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Claude API Reference Skill

Official

The official skill that makes Claude write Claude/Anthropic SDK code from documented facts — model IDs, params, streaming, tool use, and migrations.

Dev & CodingIntermediate★ 189,585⑂ 22,343AI score 9/10Last updated: Nov 6, 2026

What it does

  • Whenever you build against the Claude API (POST /v1/messages), it forbids guessing from memory and routes Claude to the bundled per-language docs (python/, typescript/, java/, go/, ruby/, csharp/, php/, curl/).
  • Detects your project language from pyproject.toml, package.json, go.mod, composer.json, etc., then uses that SDK's exact namespaces and method signatures (or WebFetches the repos listed in shared/live-sources.md).
  • Ships a current model table (IDs, context windows, input/output pricing), sane defaults (streaming, adaptive thinking, eager input streaming rules), and an API drift table covering what changed in 2025–2026 (extended thinking params, web search/fetch tool types, Files & Skills leaving beta, PHP arg casing).
  • Adds /claude-api <subcommand> workflows: migrate, prompt-audit, upgrade, cost-optimize, build-eval, hillclimb, preserved-thinking-migration.
  • Gives a decision table for picking a surface — single call → workflow → custom agent → Managed Agents — and disambiguates Tool Runner vs. Claude Agent SDK.

Who it's for

  • Developers wiring the Anthropic SDK into Python, TypeScript, Java, Go, Ruby, C#, or PHP projects
  • Teams migrating code and prompts written for older Claude models
  • LLM product owners tuning token cost, caching, batching, and streaming
  • Anyone deciding between self-hosted agent loops and Managed Agents

Example uses

  1. "Add a Claude call to this Python script" → detects Python, uses the official anthropic SDK with streaming defaults instead of raw requests.
  2. /claude-api migrate → confirms scope and target model, classifies each file, applies breaking changes in order, then audits prompt text for stale model-specific wording.
  3. /claude-api cost-optimize → builds a token profile from usage logs or code and ranks levers by savings, free wins (caching, input hygiene) before tradeoffs (model choice).
  4. Pointed at a file using the OpenAI SDK → it stops, says this skill emits Anthropic code, and asks how you want to proceed.

· · · Install guide · · ·

Try it now, no install

Paste this into Claude to use the skill without installing anything.

Read the instructions in this file and follow them to help me:
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/anthropics/skills/HEAD/skills/claude-api/SKILL.md

What I want: (describe your task here)

If Claude can't open the link, open it yourself and paste the contents instead.

↓ If it works for you, download the ZIP below and install it. Then it runs on its own — no pasting each time.

Install in the Claude app (no terminal)
  1. Download the ZIP with the button below.
  2. In Claude, open Settings → Capabilities and turn on 'Code execution and file creation'. (one time)
  3. Go to Customize → Skills → + → 'Upload a skill' and upload the ZIP.
↓ Download ZIP
Install in Claude Code

Let Claude do it — paste this into Claude Code

Install the skill I found on AI Skill Mart.
Copy the skills/claude-api folder from the GitHub repo anthropics/skills into my ~/.claude/skills/claude-api/.
When it's done, tell me in one line what this skill can do.

Install with a command instead

git clone https://github.com/anthropics/skills.git /tmp/anthropic-skills && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r /tmp/anthropic-skills/skills/claude-api ~/.claude/skills/

⚠ This is a third-party skill. Check the source repository before installing.

  1. Open your terminal.
  2. Clone the skills repo: git clone https://github.com/anthropics/skills.git
  3. Create the skills directory: mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
  4. Copy just this skill: cp -r skills/skills/claude-api ~/.claude/skills/ (double-check the path relative to where you cloned).
  5. Verify that ~/.claude/skills/claude-api/SKILL.md plus its subfolders (python/, typescript/, shared/, ...) came along — the skill depends on those reference files.
  6. Restart Claude Code, then try a prompt like "add Claude summarization to this service" or run /claude-api migrate.
  7. Optional: export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY so the generated code can be run and iterated on immediately.
View source on GitHub ↗