic API key and add a label
Click Save

Your key will be validated and encrypted before storage.

Create a Shinzo API key

In the API Keys page, click the Shinzo Keys tab
Click Create Key
Give your key a descriptive name (e.g., “Claude Code - Work Laptop”)
Copy the generated key (you won’t see it again)

Store your Shinzo API key securely. You can create multiple keys for different machines or projects.

Configure Claude Code

Set the following environment variables based on your operating system:

macOS / Linux
Windows (PowerShell)
Windows (Command Prompt)

Add to your shell configuration file (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, etc.):

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk_shinzo_live_your_key_here"
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.app.shinzo.ai/spotlight/anthropic"

Then reload your shell:

source ~/.zshrc  # or source ~/.bashrc

Run the following commands to set persistent environment variables:

[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('ANTHROPIC_API_KEY', 'sk_shinzo_live_your_key_here', 'User')
[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL', 'https://api.app.shinzo.ai/spotlight/anthropic', 'User')

Restart your terminal for changes to take effect.

Run the following commands:

setx ANTHROPIC_API_KEY "sk_shinzo_live_your_key_here"
setx ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL "https://api.app.shinzo.ai/spotlight/anthropic"

Restart your terminal for changes to take effect.

Verify the configuration

Run Claude Code and make a test request:

claude "Hello, can you confirm you're working?"

Then check the Shinzo Dashboard to see your request logged.

If your request appears in the dashboard, you’re all set.

Mode 2: Shinzo as Custom Header

In this mode, you keep your existing Anthropic API key and add Shinzo authentication via a custom header. Your Anthropic key is passed through to Anthropic on every request.How it works:

Keep your existing ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable (your Anthropic key)
Add x-shinzo-api-key custom header with your Shinzo API key
Update ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL to point to Shinzo’s endpoint
Your Anthropic key is passed through to Anthropic on each request

Benefits:

No need to store your Anthropic key on the Shinzo platform
Quick setup if you already have Claude Code configured
Useful for environments where you cannot store keys externally

Trade-offs:

Your Anthropic key is transmitted on every request (via Shinzo’s secure proxy)
Key rotation requires updating your local environment

Create a Shinzo API key

Go to app.shinzo.ai
Navigate to Settings > API Keys
Click the Shinzo Keys tab
Click Create Key
Give your key a descriptive name
Copy the generated key

In this mode, you do not need to add a Provider Key to Shinzo. Your Anthropic key stays in your local environment.

Configure Claude Code

Set the following environment variables based on your operating system. Keep your existing ANTHROPIC_API_KEY and add the Shinzo configuration:

macOS / Linux
Windows (PowerShell)
Windows (Command Prompt)

Add to your shell configuration file (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, etc.):

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-api03-your-anthropic-key-here"
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.app.shinzo.ai/spotlight/anthropic"
export ANTHROPIC_CUSTOM_HEADERS="x-shinzo-api-key: sk_shinzo_live_your_key_here"

Then reload your shell:

source ~/.zshrc  # or source ~/.bashrc

Run the following commands to set persistent environment variables:

[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('ANTHROPIC_API_KEY', 'sk-ant-api03-your-anthropic-key-here', 'User')
[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL', 'https://api.app.shinzo.ai/spotlight/anthropic', 'User')
[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('ANTHROPIC_CUSTOM_HEADERS', 'x-shinzo-api-key: sk_shinzo_live_your_key_here', 'User')

Restart your terminal for changes to take effect.

Run the following commands:

setx ANTHROPIC_API_KEY "sk-ant-api03-your-anthropic-key-here"
setx ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL "https://api.app.shinzo.ai/spotlight/anthropic"
setx ANTHROPIC_CUSTOM_HEADERS "x-shinzo-api-key: sk_shinzo_live_your_key_here"

Restart your terminal for changes to take effect.

Verify the configuration

Run Claude Code and make a test request:

claude "Hello, can you confirm you're working?"

Then check the Shinzo Dashboard to see your request logged.

If your request appears in the dashboard, you’re all set.

