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Already paying for Claude? Run your agent on that subscription

3 min readMyClawBots
  • tutorial
  • claude
  • how-to

You already pay for Claude every month. Then your agent burns metered API credits on top of it. Two bills for one brain. There is a cheaper way: a setup token connects your MyClawBots agent to the Claude subscription you already have, so the agent's model calls ride on your plan.

Before you start

  • A Claude Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise subscription. The free tier does not work with setup tokens.
  • A MyClawBots account. The 3-day free trial needs no credit card.
  • A terminal on any computer. The token is generated on your machine, not inside the MyClawBots dashboard.

The setup

  1. Install Claude Code, if you haven't

    If Claude Code already runs on your machine, skip this step.

    Install

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

  2. Generate the token

    Generate token

    claude setup-token

    A browser window opens. Sign in with your Claude account and approve the access. The terminal prints a long token starting with sk-ant-oat01-. Copy the entire string. It is shown once and never again.

    You cannot get this token from the Anthropic web console. The command only exists in the Claude Code CLI.

    Treat the token like a password. Whoever holds it can spend your subscription's model access. If it ever leaks, generate a new one and replace it.

  3. Connect it to your agent

    TODO: exact click path for connecting a Claude subscription token in MyClawBots (Settings > Integrations > Anthropic, or the "Connect your AI model" step when spawning an agent). Paste the token where it asks for your Anthropic connection instead of an API key.

  4. Prove it works

    Send this as your agent's first message:

    Verify

    Which model are you running on? Reply with the model name, then summarize our conversation so far in one sentence to prove you can use it.

    When the answer comes back, the subscription connection is live. Every model call from here on rides on your Claude plan, not a separate API bill.

API key vs setup token

Anthropic API key Setup token
Billing Metered, pay per token Covered by the Claude plan you already pay for
Where you get it console.anthropic.com claude setup-token in your terminal
Pick it when You run heavy volume outside any subscription You already pay for Claude every month

The honest limits

The token gives your agent model access under your subscription. It cannot touch billing, the console, or anything else on your Anthropic account.

Your plan's usage limits still apply. A busy agent on a Pro subscription can hit rate limits. Max gives more headroom.

If the agent suddenly cannot reach the model, check the token first. Regenerate it with claude setup-token and reconnect.

Tip

Never paste the token anywhere except the MyClawBots connection screen. Not in chat, not in a screenshot, not in a shared doc.

What to do next

Generate the token, connect it, send the verify message. About five minutes, and from then on your agent runs on the subscription you were already paying for.