What is T3 Code? How to use your own API key (November 2026)
As of 2026-11-09, T3 Code is, in its own README's words, an "agent harness control surface": a desktop, web and mobile app that controls coding agents such as Claude Code and Codex already installed on your machine. It is MIT-licensed open source, and the latest release on GitHub is v0.1.7 (2026-11-04). To run it on your own API key, add a separate Claude instance in Settings > Providers and set ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL and ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN in its Environment variables; with QCode that is https://api.qcode.cc/api and your cr_ key.
Updated 2026-11-10
Point this tool at the QCode endpoint — one key for Claude, GPT and Chinese models.
- Billed per token — live rates on /models
- Pay by card (Visa / Mastercard), Apple Pay, Google Pay or crypto
- Self-service: top up and activate instantly
Four points from the official sources
Open source under the MIT License
The pingdotgg/t3code repository carries the MIT License, Copyright (c) 2026 T3 Tools Inc. The README adds: "We are very very early in this project. Expect bugs."
Latest release: 2026-11-04
GitHub marks v0.1.7, published 2026-11-04, as the latest release. Nightly builds are published as pre-releases, for example v0.1.8-nightly.20261109.4399 on 2026-11-09.
Agents you bring along
The install guide's provider table lists Codex, Claude, Cursor, Grok Build, Kiro, OpenCode, Antigravity, Pi, Muse Code and fx. T3 Code is the interface; the agent you install does the work.
Your own endpoint goes in a Claude instance
In a Claude instance's Environment variables: ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL, ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN (marked Sensitive) and an explicitly empty ANTHROPIC_API_KEY. The official example uses OpenRouter; the steps below use the same three variables for QCode.
What is T3 Code?
As of 2026-11-09, T3 Code's README describes it as an "agent harness control surface" that controls the agents on your machine from a mobile app (iOS and Android), a web app and an Electron-based desktop app. The official site calls it "The open-source control plane for coding agents." The FAQ explains the split: "T3 Code uses those harnesses. It is not a harness, and it does not work without one." Claude Code, Codex and the other agents make the model calls and run the tools; T3 Code is where you start threads, pick an agent and reach your machine from other devices. Before you start a thread, install and sign in to at least one agent. The FAQ gives the cost of T3 Code as "Nothing": you bring your own subscription or key and pay your provider as before.
2026-11-04: v0.1.7 is the latest release
GitHub lists v0.1.7, published 2026-11-04, as the latest release of T3 Code. Nightly pre-releases are published separately; v0.1.8-nightly.20261109.4399 was published on 2026-11-09. The install guide says to set T3CODE_CHANNEL=nightly to install the nightly train, or T3CODE_VERSION to pin an exact version.
Timeline
The pingdotgg/t3code repository is created on GitHub.
v0.1.7 is published as the latest release.
Checked: README, install guide, FAQ and the Claude and Codex guides on the main branch; nightly v0.1.8-nightly.20261109.4399 is published.
What T3 Code documents, and what it leaves open
Documented by T3 Code
① You need an installed, authenticated provider before starting a thread; you can launch T3 Code and configure providers afterwards. ② Secret values in an instance's environment variables can be marked sensitive; after saving, T3 Code does not display their original values. ③ For OpenRouter and other routers, the Claude guide uses a separate Claude instance with its own config directory and puts the endpoint and credential variables in that instance's Environment variables. ④ Variable assignments do not belong in Launch arguments. ⑤ ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_*_MODEL variables map Claude Code aliases such as sonnet; they do not replace the explicit model ID selected in T3 Code. ⑥ Custom models may have fewer effort, thinking or context controls than built-in models. ⑦ On a remote connection, T3 Code uses the Claude configuration on the connected server. ⑧ Your code and prompts go from your machine to your provider, not to T3 servers; basic product usage events can be turned off with T3CODE_TELEMETRY_ENABLED=false.
What the official sources leave open
As of 2026-11-09: ① The agent lists differ by page. The README names Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Grok Build, OpenCode, Google Antigravity and fx; the FAQ names Pi and Muse Code but not fx; the install guide's provider table is the longest and also lists Kiro. ② T3 Code's FAQ says T3 Code drives Claude through Anthropic's Agent SDK and that this drains Claude's 5-hour limits faster than using Claude Code directly, without affecting weekly limits; it says this has been reported to Anthropic and gives no date for a fix. ③ The newest GitHub releases are v0.1.8 nightly pre-releases; v0.1.7 is still the latest stable release, and the docs give no date for the next one.
Two ways to sign in
Use your Claude Code login
The official FAQ answers "Can I use T3 Code with my Claude Code subscription?" with "Yes." Install Claude Code, run claude auth login, then enable the provider in Settings > Providers.
Use your own API key
Add another provider instance in Settings and give it its own keys and endpoint. Each instance can have its own environment variables, such as API keys or a custom base URL, and your existing sign-in stays untouched. The Claude steps are in the next section.
