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Connect a provider

Connect Ante to a provider, choose a model, and start a conversation. Use browser sign-in with a supported account or supply your own API key.

Sign in from the TUI​

  1. Run ante in your project directory.
  2. Type /providers, select Antix, Anthropic Subscription, or OpenAI Subscription, and press m to manage its access (or Enter on a provider that isn't set up yet).
  3. Choose Sign in to … (for example, Sign in to Antix), follow the browser flow, then return to Ante.
  4. Back in /providers, choose the provider and confirm a model.
Choosing a provider and its credential in /providers

Ante saves your credentials for future sessions. Open /providers and press m again when you need to sign in again.

Sign in from the CLI​

Sign in before opening the TUI or running a headless task:

ante auth login antix        # or anthropic, openai
ante --provider antix

The first command opens your browser. Finish signing in, then return to the terminal to run the second command. On a remote machine, add --no-browser to print the sign-in URL instead.

To add a second account, give it a label: ante auth login anthropic/work. ante auth list shows what is stored. See ante auth for every command.

For scripts and protocol clients, ante auth list --json lists credential references without exposing secret values. In v0.3.1, clients can pass a reference as credential when starting or resuming a session to select the account before its first request.

To sign in to a service Ante doesn't have built in, or to get tokens from a command such as gcloud, see Custom Sign-ins & Token Commands.

Use an API key​

Export your provider's API key in the shell where you run Ante, then select that provider:

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-api-key"
ante --provider anthropic

The same flow works with any provider configured to read an environment variable. For example, use OPENAI_API_KEY with --provider openai or ANTIX_API_KEY with --provider antix. Find the exact provider names and variables in the Catalog Reference.

To store a key instead of exporting it, run ante auth add <provider> and paste the key:

ante auth add anthropic

Paste a key in the TUI​

Type /providers, select the provider, press m, and choose Add or replace API key. Ante checks the key against the provider, then stores it under ~/.ante/auth/ with access limited to your user. On built-in providers, an environment key takes precedence over a stored one. The same view removes a saved key.

Choose a model and start working​

Type /providers to choose a connected provider, then confirm a model and effort level. When a provider has more than one credential (two accounts, or a sign-in and a key), its row shows ‹ 1/2 ›: press ←/→ to pick the one this session uses. Ante remembers the last model used on each provider. Use /models to change models on the current provider during a conversation.

To select a provider and model when launching Ante:

ante --provider antix --model claude-sonnet-5-5

You're ready to work through a task in the TUI. See Models & Effort for more on choosing and switching models.

Custom endpoints and local models​

For a hosted endpoint or local server that isn't built in, run /add-provider in the TUI or follow the custom catalog recipes. The Catalog Reference holds provider lists, model metadata, and configuration examples.

To run a model on your own hardware without credentials, follow Offline Mode.