How to access/connect claude models via API in Cursor?
First of all, I love the cursor’s visual editor capabilities. Am on paid Cursor & Claude plans.
I do not wish to move out of cursor’s agent chat interface, so I’ve been trying to figure out a way to connect claude api inside cursor settings > models.
But even after doing that, I keep on getting an error saying “100%“ API limit reached although I see 100% usage limit available inside claude settings.
What am I doing wrong? Am I missing something??
Please help!!
Hi!
This is a common point of confusion. There are two separate Anthropic products, and it sounds like you may have a Claude.ai subscription (the chat interface at claude.ai) but not Anthropic API credits (the developer API at console.anthropic.com). These are completely separate, and a Claude.ai subscription does not include API credits.
To use your own Anthropic API key in Cursor (BYOK), you need to:
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Go to console.anthropic.com/settings/billing
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Add a payment method and purchase API credits (this is pay-per-token, separate from any Claude.ai subscription)
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Verify your API key has access to credits by running a quick test in the Anthropic Console Workbench
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Once your API account has credits, your Anthropic API key in Cursor Settings should work for all Claude models
The “100% included usage” indicator you see in Cursor is your Cursor plan’s included usage for the billing cycle. When BYOK is enabled and working, requests route through your own API key and are billed directly by Anthropic, bypassing Cursor’s included usage.
For reference: Bring your own API key
