Why this step exists
Receipt scanning uses an AI engine called Claude (made by Anthropic) to read photos of receipts and pull out the vendor, date, total, and line items. Managed plan customers don't see this step, we run the AI on our end for them. DIY plan customers (you, presumably) save $5/month by running it on their own Anthropic account.
It's the same Claude, the same accuracy, the same scanner UI. The only difference is who's paying Anthropic, you directly, instead of through us.
1.Create your Anthropic account
Open the Anthropic Console in a new tab. Sign up with the same email you used for The Grind Books (or any email you'll remember, they don't need to match).
If you have a Google account, the "Sign up with Google" option is fastest. Otherwise create with email and password.
2.Add billing
Anthropic charges per use, you don't get hit with a monthly subscription, just usage. You need to add a payment method and a starter balance so the API works.
In the Anthropic Console:
- Click your account name or icon (top-right) → Plans & Billing
- Click Add Payment Method → enter your card
- Click Buy Credits (or "Add to balance") → start with $10–$20. That'll cover months of typical contractor usage.
See "Cost expectations" below if you want to know what to budget.
3.Create an API key
Still in the Anthropic Console:
- Click API Keys in the left sidebar
- Click + Create Key
- Name it something you'll recognize, like
Grind Books - Anthropic will show you the full key exactly once. It looks like
sk-ant-api03-XXXXXXX...and is very long. Copy it immediately.
⚠️ If you close the dialog before copying, you can't see the key again, you'd have to roll it (which generates a new one). So copy first, dismiss second.
4.Paste into The Grind Books
Come back to The Grind Books. The API key entry field should be visible right where you left off (the "Almost there. Add Your Key" screen). If you've closed it, click Connect AI Engine in the sidebar widget and the field appears.
Paste your full sk-ant-api03-... key. Click Confirm. You should see "Looks good, click Confirm" turn green, then the receipt scanner unlocks.
You're done. Snap your first receipt to test.
Cost expectations
Anthropic charges per receipt scan based on the size of the image and how much the AI has to "read." Typical contractor receipts cost a fraction of a cent each. Your monthly Anthropic bill will depend on how many you scan:
| Receipts per month | Approximate Anthropic cost |
|---|---|
| 20 receipts (light) | $0.10 – $0.20 |
| 50 receipts (typical) | $0.20 – $0.50 |
| 100 receipts (busy) | $0.40 – $1.00 |
| 200 receipts (heavy) | $0.80 – $2.00 |
| 500+ receipts (very heavy) | $2.00 – $5.00 |
Most one-person contracting businesses fall in the "typical" range. The Anthropic balance you added in Step 2 will last you months. When it runs low, Anthropic emails you to add more.
For most users, total monthly cost = $19 (DIY plan) + ~$0.50 (Anthropic usage) = under $20/month.
Troubleshooting
sk-ant-. If it doesn't, you may have copied a Publishable key instead of a Secret key, or copied an old key by mistake. Go back to Anthropic Console → API Keys, roll the key, and copy the new value.sk-ant- prefix and didn't accidentally grab any spaces.Still stuck?
You've got two ways out, both painless: