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This guide covers common errors when using Claude Code CLI through Unbound. For initial setup, see the Claude Code Integration guide.

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”No API key received. Exiting.” / “No api_key found in callback. Exiting.”

Setup opened your browser to collect your API key, and the callback came back without one. You only see this when you run an install script directly — the CLI supplies the key itself and never opens a callback. How to fix:
1

Use the CLI instead

Two commands, and no browser callback is involved in the second:
unbound login stores your key in ~/.unbound/config.json, and unbound setup reads it from there.
2

If you are running the install script directly, check --domain

The script sends you to the dashboard host you pass in --domain. A wrong host returns you without a key. Omitting --domain with no --api-key stops the run before the browser step instead, with Missing required argument: --domain or --api-key.
3

Complete the browser step fully

Don’t close the browser tab early, and make sure pop-ups aren’t blocked. Wait for the success page.
4

Try a different browser

Some SSO providers have issues with specific browsers.
Unbound never sets ANTHROPIC_API_KEY. In the default subscription setup Claude Code keeps using your own Anthropic account, and Unbound stores its own key in UNBOUND_CLAUDE_API_KEY. Setting ANTHROPIC_API_KEY by hand does not fix this error.

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TypeError: fetch failed

Node could not complete a network request. It is a connectivity problem, not a key problem. Common causes and fixes:
  • Check your network connection — ensure you can reach api.getunbound.ai
  • Corporate proxy — if you are behind a corporate proxy, configure proxy settings in your terminal
  • Run unbound doctor — it validates your stored key against the backend, which separates a connectivity failure from a rejected key. When it cannot reach us it says so rather than guessing: N per-tool API key validation(s) skipped (gateway unreachable)
  • Confirm setup’s environment variable actually loaded:
    Unset usually means you are in a terminal that was already open when setup ran. Open a new one — the section below lists the profile file setup writes to on each platform.

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SELF_SIGNED_CERT_IN_CHAIN / unable to get local issuer certificate

Your corporate network is inspecting TLS, and Node does not trust the intercepting certificate. Fix: point Node at the CA bundle your IT team issues:
Add it to your shell profile (~/.zprofile, ~/.bash_profile, ~/.zshrc, ~/.bashrc, or your PowerShell profile) and open a new terminal. Ask your IT team for the file — only trust a CA bundle they give you.

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apiKeyHelper did not return a valid value

This is Claude Code’s own error, and you only see it in gateway mode — the optional setup where Unbound is the AI provider instead of your own Anthropic account. Gateway mode writes a one-line helper script at ~/.claude/anthropic_key.sh that echoes the UNBOUND_API_KEY environment variable, and points Claude Code’s apiKeyHelper setting at it. The error means the helper ran and that variable was empty. Check it first:
  • Unset, in a terminal you opened before setup ran — open a brand-new terminal and start Claude Code from it. Environment variables load when the shell starts; an already-open terminal never sees them.
  • Set in your terminal, but Claude Code still fails — you’re launching Claude Code from the Dock, Spotlight or an IDE, none of which read your shell profile. Launch it from a terminal, or have your IDE inherit the shell environment.
  • Unset everywhere — the variable was removed while the key helper stayed configured. Re-run your Claude Code setup.
Setup writes that variable to exactly one profile file, picked by your OS and shell: ~/.zprofile on macOS with zsh, ~/.bash_profile on macOS with any other shell, ~/.zshrc on Linux with zsh, ~/.bashrc on Linux otherwise. On Windows it is set in your user environment rather than a profile file.

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If you didn’t mean to be in gateway mode

Most installs are subscription mode, where Claude Code keeps your own Anthropic account and Unbound adds policy and analytics through hooks. Re-running the subscription setup is the fix — it removes the key helper and the gateway environment variables Unbound wrote as it installs:
unbound doctor reports which mode each tool is in, and marks a machine carrying both modes at once as Tampered so unbound doctor --fix can clear it. After any fix, fully quit Claude Code and relaunch it from a new terminal — it reads this configuration only at startup. On an MDM-managed device, ask your administrator to re-run the MDM deployment rather than fixing it by hand; that restores both halves together.

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”Claude Code Not Found” After Installation

1

Check your PATH

Verify npm global bin is in your PATH:
2

Add to PATH if missing

Add the npm global bin directory to your PATH in your shell profile.
3

Avoid sudo with npm

If you installed with sudo, uninstall and reinstall using:
4

Restart your terminal

After updating your PATH, restart your terminal completely.

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Node.js/npm Version Issues

If you updated Node.js or npm and Claude Code stopped working:
  1. Reinstall Claude Code:
  2. Verify the installation:
  3. If using nvm, make sure the correct Node.js version is active

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Token Limit Exceeded Errors

If you see “Claude’s response exceeded the output token maximum”, set the environment variable to increase the limit:
Add to your shell profile and restart your terminal.

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Still Having Issues?

See API Key Troubleshooting for invalid key and authentication errors. If that doesn’t cover it, email support@unboundsecurity.ai with the output of unbound doctor, the exact error message, and what you were running.