How to run Claude Code on Claude Platform on AWS
To run Claude Code on Claude Platform on AWS, subscribe through AWS Marketplace and create a workspace first. Then set CLAUDE_CODE_USE_ANTHROPIC_AWS=1, set ANTHROPIC_AWS_WORKSPACE_ID to your workspace ID, set AWS_REGION, and give Claude Code a way to sign in: either your normal AWS credentials or a workspace API key. Pin your model versions, run claude, and check that the startup banner and /status both say Claude Platform on AWS.
The part people get wrong is the name. Claude Platform on AWS is not Amazon Bedrock. Bedrock is Amazon's model catalog, and requests go to Amazon's service. Claude Platform on AWS is Anthropic's own Claude API, with AWS handling the sign-in, the permissions and the bill. Your requests reach Anthropic's API directly, so you get the same models and API features as the Claude API, on the same release schedule.
Claude Platform on AWS or Amazon Bedrock?
If you are building for yourself, neither. Start with a Claude plan and the Claude Code desktop app, which is the easiest setup and includes features no cloud route can reach. Which Claude plan for Claude Code covers that choice. A cloud route earns the setup when your company wants Claude on its AWS bill. Then the question is which of the two AWS routes.
The two ways to run Claude Code on an AWS bill
| Claude Platform on AWS | Amazon Bedrock | |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs the API | Anthropic | Amazon |
| Turn it on with | CLAUDE_CODE_USE_ANTHROPIC_AWS=1 | CLAUDE_CODE_USE_BEDROCK=1 |
| Model IDs | Same as the direct Claude API | Bedrock model IDs |
| New models and API features | Same release schedule as the Claude API | When Bedrock adds them |
| Web search | Available | Not available |
| GitHub Actions | Not available | Available |
| GitLab CI/CD | Available | Available |
My pick: if your team wants the newest models and API features the day they ship and you do your CI in GitLab, choose Claude Platform on AWS. If your CI runs on GitHub Actions, or your company has already standardized on Bedrock, stay on Bedrock. The GitHub Actions gap is the line that decides it for most teams, so check where your pipelines live before you subscribe.
Before you start: the separate organization
Subscribing through AWS Marketplace creates a new Anthropic organization tied to your AWS account. It is separate from any Anthropic organization you already have, and credentials do not carry over. An API key from your existing Claude Console account will not work here. Use the workspace ID and keys from the AWS-linked organization.
- An active Claude Platform on AWS subscription through AWS Marketplace.
- A workspace in that AWS-linked organization, and its workspace ID.
- An IAM principal allowed to invoke the Anthropic service, or a workspace API key.
- AWS credentials in your environment, in ~/.aws/credentials, or from an attached IAM role if you sign in with AWS. The AWS CLI is only needed for the SSO login flow.
Step 1: pick how Claude Code signs in
The two ways Claude Code authenticates to Claude Platform on AWS
| Method | What you set | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| AWS credentials (SigV4) | Nothing extra. Claude Code uses the standard AWS credential chain: environment, ~/.aws/credentials, IAM roles, SSO sessions | Teams already on AWS sign-in, and CI runners with an IAM role |
| Workspace API key | ANTHROPIC_AWS_API_KEY, generated in the AWS Console under Claude Platform on AWS, API keys | A quick test, or when you do not want to manage AWS credentials |
For local use with SSO, run aws sso login --profile my-profile and export AWS_PROFILE before you start Claude Code. If SSO credentials expire mid-session, add an awsAuthRefresh setting with that same login command to your settings file. Claude Code re-runs it and retries instead of failing.
If both are present, the API key wins and your AWS credentials are ignored. That matters when you debug: a stale key gives you access errors even when your AWS role is fine. I would use AWS credentials for anything past a solo test. There is no long-lived key in a shell profile, and access comes and goes with the IAM roles your company already manages. /login and /logout do not apply here, since sign-in runs through AWS.
Step 2: set the provider variables
- CLAUDE_CODE_USE_ANTHROPIC_AWS=1 turns the provider on. It is opt-in, so AWS credentials alone do nothing.
- ANTHROPIC_AWS_WORKSPACE_ID is required. Claude Code sends it on every request. It is not implied by your AWS credentials.
- AWS_REGION, such as us-east-1. Claude Code builds the endpoint from it.
- ANTHROPIC_AWS_BASE_URL is optional and only needed to override that endpoint, for example to go through a company proxy.
Amazon Bedrock and Microsoft Foundry take precedence over this provider. If CLAUDE_CODE_USE_BEDROCK or CLAUDE_CODE_USE_FOUNDRY is still set from an earlier setup, unset it, or your requests will not go where you think. Put these variables in the env block of your settings file so they load every time. The settings.json guide shows where that block goes, and Claude Code environment variables covers the other places to set them.
Step 3: pin your models
Claude Platform on AWS uses the same model IDs as the direct Claude API, which makes pinning simpler than on Bedrock. Without pins, the aliases resolve to Claude Code's built-in defaults for this provider, and those can lag the newest release. On a team, pin them so one update does not move everyone at once.