How to run T3 Code on your own API key
① Install Claude Code, then T3 Code: the desktop app (winget install T3Tools.T3Code on Windows, brew install --cask t3-code on macOS), or the command line with curl -fsSL https://t3.codes/install.sh | sh (Windows PowerShell: irm https://t3.codes/install.ps1 | iex), then run t3. Intel Macs have no t3 executable, so use the desktop app there. ② In Settings > Providers add a Claude instance, keep Binary path set to claude and give it a CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR path of its own; the official example is ~/.claude_openrouter, so ~/.claude_qcode follows the same idea. ③ In that instance's Environment variables set ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL to https://api.qcode.cc/api, ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN to your QCode key (marked Sensitive) and ANTHROPIC_API_KEY to an explicitly empty value. ④ If that config directory has a cached login, run /logout in a Claude Code session using it. ⑤ For a model outside the built-in list, add its full ID with Add custom model, for example claude-sonnet-5, and select it in the chat model picker.
Running T3 Code with a QCode API key
As of 2026-11-09, QCode serves Claude models on the Anthropic protocol, billed per token with per-model rates on /models, where claude-sonnet-5 and claude-opus-5 are listed; QCode's docs say the GLM, Kimi, DeepSeek and Qwen families work on the same Anthropic endpoint, and their IDs are on /models too. Three steps: ① register and top up (Alipay, WeChat Pay, cards, crypto and more); ② buy a Personal Plan or a Pay-as-you-go Pack and copy your API key, which starts with cr_; ③ put the key and base URL into the Claude instance in T3 Code as above; the QCode docs article https://docs.qcode.cc/en/docs/ide/t3code walks through the same setup. Not ready for a monthly plan? Pay-as-you-go Packs start at $4 for a one-time quota you use within 7 days; if you already have a Personal Plan, add a booster pack when you need more quota.
Frequently asked questions
How much does T3 Code cost?
The official FAQ answers "Nothing." T3 Code is open source (MIT) and you bring your own subscription or key; you still pay your provider like you already do. With a QCode key, usage is billed per token, with per-model rates on /models.
Can I use T3 Code without a Claude subscription?
Yes. The official FAQ says to add another provider instance in Settings and give it its own keys and endpoint. For QCode, that is a Claude instance with QCode's base URL in ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL, your cr_ key in ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN and ANTHROPIC_API_KEY left explicitly empty, as in the steps above. Your existing sign-in stays untouched.
Does T3 Code replace Claude Code or Codex?
No. The official FAQ says: "T3 Code uses those harnesses. It is not a harness, and it does not work without one." Install and sign in to at least one agent, such as Claude Code, then use T3 Code to run and control it.
How do I set ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL in T3 Code?
Open Settings > Providers, select the Claude instance and add the variable under Environment variables; variable assignments do not belong in Launch arguments. For QCode the value is https://api.qcode.cc/api, written without a trailing slash. The same key also works on us.qcode.cc and asia.qcode.cc, for example https://asia.qcode.cc/api.
Why is my provider or custom model not showing up in T3 Code?
The official FAQ says the CLI is almost always not installed or not on the PATH of the machine that runs the server; log in there first, or point Binary path at it in provider settings. For a custom model, add its full ID with Add custom model. If your key is right but sign-in still fails, run /logout in a Claude Code session using that config directory, because cached login credentials can conflict with the token.
Can I use GPT or Codex with my own API key in T3 Code?
For Codex, yes: use a Codex instance that runs your installed Codex with its QCode configuration; GPT models do not go through a Claude instance, because QCode serves them on its OpenAI endpoints. T3 Code's Codex guide covers ChatGPT sign-in and an existing Codex login. In the T3 Code source (main branch, read 2026-11-09), such an instance passes its CODEX_HOME path to Codex, and the bundled Codex app-server schema describes the user config layer as $CODEX_HOME/config.toml. So set up ~/.codex/config.toml and auth.json as on QCode's Codex page (base_url = "https://api.qcode.cc/openai", wire_api = "responses"), then add a Codex instance with Configure manually. The ChatGPT connection inside T3 Code is separate: it sets its own model_provider and removes OPENAI_BASE_URL. The current T3 Code version has the final say.
Sources
T3 Code README, install guide, FAQ, Claude and Codex guides, LICENSE and source files in the pingdotgg/t3code repository on GitHub (main branch), the GitHub Releases API and the site t3.codes, all read on 2026-11-09. QCode: qcode.cc/models, qcode.cc/pricing and the Endpoints & API Paths, Installation and Codex pages on docs.qcode.cc, retrieved on 2026-11-09.
Run T3 Code on your own key
One QCode API key for Claude Code, Codex and more, billed per token; per-model rates are on /models.
Related reading
Pay-as-you-go Packs
One-time quota packs valid for 7 days, no subscription; per-model rates are on /models.
Claude Code without a Claude subscription
Run Claude Code on an API key with ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN, no Claude subscription needed.
Cursor alternatives 2026
Another IDE, a terminal agent such as Claude Code or Codex CLI, or Chinese models, each with your own API key.
Crypto payment guide
Nine coins, 56 networks, zero platform fee for AI coding API credits.
Statements on this page were checked on 2026-11-09 against the T3 Code repository and site; the official pages prevail. T3 Code is early software that ships nightly builds, so menu names and options follow the version you install. QCode model availability follows /models.