> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.release0.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How to integrate your agent with Anthropic

> Step-by-step guide to configure and use the Anthropic Claude AI integration element for AI-driven messages.

The **Anthropic** Integration element enables you to create and manage AI-driven messages in your agent using the **Claude AI** model. Below is a step-by-step guide to configuring and using this integration effectively.

***

## Features of the Anthropic Integration

* **Dialogue Management**: Easily manage a sequence of user and assistant messages using the `Dialogue` message type.
* **Chat History**: Seamlessly pass previous interactions to the Claude AI model for context-aware responses.
* **Vision Support**: Automatically detects and processes image URLs provided in user messages (if supported by the model).

***

## Configuration Steps

### 1. **Intro Message Setup**

Use the **Intro Group** element to provide a welcome message to users. For example:

```markdown theme={null}
Hello! I’m a bot that showcases the new Claude AI integration element by Anthropic.  
To get started, just type something — anything.
```

***

### 2. **User Input Collection**

Set up the **User Input** element to collect and store messages from users. Steps:

1. **Collect User Message**: Configure the element to receive and save the user’s input under a variable, e.g., `User Message`.
2. **Append to Chat History**: Use the `Append {{User Message}}` action to ensure the user message is stored in the chat history.

***

### 3. **Creating AI Responses**

The **AI Loop** element generates responses using the Claude AI model. Here’s how to configure it:

1. **Select Claude Model**: Choose the desired Claude version (e.g., `claude-2.1`) from the dropdown menu.
2. **Pass Messages**: Under the `Messages` section, use the `Dialogue` type to pass the `Chat History` containing user and assistant messages.
3. **Save Response**: Save the assistant's response to a variable (e.g., `Assistant Message`) and append it to the chat history.

***

### 4. **Vision Support**

Claude AI supports vision processing for image URLs in user messages. To use this feature:

1. Ensure the message contains a valid image URL isolated from other text.
2. The Claude AI model will process the image if it supports vision; otherwise, it will treat the URL as plain text.

**Example User Message with Vision Support**:

```plaintext theme={null}
What's in this picture?

https://domain.com/image.png
```

> **Note**: Ensure the image URL is on a separate line for proper detection.

***

## Best Practices for Dialogue Management

* **Sequence Setup**: When passing messages, structure them logically, starting with the user's message, followed by the assistant's responses.
* **Saving Responses**: Always save the assistant’s response in a variable to update the chat history dynamically.

***

## Validation and Testing

Before deploying the Anthropic Claude integration:

* Verify that user inputs and assistant responses are correctly appended to the chat history.
* Test image URL parsing and ensure vision-related responses are generated (if applicable).
* Ensure smooth handover of the `Chat History` to the Claude AI element for context-aware replies.