Since #28410, every Claude process T3 Code starts runs with CLAUDE_CODE_ENTRYPOINT=t3-code. Claude Code sends the entrypoint in its User-Agent (claude-cli/… (external, t3-code, …)). On an org that holds only Anthropic's API credits for subscribers, an API-key claudeAgent instance then fails every turn with billing_error "Credit balance is too low", and the thread reports "Claude gave up after repeated API errors." The same key works with the Agent SDK's own default entrypoint.
Reproduced on main (ac8dce0cc3): a dev server with a claudeAgent instance whose environment sets ANTHROPIC_API_KEY. Every turn sent (external, t3-code, agent-sdk/0.3.276) with x-api-key.
mergeClaudeProcessEnvironment applies the t3-code default only when no non-empty ANTHROPIC_API_KEY is set in the host env, the instance env, or Claude's settings.json env. For API-key processes the variable is left unset, so the Agent SDK fills in sdk-ts and the bare CLI uses cli. An inherited host value such as claude-desktop is still dropped, as #28410 intended. An explicit CLAUDE_CODE_ENTRYPOINT in the instance env or settings.json still wins. Subscription logins keep t3-code. readClaudeSettingsEnv now also returns ANTHROPIC_API_KEY; the value is only checked for presence.
Fixes pingdotgg/t3code#29393
Triaged via the automated issue flow.
vp test run apps/server/src/provider/Drivers/ClaudeHome.test.ts apps/server/src/provider/Drivers/ClaudeSkills.test.ts: 25/25 pass. The new test "leaves the entrypoint unset for API-key processes so Anthropic bills them" covers an API key from the instance env, the host env, and settings.json env. On main it fails with + "CLAUDE_CODE_ENTRYPOINT": "t3-code". The existing #28410 test, which keeps t3-code for subscription users and lets explicit overrides win, still passes.
vp run check:changed: format, lint, knip, typecheck and tests all pass.
Runtime transcript (the web dev server, T3CODE_DEV_SEED=0, a claudeAgent instance with a synthetic ANTHROPIC_API_KEY and ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL pointed at a local stand-in that logs request headers and answers t3-code requests like the reported credit-only rejection):
| 1 | # main ac8dce0cc3 — Haiku 5.5, then Opus 5.5: thread shows "Credit balance is too low" / "Claude gave up after repeated API errors." |
| 2 | 15:20:28 POST /v1/messages claude-cli/2.1.304 (external, t3-code, agent-sdk/0.3.276) x-api-key=set |
| 3 | 15:22:23 POST /v1/messages claude-cli/2.1.304 (external, t3-code, agent-sdk/0.3.276) x-api-key=set |
| 4 | # fix 948fb7d649 — Opus 5.5, same prompt: turn completes with "ok" |
| 5 | 15:27:01 POST /v1/messages claude-cli/2.1.304 (external, sdk-ts, agent-sdk/0.3.276) x-api-key=set |
Not checked: real Anthropic billing on a subscriber-credit-only org. No such account was available, so the billing outcome relies on the reporter's per-entrypoint results. Also not checked: Console /login keys stored by Claude Code itself and apiKeyHelper. Those send t3-code, as they did before this change.
Model: Claude Opus 5.5 (lead, tests, fix, review B) and GPT-6.1 Sol (review A) · Harness: Claude Code and Codex in T3 Code
🤖 Generated with Claude Code
Added 2 commits
Verdict: Needs Human Approval
Macroscope's review found this PR requires human approval — API-key Claude instances now use Claude's default entrypoint unless explicitly overridden, intended to restore subscriber API-credit eligibility. This changes existing product defaults and requires human acceptance of that behavior.
You can add or adjust custom eligibility rules. Learn more.
✅ Thread transfer remains within every enforced ceiling.
| Provider | Metric | Main baseline | This PR | Impact | PR ceiling | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Codex | Total thread wire | 5.0 KiB | 5.0 KiB | 0 B (0.0%) | 6.8 KiB | ✅ |
| Codex | Thread snapshot wire | 3.8 KiB | 3.8 KiB | 0 B (0.0%) | 4.9 KiB | ✅ |
| Codex | Live turn WebSocket wire | 1.2 KiB | 1.2 KiB | 0 B (0.0%) | 2.0 KiB | ✅ |
| Codex | Live turn WebSocket decoded | 21.6 KiB | 21.6 KiB | 0 B (0.0%) | 24.4 KiB | ✅ |
| Codex | Live turn messages | 2 | 2 | 0 (0.0%) | 8 | ✅ |
| Claude | Total thread wire | 5.0 KiB | 5.0 KiB | 0 B (0.0%) | 6.8 KiB | ✅ |
| Claude | Thread snapshot wire | 3.8 KiB | 3.8 KiB | 0 B (0.0%) | 4.9 KiB | ✅ |
| Claude | Live turn WebSocket wire | 1.3 KiB | 1.3 KiB | 0 B (0.0%) | 2.0 KiB | ✅ |
| Claude | Live turn WebSocket decoded | 21.9 KiB | 21.9 KiB | 0 B (0.0%) | 24.4 KiB | ✅ |
| Claude | Live turn messages | 2 | 2 | 0 (0.0%) | 8 | ✅ |
Baseline: ac8dce0 · PR result: 948fb7d · Source CI: success
10 historical turns, 5 command tools per turn, 878.9 KiB retained MCP result per historical turn, and a 1.05 MiB retained result in the measured turn.
