Xcode 26 to integrate Anthropic's Claude & Opus LLMs
Apple’s integrated development environment (IDE), Xcode, appears poised to significantly broaden its artificial intelligence capabilities, with recent beta versions showing clear indications of support for Anthropic’s Claude and Opus large language models. This expansion builds upon existing features that leverage Apple’s own AI models and OpenAI’s ChatGPT, marking a notable evolution in how developers interact with their codebases.
The discovery, first reported by the Apple enthusiast publication 9to5Mac, reveals “multiple references to built-in support for Anthropic accounts” within the latest Xcode beta. These references were found in the “Intelligence” menu, an area where users currently have the option to log into their ChatGPT accounts or input an API key to access higher message limits.
At WWDC24, Apple introduced a suite of features designed to compete with tools like GitHub Copilot, initially relying on its proprietary models for a limited set of use cases. This year’s developer conference saw a significant expansion of these capabilities, allowing users to converse about their codebases, discuss proposed changes, and solicit suggestions using ChatGPT. While initial access to these AI features comes with a limited message allowance, this can be substantially increased by linking a ChatGPT account or using an API key. This past summer, Apple had already confirmed that Anthropic’s models could be used via an API key, but there was no mention of direct account support, which is generally more cost-effective for most users than API-based access. The new findings from 9to5Mac suggest that Xcode 26 will ultimately allow developers to log in directly to utilize Anthropic’s models, mirroring the ChatGPT integration.
Claude has emerged as a particularly popular choice among developers, partly due to its expansive “context window”—its ability to process and understand extensive segments of code—and models that are specifically fine-tuned for development tasks. This aligns with Anthropic’s business-to-business (B2B) and developer-oriented strategy, which contrasts with OpenAI’s broader, “everything-for-everybody” approach. However, the recent release of OpenAI’s GPT-5 presents a significant challenge for Anthropic, as it reportedly offers substantial improvements in coding capabilities while also coming at a lower cost. Anthropic is expected to respond with future model updates aimed at enhancing efficiency and competitiveness.
Beyond the immediate implications for developers, this news holds broader relevance for the entire Apple ecosystem. It represents the first concrete evidence of Apple actively working to support a third-party AI model other than those offered by OpenAI. Apple executives have frequently stated their intention to integrate diverse AI models into future versions of Xcode and even Siri, but until now, these remained largely statements of intent rather than tangible implementations.
Xcode 26 is anticipated to launch later this year, coinciding with the release of the new version of macOS. It remains unclear whether this direct Anthropic account support will be available with the initial public release or introduced in a subsequent update within this annual cycle.