API Keys, 
without the terminal

Claude Keychain stores your API keys in the macOS Keychain. Type them in once, and Claude Code can use them from then on, without the raw value being handed back to it. It lives in your menu bar.

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Video transcript

You've pasted this API key into a dozen different projects. Every time, it's the same thing: find it, copy it, paste it again, and hope it never ends up somewhere it shouldn't. Claude Keychain is a menu bar app that stores your API keys once, in your Mac's own Keychain. Claude Code can use them from then on, without you ever touching them again, and revealing one still asks for Touch ID first. It logs every use, clears your clipboard automatically, and recognizes over four hundred services the moment you type a key in. Claude Keychain is free. Get it at claudekeychain.app.

02

The thing you do now

Pasting a key into the terminal works, until you do it for the fifth project this week, or paste a raw token into chat, where it can be seen.

Claude Keychain stores it once. Claude Code finds it itself, and the raw value never comes back to either of you*.

VS

What you should do

Connect Claude Keychain’s MCP server once. Claude Code calls it directly, so the raw token stays out of the terminal and out of chat.

Safer, and less work the next time. The value stays in the macOS Keychain, and Claude only gets the command’s result.

03

Claude Keychain compared with doing it yourself

Add a key once. It stays out of your shell history, out of your repo, and out of Claude’s context.

Ask AI ChatGPT Claude Perplexity AI Mode Grok
Feature TerminalDoing it yourself Claude Keychain
Re-entering it
Doing it yourselfEvery new project, every new terminal
Claude Keychain Once, ever
Managing your keys
Doing it yourselfTerminal only, no list, no way to check
Claude Keychain A menu bar app: add, view, delete
Moving to a new project
Doing it yourselfCopy the key into a new .env file
Claude Keychain Already there
Where the key lives
Doing it yourselfA .env file, or your shell history
Claude Keychain The macOS Keychain, encrypted by macOS
Record of when a key was used
Doing it yourselfNone
Claude Keychain A log entry, every time
Does Claude ever see the raw value*
Doing it yourselfYes, if you paste it into the chat
Claude Keychain No, only a command's output comes back
Risk of it ending up in a commit
Doing it yourselfReal, if the .env is not gitignored
Claude Keychain None, it is never a file
Price
Doing it yourselfFree, if your time is free
Claude Keychain Free
04

Also included

A log of each use, by name only. The clipboard clears itself. Touch ID or your Mac password before a value is shown. Accent colors.

GITHUB_TOKEN revealed
By Claude Code, just now.
GitHub
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY revealed
By you, in the app, 2m ago.
Claude

A log of every use

Every reveal is recorded: what was used, when, and whether it was you or Claude Code. Never the value itself.

GitHub GITHUB_TOKEN
Claude ANTHROPIC_KEY
Docker DOCKER_TOKEN

Clipboard clears itself

Reveal a key and it copies to your clipboard. It clears itself after 20 seconds by default, or however long you set.

400+
Services recognized
20s
Clipboard timer
0
Raw values sent to Claude

By the numbers

400+ services recognized automatically, a 20-second clipboard timer by default, and zero raw values sent to Claude in normal use*.

Reveal GITHUB_TOKEN?
Confirm with Touch ID or your password.
Cancel Reveal

Touch ID before it shows

Revealing a saved value asks for Touch ID or your Mac password first. If neither is set up, it just shows it.

Five accent colors

Pick orange, blue, green, purple or pink. It changes the app icon and the accent throughout, until you change it back.

Claude Code connected
One click, no config file.

Connects to Claude Code in one click

Claude Keychain ships its own MCP server. Connect once, and Claude Code can use a secret without ever seeing its value.

05

What stays on your Mac

Your keys live in the macOS Keychain. There is no account, and Claude Keychain does not send product analytics. It goes online only to check for updates. Read the privacy details.

No account

Claude Keychain is free. There is nothing to sign in to.

No analytics

Claude Keychain does not send product analytics.

One network request

It only checks for updates. That is all.

Frequently asked questions

Something else? Email and a person replies.

Ask AI ChatGPT Claude Perplexity AI Mode Grok

The app

How is Claude Keychain different from a .env file?

A .env file is a plain text file that can end up in a commit if you forget to gitignore it, and you have to recreate it in every new project. Claude Keychain stores the key once in the macOS Keychain, and any project can use it from then on. Claude Code never sees the raw value directly*, only a command's output comes back.

Do I still need to know what a .env file is?

No. That's the point. Add the key once in Claude Keychain's menu bar app, and Claude Code can use it from then on without you touching a text file, an export command, or your shell config.

Is it possible for Claude to ever see my key at all?

Not directly, in normal use. Claude Keychain injects your key as an environment variable into the command's process, and any subprocess it spawns inherits it the same way a real terminal session would. Claude only ever receives that command's normal output (stdout/stderr), and any exact copy of the key found in that output gets redacted before it comes back. There's a real limit to that: it's a safety net, not a sandbox. See the full breakdown, including what it doesn't protect against.

Which Macs does it run on?

macOS 15 Sequoia or later, on Apple silicon and Intel.

Buying

Is there a catch?

No. Claude Keychain is free, with every feature included. There is no account, trial, or license key.

Do updates cost anything?

No. Every update is free, for as long as the app is maintained.

How many Macs can I use it on?

As many Macs as you like. There is no account or device limit to manage.

Is it really free?

Yes. Claude Keychain is free to download and use, with every feature included.

How do I get the app?

Download the DMG from the homepage: enter your email and the download starts. Drag Claude Keychain to Applications. No account or license key.

Why is it not on the Mac App Store?

Claude Keychain is not on the Mac App Store. You download it from this site. It is signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so macOS opens it like any other app.

Privacy and safety

Does it send anything about my Mac anywhere?

Your keys stay in the macOS Keychain. There is no account, and Claude Keychain does not send product analytics. It goes online only to check for updates.