How to create an Anthropic API Key for Termerly

A simple guide to connect your Termerly account to Anthropic and generate policy drafts using Claude models

Why does Termerly need your Anthropic API Key?

Termerly generates policy drafts (privacy, terms, cookies, etc.) using artificial intelligence models. For those drafts to be written with Claude (Anthropic's models), Termerly needs to connect to your Anthropic account through an API Key.

An API Key is like a personal key that lets Termerly talk to Claude on your behalf. You generate it once on the Anthropic Console, paste it into Termerly's settings, and from that moment on you can generate your drafts with Claude.

What you'll need on hand

• An email address (or a Google account).
• Your mobile phone to receive an SMS verification code.
• A credit or debit card.
• A modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari).

Estimated time: 5 to 10 minutes.

Step 1: Create your Anthropic account

Open your browser and go to https://console.anthropic.com. Heads up: this is not claude.ai — it's a different site (the developer Console).

Click "Sign up". The easiest option, if you already have a Google account, is the one-click quick sign-in.

After signing up, Anthropic will send you an email with a verification link. Click it, then confirm your phone number by typing the code you'll receive by SMS.

Step 2: Load credits on Anthropic (this costs money)

The Anthropic API works like a prepaid card. You buy credits, you spend them as Termerly generates drafts, and when they run out they run out. There are no surprises on the bill, but if you go down to zero, Termerly will tell you it can't generate more drafts until you top up.

To load credits:

1. In the left menu of console.anthropic.com, open "Billing".
2. Click "Add payment method" and enter your card details.
3. Buy an initial credit amount. The minimum is usually 5 USD, more than enough to generate many drafts.
4. Optional but useful: turn on "auto-reload" so Anthropic tops up your balance automatically when it drops below a certain threshold. That way Termerly never runs out of service.

Step 3: Generate your API Key

In the left menu of the Console, open "API Keys" (usually under a key icon), or go directly to https://console.anthropic.com/settings/keys.

Click the "Create Key" button. A small window will pop up with several options:

• Name: type "Termerly". That way, if you create more keys later for other tools, you'll know which one is for Termerly.
• Workspace: if it's your first time, leave it on the default workspace. Workspaces are useful when working in teams, but you can ignore them for now.
• Environment / Permissions: leave the default options. You don't need to touch anything else.

Click "Add" or "Create Key". You'll see a long key starting with sk-ant-api03- followed by a bunch of letters and numbers. That's your API Key.

Step 4: Paste it into Termerly

Go back to Termerly and into your dashboard:

1. Sign in to your Termerly account.
2. In the side menu, go to Settings → Account.
3. Scroll down to the Anthropic (Claude) section.
4. Paste the key you just copied into the "Paste your API key" field.
5. Click the "Save" button.

If the key is valid, you'll see the field's status change from "Not connected" (red) to "Connected" (blue). From that moment on, Termerly can generate drafts with Claude models on your behalf.

Step 5: Verify the connection works

Termerly has a button labeled "Test connection" right below the API Key field. Clicking it is the fastest way to know if everything is right:

• If the connection works, you'll see a green check and a "Last used" date will appear under the field.
• If the connection fails, Termerly will tell you what happened (zero balance, invalid key, etc.).

From here you can start generating policy drafts in Termerly with Claude models. Each draft will consume a tiny bit of your Anthropic credits; you can check how much you're spending in the "Usage" section at console.anthropic.com.

Step 6: Take care of your API Key

Your API Key is exactly like a digital credit card: anyone who has it can spend your Anthropic credits on your behalf. So:

• Don't paste it in public chats or share it via email, social media, forums, or videos.
• Don't post it where others can see it (screenshots on social media, for example).
• Create a different key for each tool. The one you generated for Termerly should only be used in Termerly.
• If you suspect it has leaked, run to console.anthropic.com/settings/keys and click "Revoke" on that key. Then generate a new one and paste it back in Termerly using the "Update" button.
• Check the "Usage" section on Anthropic every now and then to spot unusual consumption.

Things that can go wrong and how to fix them

Wrapping up

Connecting Termerly to Anthropic isn't as complicated as it sounds: you sign up on the Anthropic Console, load credits, generate the key, paste it into Termerly's settings, and you're done. From there, you can ask Termerly to generate policy drafts with Claude models.

Only two things truly deserve your attention: keep an eye on your credit balance (with auto-reload or by watching "Usage") and treat the key like a password (don't share it with anyone, not even with co-workers). If you ever get lost, come back to this guide and re-read the relevant step.