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API Key Setup

Every DisSysLab office that uses an AI analyst needs an Anthropic API key. This guide walks you through getting one and putting it where dsl run can find it.

Time required: about 3 minutes.

1. Get a key

Open console.anthropic.com and create an API key. Paid accounts get higher rate limits; a free account works for the gallery offices.

Your key starts with sk-ant- and is about 100 characters long. Copy the whole thing to your clipboard. Anthropic only shows it once — if you close the window you will need to generate a new one.

2. Put the key in a .env file

DisSysLab reads the key from a file named .env in the folder you run dsl from, or in any folder above it. Put it in your course folder and every office inside that folder finds it. The fastest way to create it — on macOS, with the key still on your clipboard:

cd path/to/your/course/folder
echo "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=$(pbpaste)" > .env

That's it. The file now contains exactly one line that looks like:

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-api03-...(about 100 chars)...

On Linux the equivalent is xclip -o or xsel -b instead of pbpaste. On Windows (PowerShell):

"ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=$(Get-Clipboard)" | Out-File -Encoding utf8 .env

If you prefer a text editor

Open .env in VS Code, nano, or any other plain-text editor. Paste your key on a single line after ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=. Save.

Do not use TextEdit on macOS. TextEdit silently saves .env as Rich Text Format (RTF), which dsl run cannot read. If you've already used TextEdit, delete the file (rm .env) and recreate it with the pbpaste one-liner above, or with VS Code.

3. Verify it worked

Run dsl doctor from the same folder:

dsl doctor

You should see:

Local .env:
  [OK] .env format: ANTHROPIC_API_KEY present (prefix sk-ant-…, len 108)

Credentials:
  [OK] ANTHROPIC_API_KEY: set (prefix sk-ant-…, len 108)

If anything says FAIL, jump to the next section.

Troubleshooting

dsl doctor prints a specific hint for each problem. The common ones:

saved as RTF (probably via TextEdit)

TextEdit saved your file as rich text, not plain text. Fix:

rm .env
echo "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=$(pbpaste)" > .env

Re-copy your key to the clipboard first if needed.

contains shell commands

You pasted terminal history into .env instead of a single KEY=VALUE line. Same fix:

rm .env
echo "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=$(pbpaste)" > .env

no ANTHROPIC_API_KEY line found or ANTHROPIC_API_KEY is set to empty string

The file exists but doesn't have your key in it. Open .env and add a line:

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-api03-...

value starts with '...', not 'sk-ant-'

You probably copied only part of the key, or copied a placeholder. Go back to console.anthropic.com, copy the full key (starts with sk-ant-), and redo step 2.

Error code: 401 when running an office

The key was found but Anthropic rejected it. Either the key is revoked or you copied the wrong one. Generate a fresh key from console.anthropic.com and redo step 2.

dsl --version shows the wrong version

Your shell is finding a different dsl binary than the one you just installed. Check which one it's using:

which dsl
pip show dissyslab | grep -E '^(Version|Location)'

If the which path is not inside the pip install location, you probably forgot to activate your virtual environment:

source /path/to/your/venv/bin/activate
dsl --version

Where to put .env for several offices

dsl looks for .env in the folder you run it from, then in each folder above it, and uses the first it finds. So one .env in your course folder serves every office inside it:

dsl_course/
    .env              <- ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=...
    my_desk/
    inbox_sorter/

dsl doctor, run from inside an office folder, names the .env file it found. A key exported in your shell (export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=...) is used when no .env sets it.

Never commit .env to git. Anyone with the key can spend money on your account.