# How to use Conductor with Subconscious

> To use Conductor with Subconscious, open Settings, then Environment, and set `ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL` to `https://api.subconscious.dev`, `ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN` to your Subconscious key, and the `ANTHROPIC_MODEL` variables to `subconscious/glm-5.3-marathon`. Every Claude Code agent Conductor starts then runs on Subconscious.

Canonical page: https://www.subconscious.dev/agents/platforms/conductor
Category: [Agent platforms](https://www.subconscious.dev/agents/platforms)
Last verified: 2026-09-30
Conductor: https://www.conductor.build

## Before you start

- A Mac with Conductor installed
- A Subconscious account and API key

## Set up Conductor

### 1. Create a Subconscious API key

Sign in at https://platform.subconscious.dev and create an API key. You will paste it into the settings screen below.

### 2. Pick the Claude Code harness

Conductor runs existing agents in isolated workspaces. This setup applies to its Claude Code harness.

### 3. Set the environment

In Conductor, open Settings, then Environment, and add these variables. ANTHROPIC_API_KEY stays empty so Claude Code does not sign in to Anthropic directly. The Haiku slot drives background tasks, so it gets the cheaper model.

```bash
ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://api.subconscious.dev
ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN=your_subconscious_key
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=
ANTHROPIC_MODEL=subconscious/glm-5.3-marathon
ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL=subconscious/glm-5.3-marathon
ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL=subconscious/glm-5.3-marathon
ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL=subconscious/deepseek-v4.1-flash-marathon
```

### 4. Start a workspace

Create a workspace and run the agent. Make sure the shell that launches Conductor does not export a real Anthropic key.

## Connection details

- OpenAI-compatible base URL: https://api.subconscious.dev/v1
- Anthropic-compatible base URL: https://api.subconscious.dev
- API key: From subc login or the Subconscious dashboard
- Model: subconscious/glm-5.3-marathon
- Multimodal, high-throughput model: subconscious/deepseek-v4.1-flash-marathon

Full API reference: https://docs.subconscious.dev

## Frequently asked questions

### Does Conductor charge for model usage?

No. Conductor orchestrates agents such as Claude Code and Codex and does not resell model usage, so tokens bill to your Subconscious account.

### Which Subconscious model should I use with Conductor?

Start with subconscious/glm-5.3-marathon, an open frontier coding model built for long agent runs. subconscious/deepseek-v4.1-flash-marathon is a cheaper, high-throughput alternative that also takes image input. Use the full model ID, including the subconscious/ prefix.

### Is Conductor on Subconscious OpenAI- or Anthropic-compatible?

This guide connects Conductor through the Anthropic-compatible Subconscious API. Subconscious serves both formats: OpenAI Chat Completions at https://api.subconscious.dev/v1 and Anthropic Messages at https://api.subconscious.dev.

### How is Conductor usage on Subconscious billed?

Per token by default, with no commitment. Heavy users can switch to a monthly token plan: a fixed price for a large daily token allowance shared across your team.