Docs / Quickstart
v1.0

Connect Your Agent to Arkna

Takes 2 minutes. No coding required. You'll change one URL and everything your agent does will be recorded automatically.

1

Sign up at Arkna

Go to app.arkna.com.au and create an account. It's free to start.

If you already have an account, just sign in.

2

Click "Connect Agent"

Once you're logged in, look for the "Connect Your First Agent" button on the dashboard. Click it.

Can't find it? Go to Settings (bottom of the sidebar) → Connect Agent.

3

Pick your AI provider

Select which AI service your agent uses. This tells Arkna where to forward your requests.

  • OpenAI: if your agent uses GPT models (ChatGPT, GPT-4, etc.)
  • Anthropic: if your agent uses Claude
  • Google: if your agent uses Gemini
  • OpenRouter: if your agent uses OpenRouter to access multiple models

Not sure which one? Look for API keys in your project. They usually start with sk- (OpenAI), sk-ant- (Anthropic), or check your agent's documentation.

4

Paste your AI provider's API key

The wizard asks for the API key your agent already uses to talk to OpenAI, Anthropic, or whichever provider you chose.

Why does Arkna need this key? Arkna forwards your agent's requests to the AI provider on its behalf. Your key is encrypted and stored securely. It's only used to pass requests through.

Where to find your API key:

5

Get your Arkna proxy URL

Arkna gives you a URL that looks like this:

https://api.arkna.com.au/proxy/ark_live_…/my-agent/openai/v1

This is your proxy URL (a special web address that Arkna controls). It carries two things in the path: your Arkna API key (ark_live_…) and the name you want the run recorded under (my-agent). Because both are in the URL, you don't add any Arkna headers: your agent keeps sending its own provider key exactly as before. Arkna records the request, forwards it, and sends the response back. Nothing else changes: same provider key, same code, same responses.

6

Update your agent's base URL

Find the place in your agent's setup where it connects to the AI provider, and change the URL to Arkna's proxy URL. Pick the tab below that matches your setup:

Find the file where your code creates the OpenAI client. It usually looks like client = OpenAI(). Add the base_url parameter:

# Before — talks directly to OpenAI
client = OpenAI()

# After — talks through Arkna (records everything)
client = OpenAI(base_url="https://api.arkna.com.au/proxy/ark_live_…/my-agent/openai/v1")

That's it. Your agent now sends requests through Arkna. The base_url is the web address your agent uses to reach the AI provider. By changing it to Arkna's address, every request is recorded automatically.

Find the file where your code creates the OpenAI client. It usually looks like new OpenAI(). Add the baseURL option:

// Before — talks directly to OpenAI
const openai = new OpenAI()

// After — talks through Arkna (records everything)
const openai = new OpenAI({ baseURL: "https://api.arkna.com.au/proxy/ark_live_…/my-agent/openai/v1" })

Find the file where your code creates the Anthropic client. Add the base_url parameter:

# Before — talks directly to Anthropic
client = Anthropic()

# After — talks through Arkna (records everything)
client = Anthropic(base_url="https://api.arkna.com.au/proxy/ark_live_…/my-agent/anthropic/v1")

OpenClaw uses a configuration file to manage its AI provider connections. Here's how to connect it to Arkna:

Step A: Open your OpenClaw config file

The config file is at:

  • Windows: C:\Users\[your-username]\.openclaw\openclaw.json
  • Mac/Linux: ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

Open this file in any text editor (Notepad, VS Code, etc.).

Step B: Find the "models" section

Look for the section called "models". It looks something like this:

{
  "models": {
    "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-20250514": {},
    "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6": {}
  }
}

Step C: Add the Arkna proxy URL

Add a "baseUrl" to each model. Here is the before and after:

// BEFORE (no baseUrl — talks directly to Anthropic)
{
  "models": {
    "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-20250514": {},
    "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6": {}
  }
}

// AFTER (with baseUrl — talks through Arkna)
{
  "models": {
    "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-20250514": {
      "baseUrl": "https://api.arkna.com.au/proxy/ark_live_…/my-agent/anthropic"
    },
    "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6": {
      "baseUrl": "https://api.arkna.com.au/proxy/ark_live_…/my-agent/anthropic"
    }
  }
}

Step D: Save the file and restart

Save the file, then open a terminal and run:

openclaw gateway restart

OpenClaw will now send all AI requests through Arkna.

Some frameworks let you set the base URL using environment variables (settings that tell your program how to behave, stored outside your code). Add these to your .env file or your system environment:

# For OpenAI-based agents
OPENAI_BASE_URL=https://api.arkna.com.au/proxy/ark_live_…/my-agent/openai/v1

# For Anthropic-based agents
ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://api.arkna.com.au/proxy/ark_live_…/my-agent/anthropic/v1

An environment variable is a named value that your program can read. It's like a setting stored outside your code. Most AI frameworks check for these automatically, so you don't need to change any code: just set the variable and restart your agent.

If you're not sure where to put this, look for a file called .env in your project's root folder. If it doesn't exist, create one.

7

Test the connection

Back in the Arkna wizard, click "Test Connection". If you see a green checkmark, you're connected.

Now run your agent normally: do whatever you'd usually do. Open app.arkna.com.au and your agent's activity will appear on the dashboard within seconds.

That's it. You're done. Your agent is now being recorded. Every request, every response, every tool call is captured automatically. Go to your dashboard to see the data.

What's Next?

Need help? Email us at support@arkna.com.au