Production checklist
Anthropic production checklist: 5 checks before launch
5 checks for running Anthropic in production: 1 must-do, 3 should-dos and 1 good-to-have. Each one says why it matters, how to verify it and where the docs are.
Updated . Every check links the vendor’s own docs.
Must do (1)
Call the API from your server only; never ship the key to clients
A key in a browser or mobile bundle gets scraped and billed to you.
Verify from the command line
Build the app, then search the client output; a pass finds no key.
grep -rn "sk-ant-" .next/static dist build 2>/dev/null
Should do (3)
Set a spend limit, and limits per workspace
A retry loop or an abusive user otherwise runs until your tier’s monthly cap.
How to verify
In the Claude Console, open Settings → Billing and set a spend limit below your tier’s cap; give each workspace its own limits if several apps share the organization.
Treat model output as untrusted input
Text a user or a web page feeds the model can override your instructions; never let output run tools, queries or HTML unchecked.
Check the code
Model output is escaped before it’s rendered, and tool calls that change data need an allow-list or a user’s confirmation.
Rate-limit AI requests per user in your own API
Provider limits apply to your whole organization; one user can use them all up.
Verify from the command line
Call your own AI route quickly as one user; your app should answer 429 after its per-user limit, before the provider’s limit is hit.
for i in $(seq 1 30); do curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code} " -X POST https://<your-app>/api/<ai-route> -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"message":"hi"}'; done
Good to have (1)
Retry 429 and 529 errors with backoff
Overload and rate-limit errors are expected under load.
Check the code
The official SDKs retry 429 and 529 errors twice by default; check maxRetries isn’t 0 and that your UI handles the error once retries run out.
const anthropic = new Anthropic({ maxRetries: 2 });
Get the checklist for your whole stack
Design your stack or map your repo in StackPrism, and the Improve panel lists the checks for every technology on it and keeps track of what you’ve done. Building with an AI app builder? Start with the vibe coding checklist.