Comparison of Modes

Feature	Shinzo as API Key	Shinzo as Custom Header
Anthropic key location	Stored encrypted in Shinzo	Kept in local environment
Anthropic key transmission	Never leaves Shinzo servers	Passed through on every request
Store provider key in Shinzo?	Yes (required)	No
Environment variables needed	2 (`API_KEY`, `BASE_URL`)	3 (`API_KEY`, `BASE_URL`, `CUSTOM_HEADERS`)
Key rotation	Update in Shinzo dashboard	Update local environment
Recommended for	Most users	Users who cannot store keys externally

What Gets Tracked

When Claude Code routes through Shinzo, the following data is collected:

Data	Collected	Notes
Request timestamp	Yes	When the request was made
Response latency	Yes	Time to first token, total time
Input tokens	Yes	Tokens in your prompt
Output tokens	Yes	Tokens in Claude’s response
Model used	Yes	e.g., claude-sonnet-4-20250514
Success/failure	Yes	HTTP status codes, error types
Request content	No	Your prompts are not stored
Response content	No	Claude’s responses are not stored

Shinzo follows a privacy-first approach. Message content is never stored or logged. Only metadata required for analytics is collected.

Managing API Keys

Rotating Keys

If using “Shinzo as API Key” mode:

Generate a new key in the Anthropic Console
Update the key in Shinzo under Settings > API Keys > Provider Keys
Revoke the old key in Anthropic
No changes to your Claude Code configuration required

If using “Shinzo as Custom Header” mode:

Generate a new key in the Anthropic Console
Update your local ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable
Revoke the old key in Anthropic

Multiple Shinzo Keys

You can create multiple Shinzo API keys for different purposes:

Per-machine keys: Create separate keys for work and personal computers
Per-project keys: Track usage by project or team
Test vs. production: Use test type keys for development

Revoking Keys

To revoke a compromised Shinzo key:

Go to Settings > API Keys in Shinzo
Find the key and click Revoke
Create a new key and update your configuration

Troubleshooting

Requests not appearing in dashboard

Verify your environment variables are set correctly:

echo $ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL
echo $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY
echo $ANTHROPIC_CUSTOM_HEADERS  # if using custom header mode

Ensure ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL is set to https://api.app.shinzo.ai/spotlight/anthropic
Ensure the Shinzo API key is valid and not revoked
If using “Shinzo as API Key” mode, check that you have a provider key configured in Shinzo
Try a new terminal session to reload environment variables

Authentication errors

401 Unauthorized: Your Shinzo API key is invalid or revoked
403 Forbidden: Your Anthropic key may be invalid or expired
If using “Shinzo as API Key” mode, verify your provider key is configured in Shinzo
If using “Custom Header” mode, verify your ANTHROPIC_API_KEY is correct

Connection timeouts

Verify you can reach api.app.shinzo.ai:

curl -I https://api.app.shinzo.ai/health

Check your network/firewall settings
If using a corporate proxy, ensure it allows HTTPS connections to Shinzo

Switching back to direct Anthropic access

To bypass Shinzo temporarily:

unset ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL
unset ANTHROPIC_CUSTOM_HEADERS
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-api03-your-anthropic-key"

Getting Started

AI Tools

Concepts

Platform

Claude Code

Claude Code

How It Works

Understanding API Keys

Shinzo API Key (Platform Key)

Provider API Key (Anthropic Key)

Configuration Modes

Mode 1: Shinzo as the API Key

Mode 2: Shinzo as Custom Header

Comparison of Modes

What Gets Tracked

Managing API Keys

Rotating Keys

Multiple Shinzo Keys

Revoking Keys

Troubleshooting

Next Steps

View Dashboard

MCP Server Instrumentation

Getting Started

AI Tools

Concepts

Platform

​Claude Code

​How It Works

​Understanding API Keys

​Shinzo API Key (Platform Key)

​Provider API Key (Anthropic Key)

​Configuration Modes

​Mode 1: Shinzo as the API Key

​Mode 2: Shinzo as Custom Header

​Comparison of Modes

​What Gets Tracked

​Managing API Keys

​Rotating Keys

​Multiple Shinzo Keys

​Revoking Keys

​Troubleshooting

​Next Steps

View Dashboard

MCP Server Instrumentation

Claude Code

How It Works

Understanding API Keys

Shinzo API Key (Platform Key)

Provider API Key (Anthropic Key)

Configuration Modes

Mode 1: Shinzo as the API Key

Mode 2: Shinzo as Custom Header

Comparison of Modes

What Gets Tracked

Managing API Keys

Rotating Keys

Multiple Shinzo Keys

Revoking Keys

Troubleshooting

Next Steps