Connecting to Anthropic (Claude)

You can connect Magic Suite to Anthropic's Claude models using your own Anthropic account and your own API key.

Use the Anthropic (Claude) Connection type. Magic Suite reaches Claude through Anthropic's OpenAI-compatible service, which is why the address ends in /v1 and why some test messages mention the OpenAI API.

You need a Tenant Administrator role to create a Tenant Connection.

What you need

Field	Value
Connection Type	Anthropic (Claude)
URL	https://api.anthropic.com/v1, filled in for you when you choose the type
API Key	Your Anthropic API key. It begins with sk-ant-. Magic Suite stores it encrypted.
Configuration	A small piece of JSON naming the model, for example {"Model": "claude-haiku-4-5-20251001"}

Creating an API key in the Claude Console

Anthropic API keys are created in the Claude Console, not in the Claude chat app. If you follow an old link to console.anthropic.com you will be redirected to the Console's current home at platform.claude.com.

The Claude chat app and the Claude Console are different things. Signing in at claude.ai does not give you API keys: claude.ai is the chat product, and keys live in the Console. API use is also billed separately from a Claude Pro or Max subscription, so paying for one does not pay for the other.

Being asked to create an account when you already have one is expected, not a fault. The first time you open the Console it walks you through setting up your organisation and billing, even though you are already signed in to claude.ai. It is provisioning your Console workspace rather than making you a second account, and you only do it once. This surprises nearly everyone.

Use the same sign-in method you use for claude.ai. If you normally continue with Google and you sign in to the Console with an email address instead, or the other way round, you will end up with a genuinely separate account, and your keys, billing and colleagues will not be where you expect them.

1. Go to platform.claude.com and sign in, or create an account if you do not have one. You can continue with Google or with an email address
2. If you are asked how you will use the Claude API, choose Individual or Organization to create your Console account. Individual keeps keys and billing to you alone. Organization lets you invite colleagues, share API access and bill centrally. For a Connection the whole Tenant shares, Organization is usually the right answer. You only do this once
3. Go to Settings, then API keys
4. Choose Create key. Give the key a name that says where it is used, such as Magic Suite production, so that a list of keys later tells you which is which
5. Choose an expiration, and set Linked account
6. Optionally choose a workspace to scope the key to. Keeping Magic Suite in its own workspace separates its spending and its rate limits from anything else you run
7. Copy the key immediately. The Console shows the full key only once, at creation. If you lose it you cannot view it again, and you have to create a new one

Choose the right kind of key. A personal key acts as you and stops working if you leave the organisation. A service account key belongs to a service account rather than a person. For a Tenant Connection, which everyone in your Tenant shares, use a service account key: a personal key stops working the day its owner leaves, and takes Merlin with it.

Note: paste the key straight into the Magic Suite Connection and nowhere else. Do not put it in a ticket, a chat message or an email, and do not save it to a file first. If it does end up somewhere it should not, delete the key in the Console and create a new one.

Tip: if Create key is greyed out, your role in the organisation does not allow key creation. Ask whoever administers your Anthropic account.

Creating the Connection in Magic Suite

1. In the Admin app, go to Connections
2. Add a Connection and choose the Anthropic (Claude) type
3. Give it a name, such as Anthropic Claude
4. Leave the URL as it is filled in, https://api.anthropic.com/v1
5. Paste the API key into the API Key field
6. In Configuration, name the model, for example {"Model": "claude-haiku-4-5-20251001"}
7. Save. The AI Tool Calling column on the Connections page then shows whether the model calls tools, and Test Connection in the Connection's form checks it again at any time

Note: if the form shows a User Name field as well, leave it blank and paste the API key into the field below it, whether that is labelled API Key or Password.

Choosing a model

The model name goes in the Configuration field and must be one your Anthropic account can use. Cheaper models cost less per token and are usually faster. More capable ones reason better over long or complicated work. Anthropic adds and retires models over time, so check the Console for the current names.

Model	Use it when
claude-haiku-4-5-20251001	The cheapest option. Good for development, testing, and high volumes of straightforward work.
claude-sonnet-5-5	A balance of cost and capability for everyday use.
claude-opus-5-5	Harder reasoning, at a higher price per token.

Note: Anthropic bills you directly for what these models use. Magic Suite cannot cap that, so set a spending limit in the Claude Console.

Version and statistics (coming in the next 4.6 release)

On the Connections page in the Admin app, the Version column shows the model the Connection uses, as Anthropic names it, for example Claude Haiku 4.5 (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001). If Configuration names a short alias such as claude-haiku-4-5, the Version shows the dated model the alias currently stands for.

The statistics icon on the same row opens the Connection's statistics. They show:

• Whether Anthropic offers the configured model to this API key: Available, Not available, or No model configured
• The model's release date, context window and maximum output
• The model's capabilities as Anthropic reports them, such as image input or thinking. Hover over one to see what it means. They describe the model, and are not necessarily available in Merlin
• The models available to this API key, newest first

Magic Suite refreshes the statistics about every half hour, and Update in the statistics pop-up refreshes them at once. They come from Anthropic's list of models, which Anthropic does not charge for, so they use no tokens.

Using this Connection for Merlin

On a Merlin Pro or Merlin Enterprise plan, a Tenant Administrator can point Merlin at this Connection, so Merlin's answers are generated on your own Anthropic account rather than on Panoramic Data's. In the Admin app, go to Tenant, then Merlin AI, choose the Connection, read the consent statement, tick the box below it, and Save. See Configuring Merlin for your Tenant.

Check tool calling before you rely on it. Merlin answers most useful questions by calling tools that read your Magic Suite data. Testing the Connection tells you whether the model calls tools. If it shows not supported, Merlin still answers, but only from the conversation, without reading your data. A misspelled model name shows the same result, so check the Configuration first.

If it does not work

What you see	Usual cause
The test says the API key was not accepted (status code 401)	The key is wrong, has expired, or has been revoked. Keys can be given an expiry when they are created, so check that first.
Key looks fine but every request fails	The Console organisation may have no billing set up or no credit. A key can be created before billing is arranged, and then fails on the first real request.
Worked, then stopped on a date	The key reached its expiration, or its owner left the organisation and it was a personal key.
The test passes but tool calling shows not supported	Usually the model named in Configuration is not one this account can use. Check the spelling against the Console.
The statistics say Not available	Anthropic does not list the model named in Configuration for this API key. Check the spelling, or choose one from the models available to the key in the same pop-up.
Occasional failures under load	Rate limits, which are set by Anthropic against your account rather than by Magic Suite.
The test fails with status code 404	Usually the URL. It must be https://api.anthropic.com/v1, including the /v1