Getting Started with Claude

This guide will help you get started with kanoa using Anthropic’s Claude models.

Prerequisites

Python 3.11 or higher
kanoa installed (pip install kanoa)

Step 1: Get Your API Key

Sign in or create an account
Navigate to “API Keys” in the dashboard
Click “Create Key” to generate a new API key
Copy the API key (you’ll need it in the next step)

Step 2: Configure Authentication

The recommended approach is to store your API key in ~/.config/kanoa/.env:

mkdir -p ~/.config/kanoa
echo "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your-api-key-here" >> ~/.config/kanoa/.env

Alternatively, you can set it as an environment variable:

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"

⚠️ Security Note: Never commit API keys to version control. kanoa includes detect-secrets in pre-commit hooks for defense-in-depth.

Step 3: Your First Interpretation

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
from kanoa import AnalyticsInterpreter

# Sample Data
sites = ['Site A', 'Site B', 'Site C', 'Site D']
dissolved_oxygen = [6.5, 6.8, 7.2, 7.0]

# Create Bar Chart
plt.figure(figsize=(10, 6))
plt.bar(sites, dissolved_oxygen)
plt.title("Dissolved Oxygen Levels")
plt.xlabel("Monitoring Sites")
plt.ylabel("DO (mg/L)")

# Initialize the interpreter with Claude
interpreter = AnalyticsInterpreter(backend='claude')

# Use Kanoa to interpret the plot
result = interpreter.interpret(
    fig=plt.gcf(),
    context="Water quality analysis for monitoring sites",
    focus="Identify sites with optimal oxygen levels"
)

print(result.text)
print(f"\nCost: ${result.usage.total_cost:.4f}")

Next Steps

Learn about Knowledge Bases: See Knowledge Bases Guide to ground your analysis in project documentation
Explore Advanced Features: Check the Claude Backend Reference for detailed configuration options
Understand Cost Management: Read the Cost Management Guide to optimize your spending
Authentication Options: See the Authentication Guide for more details

Troubleshooting

“API key not found” error

Make sure your API key is properly configured in ~/.config/kanoa/.env or as an environment variable.

“Rate limit exceeded” error

Claude has rate limits on API usage. Check your Anthropic Console for current limits and consider implementing rate limiting in your application.

Why Choose Claude?

Claude excels at:

Strong reasoning: Excellent for complex analytical tasks
Text-heavy analysis: Great for interpreting detailed reports and documentation
Vision support: Can interpret charts and visualizations (but not PDFs directly like Gemini)