- Set ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL, ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL and ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL, plus ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_FABLE_MODEL if you use Fable. The docs' example pins claude-fable-5, claude-opus-4-8, claude-sonnet-5 and claude-haiku-4-5.
- Without ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL, the opus alias resolves to Opus 5.5 on current versions.
- Prompt caching is on automatically. Set ENABLE_PROMPT_CACHING_1H=1 only if you want a 1-hour cache instead of the 5-minute default, and know that 1-hour cache writes are billed at a higher rate.
Model choice is the biggest lever on your bill, whichever route you take. How much Claude Code costs per month breaks that down.
Step 4: launch and check
Run claude. The startup banner should show Claude Platform on AWS. Then run /status: the API provider line should read Claude Platform on AWS, and the output lists your workspace ID, your AWS region, and the base URL if you set an override. If any of those are wrong, fix them before you do real work.
The same variables work for the Agent SDK. Any program that starts Claude Code can target this provider by setting CLAUDE_CODE_USE_ANTHROPIC_AWS, the workspace ID and either AWS credentials or ANTHROPIC_AWS_API_KEY before the call.
What you give up on Claude Platform on AWS
Everything that runs on your machine works: CLAUDE.md, skills, subagents, hooks, MCP servers, plugins, checkpoints and the VS Code and JetBrains extensions. Anything that needs a claude.ai sign-in does not. Here is what Anthropic's feature availability page lists for this provider.
Claude Code features not available or limited on Claude Platform on AWS
| Feature | On Claude Platform on AWS | Use instead |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud scheduled tasks (/schedule) | Not available | /loop, which runs on your machine |
| Cloud sessions and Claude Code on mobile | Not available | GitLab CI/CD |
| GitHub Actions | Not available | GitLab CI/CD, or Bedrock if you must stay on GitHub |
| Claude Code Desktop, Remote Control, Chrome extension, computer use, voice dictation | Not available | No direct replacement |
| Fast mode, Advisor, Channels, server-managed settings, analytics dashboard | Not available | No direct replacement |
| /design-sync and /import | Not available | No direct replacement |
| Cross-session messaging | Between sessions on the same machine only | Keep related sessions on one machine |
| Web search | Available | Not needed, unlike on Bedrock |
Auto mode works here, and so does web search, which is the main practical gain over Bedrock. Error reporting and telemetry to Anthropic are off by default on this provider. The desktop app is the real loss for everyday builders, which is why I keep pointing solo users to a Claude plan instead.
Fixes for common Claude Platform on AWS errors
- 403 Forbidden or AccessDenied on every request: the IAM principal Claude Code found cannot invoke the Anthropic service in your workspace. Check the role on your AWS profile or CI runner. If ANTHROPIC_AWS_API_KEY is set, a stale key causes the same error, so regenerate it or unset it.
- A missing-workspace error: ANTHROPIC_AWS_WORKSPACE_ID is unset or empty. Export it before you start Claude Code.
- Requests still go to api.anthropic.com: CLAUDE_CODE_USE_ANTHROPIC_AWS is unset or not set to 1, or a Bedrock or Foundry variable is overriding it. Run /status to see which provider won.
- An old Console API key is rejected: keys from your existing Anthropic organization do not work. Generate a workspace key in the AWS-linked organization.
If your company routes AI traffic through a proxy, point ANTHROPIC_AWS_BASE_URL at it. If that proxy signs requests itself, set CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_ANTHROPIC_AWS_AUTH=1 so Claude Code sends unsigned requests and lets the proxy add the AWS signature. For CI on this provider, Claude Code in GitLab covers the pipeline side.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Claude Platform on AWS?
It is the Anthropic-operated Claude API, bought through AWS Marketplace, with AWS sign-in, IAM access control and AWS billing. Requests go to Anthropic's API directly, so you get the same models and API features as the Claude API.
Is Claude Platform on AWS the same as Amazon Bedrock?
No. Bedrock is Amazon's model catalog and uses CLAUDE_CODE_USE_BEDROCK. Claude Platform on AWS is Anthropic's own API with AWS billing and uses CLAUDE_CODE_USE_ANTHROPIC_AWS. It has web search, which Bedrock lacks, but not GitHub Actions, which Bedrock has.
How do I set up Claude Code on Claude Platform on AWS?
Set CLAUDE_CODE_USE_ANTHROPIC_AWS=1, ANTHROPIC_AWS_WORKSPACE_ID and AWS_REGION, then sign in with AWS credentials or set ANTHROPIC_AWS_API_KEY. Pin your models, run claude, and check that /status shows Claude Platform on AWS.
Can I use my existing Anthropic API key with Claude Platform on AWS?
No. Subscribing through AWS Marketplace creates a separate Anthropic organization, and credentials do not transfer. Use a workspace API key from the AWS-linked organization, or your AWS credentials.
Does GitHub Actions work with Claude Code on Claude Platform on AWS?
No. GitHub Actions is listed as not available on this provider. GitLab CI/CD is available, and for scheduled work you can use /loop on your own machine.
Last reviewed by David Iya on October 27, 2026
