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Three doors to Fable

Same model behind each — pick by how you work. Fable 5 is live again as of July 1 after the June suspension: on claude.ai it's included at half weekly limits through July 7, then draws on usage credits.

Updated July 1, 2026. Fable 5 is back — the June 12 export-control suspension was lifted June 30 and the model restored globally July 1. Pro/Max/Team plans include it at 50% of weekly limits through July 7; usage credits after. API pricing unchanged. Latest news →

Door one: the Claude API

For builders. Live again since July 1 at the same $10/$50 per million tokens, same claude-fable-5 id — no waitlist, no window. (AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Foundry are re-enabling access.)

  1. Get an API key at platform.claude.com (Console → API keys).
  2. Install an SDK: pip install anthropic or npm install @anthropic-ai/sdk.
  3. Set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY in your environment — never in code.
  4. Make your first call with model="claude-fable-5".

Then go straight to the cookbook — especially prompt caching, which is what makes $10/MTok input affordable at scale.

Door two: Claude Code

For anyone who'd rather use Fable than call it. Fable 5 powers Claude Code — the terminal CLI, desktop app, web app, and IDE extensions.

  1. Install from claude.com/claude-code (or npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code).
  2. Run claude in a project directory and sign in.
  3. Type /model fable to select Fable 5 — available again since July 1.
  4. Give it a whole task — goal, constraints, what "done" looks like — in one well-written message. That's where Fable's long-horizon strength shows.

Door three: claude.ai subscriptions

The return window: from July 1 through July 7, 2026, Fable 5 is included on Pro, Max, Team, and select Enterprise plans at 50% of weekly usage limits — the make-good after the June suspension cut the original free window short. From July 8 it requires usage credits. API access (Door one) is unaffected: same $10/$50 per-MTok pricing, no gate.
  1. Open claude.ai and pick Fable 5 in the model selector — it's back in the picker as of July 1.
  2. Bring a real problem — Fable's difference shows on hard tasks, not greetings.

Which door?

You are…Take
Building a product or pipelineAPI — plus the cookbook
Writing or maintaining codeClaude Code
Everything else (analysis, writing, research)claude.ai — half weekly limits through July 7, credits after

Moral: doors don't matter much when it's the same room. Pick the one nearest your desk.

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