PROVIDER GUIDE
Claude SDK
Run Anthropic's Claude locally on your machine. CTRL NODE dispatches tasks through the Bridge, which invokes the Claude SDK directly — no browser, no UI, pure API.
Anthropic API key claude-3-5-sonnet / claude-3-7-sonnet
Requirements
- ✓ CTRL NODE Bridge installed on your machine (GitHub)
- ✓ Subscription mode — Claude Code CLI installed and authenticated via
claude /init. No API key required. - ✓ API key mode — Anthropic API key from console.anthropic.com. No CLI needed.
Quick start
Option A — Claude subscription
RecommendedRequires the Claude Code CLI — no API key needed, fewer Bridge parameters.
$npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
$claude /init # authenticate once
$ PAIRING_TOKEN=your-pairing-token \
CLAUDE_SDK_EXECUTABLE=claude \
./ctrlnode
CLAUDE_SDK_EXECUTABLE=claude \
./ctrlnode
Option B — Anthropic API key
$ PAIRING_TOKEN=your-pairing-token \
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-… \
./ctrlnode
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-… \
./ctrlnode
Get your key at console.anthropic.com.
.env file
PAIRING_TOKEN=your-pairing-token
# Subscription mode (no API key needed)
CLAUDE_SDK_EXECUTABLE=claude
# OR: API key mode
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-…
# Optional: pin the model
CLAUDE_DEFAULT_MODEL=claude-3-7-sonnet-20250219
Environment variables
| Variable | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ANTHROPIC_API_KEY | Yes* | Anthropic API key. Required unless using CLI login. |
| CLAUDE_SDK_EXECUTABLE | No | Path to the claude CLI binary. Uses SDK directly if unset. |
| CLAUDE_DEFAULT_MODEL | No | Model to use. Defaults to claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022. |
How the Bridge dispatches to Claude
When CTRL NODE dispatches a task to a Claude agent:
- The Bridge writes a CLAUDE.md file in the agent's workspace folder with the task instructions.
- It spawns the Claude SDK (or CLI) with the task prompt and workspace path.
- Terminal output streams back to CTRL NODE in real time via the outbound WebSocket.
- On completion or error, the task status updates in the CTRL NODE dashboard.
Your code, files and API key never leave your machine — only task status and terminal output are relayed.