Updated in place by a trusted workflow. PR artifacts are strictly validated and never executed.
Claude process environment construction now removes inherited entrypoint values and selects an entrypoint based on Claude settings and API-key presence. The settings environment type accepts ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, and tests cover API-key environment handling.
Changes: Claude API-key entrypoint handling
| Layer / File(s) | Summary |
|---|---|
Build the Claude process environment apps/server/src/provider/Drivers/ClaudeHome.ts, apps/server/src/provider/Drivers/ClaudeSkills.ts, apps/server/src/provider/Drivers/ClaudeHome.test.ts | SettingsEnv now accepts ANTHROPIC_API_KEY. Environment merging selects an entrypoint from settings or the merged environment, or defaults to t3-code only when neither contains an API key. Tests cover instance, host, and settings API keys. |
Estimated code review effort: 2 (Simple) | ~10 minutes
Change: Bug fix · Severity of issue fixed: Medium
Suggested reviewers: t3dotgg
948fbAPI-key Claude processes configured through environment variables or settings no longer send the t3-code entrypoint, and subscription logins are unchanged. Keys supplied only through Console credentials or apiKeyHelper still send t3-code, as the PR notes. Billing on a credit-only organization was not tested, but nothing found here blocks merging.
| Check name | Status | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Title check | Passed | The title names the main change: API-key Claude instances no longer hit the subscriber-credit billing failure. The fix in the changeset does this by leaving CLAUDE_CODE_ENTRYPOINT unset for API-key pr… |
| Description check | Passed | The description follows the template. It has Problem, Change, Scope and approval, and Verification sections. The Problem section states the failure, the reproduction on main, and the environment. The … |
| Linked Issues check | Passed | Issue #29393 requires API-key Claude instances to run without the t3-code entrypoint so subscriber API credits can apply. mergeClaudeProcessEnvironment removes inherited CLAUDE_CODE_ENTRYPOINT a… |
| Out of Scope Changes check | Passed | The changes are limited to Claude process environment handling, settings decoding for ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, and regression coverage in the related driver test. These changes directly support issue #293… |
Explanation
The title names the main change: API-key Claude instances no longer hit the subscriber-credit billing failure. The fix in the changeset does this by leaving CLAUDE_CODE_ENTRYPOINT unset for API-key processes in mergeClaudeProcessEnvironment, which is the change the title describes. The title is specific, follows the conventional commit form, and does not cover every detail, which is expected.
Explanation
The description follows the template. It has Problem, Change, Scope and approval, and Verification sections. The Problem section states the failure, the reproduction on main, and the environment. The Change section explains the merge logic and the cases that keep or drop the entrypoint. Verification lists the focused test run, the check:changed result, a runtime transcript, and items not checked. The Scope and approval section links issue #29393 and says it was triaged through the automated issue flow. That gives a link to a triaged issue, but it does not include maintainer approval of the direction, which the template asks for. The author should add a maintainer approval comment or a discussion link that shows approval of the direction and scope, or explain why this focused bug fix qualifies without one. The description is otherwise mostly complete.
Explanation
Issue #29393 requires API-key Claude instances to run without the t3-code entrypoint so subscriber API credits can apply. mergeClaudeProcessEnvironment removes inherited CLAUDE_CODE_ENTRYPOINT and leaves it unset when a non-empty ANTHROPIC_API_KEY exists in the merged environment or Claude settings. It retains explicit settings or instance entrypoints and retains t3-code for subscription login flows. The regression test covers API keys from the instance, host, and settings environments. The reported test suite and local request transcript support the intended behavior.
Explanation
The changes are limited to Claude process environment handling, settings decoding for ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, and regression coverage in the related driver test. These changes directly support issue #29393. No unrelated product behavior or unrelated files are changed.
apps/server/src/provider/Drivers/ClaudeHome.ts-83-83: 1
83-83: External image Major · Functional Correctness · Heavy liftExternal image Unverified finding Verification ran but could not confirm this finding. It is shown for review, not as a verified issue.
Account for API keys supplied outside environment variables.
Claude also supports
apiKeyHelperand saved Console credentials. When either supplies the API key andANTHROPIC_API_KEYis absent, this branch still selectst3-code, leaving those API-key instances subject to the reported credit failure. Detect the effective authentication source without executing credential helpers unnecessarily. (code.claude.com)
9f47ad01-1155-49aa-98be-e8192f39caefReviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between ac8dce0cc3abd8a337f2d806b5082a6834b9b81a and 948fb7d64979a30c592d9ed542ccefcbd3df2749.
apps/server/src/provider/Drivers/ClaudeHome.test.tsapps/server/src/provider/Drivers/ClaudeHome.tsapps/server/src/provider/Drivers/ClaudeSkills.tsIncluded review availability: This review used your included allowance. Your plan provides up to 10 included reviews per hour; 6 remain after this review.
Closing as a duplicate of #29406, which covers the same subscriber-credit failure and includes real billing verification. Thanks, Julius, for the focused fix, and thanks to kyle944 for the earlier work.