YouTipSkills Api Integration
Skill scripts can call external HTTP APIs like regular Python programs, thereby connecting Claude's capabilities with third-party services.
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## Basic Pattern for Calling External APIs
Using the requests library to send HTTP requests is the most common way to call APIs in Skill scripts.
## Example
# File path: scripts/api_client.py
import requests
import json
import sys
import os
# API Keys are read from environment variables, not hardcoded in the script
API_KEY =os.environ.get("MY_API_KEY","")
BASE_URL ="https://api.example.com/v1"
def call_api(endpoint: str, payload: dict, timeout: int=30) ->dict:
"""
Generic API call wrapper
Parameters:
endpoint: API Path, such as "/analyze"
payload: Request body (JSON)
timeout: Timeout in seconds, default 30
Returns:
Parsed JSON response, or a dictionary containing error
"""
if not API_KEY:
return{"error": "API key not set, please set the environment variable MY_API_KEY"}
url = BASE_URL + endpoint
headers ={
"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}",
"Content-Type": "application/json"
}
try:
response = requests.post(url, headers=headers,
json=payload, timeout=timeout)
response.raise_for_status()# HTTP 4xx/5xx Throw exception
return response.json()
except requests.Timeout:
return{"error": f"Request timeout (exceeding {timeout} SecondοΌ"}
except requests.HTTPError as e:
return{"error": f"HTTP Errors {e.response.status_code}: {e.response.text}"}
except requests.ConnectionError:
return{"error": "Unable to connect to API service, please check network"}
except Exception as e:
return{"error": str(e)}
# Usage example
if __name__ =="__main__":
result = call_api("/analyze",{
"text": "tutorial is a well-known domestic technology learning platform",
"lang": "zh"
})
print(json.dumps(result, ensure_ascii=False, indent=2))
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## API Key Security Management
API keys should not be written directly in script files; they should be passed through environment variables.
## Example
# Set environment variables before running the script
export MY_API_KEY="sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
python scripts/api_client.py
# Or set inline during script execution
MY_API_KEY="sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" python scripts/api_client.py
In SKILL.md, inform users that they need to configure the key:
## Prerequisites
This Skill requires an external API key. Before first use, please complete the following configuration:
1. Register on the and obtain an API key
2. Set the environment variable in the terminal:
```bash
export MY_API_KEY="your-key"
3. To make it permanent, add the above command to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
If not configured, the Skill will prompt "API key not set" and exit.
> Never commit API keys to Git repositories. You can create a .gitignore file in the Skill directory to exclude .env files from version control.
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## Handling API Rate Limiting
Most APIs have request frequency limits. When batch calling APIs, you need to add delays between requests.
## Example
# File path: scripts/rate_limited_client.py
import time
import requests
class RateLimitedClient:
"""API client with rate limiting"""
def __init__ (self, base_url: str, api_key: str,
requests_per_minute: int=60):
self.base_url= base_url
self.api_key= api_key
self.min_interval=60.0
```