Authentication¶

Claude Code Media Generator supports multiple authentication methods for Google APIs.

Using Claude Code Skill?

If you have the /generative skill installed, use the built-in setup wizard:

/generative config setup

This will guide you through API configuration step-by-step.

Authentication Methods Overview¶

Method	Type	Best For	Interactive
API Key	Static Key	Quick start, Gemini API	No
OAuth2 (gcloud)	OAuth 2.0	Full Vertex AI access	Yes (browser)
Service Account	OAuth 2.0 JWT	Server/automation	No

Method 1: API Key (Recommended for Start)¶

Get Your API Key¶

Go to Google AI Studio
Click Get API Key
Create a new key or use existing

API Key Types¶

Prefix	Type	Works With
`AIzaSy...`	Gemini API Key	Gemini API endpoint
`AQ.Ab8R...`	Vertex AI Key	Vertex AI endpoint (limited)

Set API Key¶

Environment VariableCommand LineConfig File

export GOOGLE_API_KEY="AIzaSy..."

python video_gen.py "prompt" --key "AIzaSy..."

{
  "main_projects": {
    "default": {
      "api_key": "AIzaSy..."
    }
  }
}

Method 2: OAuth2 via gcloud (Full Access)¶

Setup¶

# Install gcloud CLI
# https://cloud.google.com/sdk/docs/install

# Login to Google Cloud
gcloud auth login

# Set application default credentials
gcloud auth application-default login

# Get access token (for testing)
gcloud auth application-default print-access-token

Usage¶

# Get token
TOKEN=$(gcloud auth application-default print-access-token)

# Use with video_gen.py
python video_gen.py "prompt" --key "$TOKEN"

Method 3: Service Account (Automation)¶

Create Service Account¶

Go to Google Cloud Console
Navigate to IAM & Admin → Service Accounts
Click Create Service Account
Grant roles: Vertex AI User, Storage Object Admin
Download JSON key file

Usage¶

# Set credentials path
export GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS="/path/to/key.json"

# video_gen.py will auto-detect
python video_gen.py "prompt"

Endpoint Compatibility Matrix¶

Auth Method	Gemini API	Vertex AI
API Key (`AIzaSy...`)
Vertex AI Key (`AQ...`)		Limited
OAuth2 Token
Service Account

Config File (Multi-Project)¶

{
  "main_projects": {
    "default": {
      "api_key": "AIzaSy...",
      "gcs_bucket": "my-bucket",
      "project_id": "my-project"
    },
    "work": {
      "api_key": "AIzaSy...",
      "gcs_bucket": "work-bucket"
    }
  }
}

# Use specific project
python video_gen.py "prompt" --project work

Troubleshooting¶

"Invalid API key"¶

Check key prefix: AIzaSy... for Gemini API
Ensure key is not expired or revoked

"Permission denied"¶

Enable Vertex AI API in Cloud Console
Check billing is enabled

"Token expired"¶

Re-run gcloud auth application-default login

Next Steps¶

Quick Start - Generate your first video
GCS Storage - Set up cloud storage
Using Skills - Use the /generative skill