diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
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+# AeThex Studio Environment Variables
+
+# Claude API Configuration
+# Get your API key from: https://console.anthropic.com/
+# Required for cross-platform code translation feature
+VITE_CLAUDE_API_KEY=sk-ant-api03-your-api-key-here
+
+# Optional: Override Claude model (default: claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022)
+# VITE_CLAUDE_MODEL=claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022
+
+# PostHog Analytics (Optional)
+# VITE_POSTHOG_KEY=your-posthog-key
+# VITE_POSTHOG_HOST=https://app.posthog.com
+
+# Sentry Error Tracking (Optional)
+# VITE_SENTRY_DSN=your-sentry-dsn
diff --git a/AUTHENTICATION_SETUP.md b/AUTHENTICATION_SETUP.md
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+# ๐ Authentication Setup Guide (Clerk Integration)
+
+Complete guide to adding authentication to AeThex Studio for monetization and user management.
+
+---
+
+## ๐ฏ Why Authentication?
+
+**Required for**:
+- User accounts and profiles
+- Feature gating by tier (Free/Studio/Pro)
+- Billing and subscriptions
+- Team collaboration
+- Usage tracking and analytics
+- API key management
+
+---
+
+## ๐ Quick Start (30 minutes)
+
+### Step 1: Create Clerk Account
+
+1. Visit: https://clerk.com
+2. Sign up (free tier: 10,000 MAU)
+3. Create new application: "AeThex Studio"
+4. Select authentication methods:
+ - โ
Email + Password
+ - โ
Google OAuth
+ - โ
GitHub OAuth
+ - โ ๏ธ Magic Links (optional)
+
+### Step 2: Install Dependencies
+
+```bash
+npm install @clerk/nextjs
+```
+
+### Step 3: Add Environment Variables
+
+```bash
+# .env.local
+NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=pk_test_...
+CLERK_SECRET_KEY=sk_test_...
+
+# Optional: Customize URLs
+NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_SIGN_IN_URL=/sign-in
+NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_SIGN_UP_URL=/sign-up
+NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_AFTER_SIGN_IN_URL=/
+NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_AFTER_SIGN_UP_URL=/
+```
+
+Get keys from: https://dashboard.clerk.com/apps โ API Keys
+
+---
+
+## ๐ File Structure
+
+```
+src/
+โโโ app/
+โ โโโ sign-in/
+โ โ โโโ [[...sign-in]]/
+โ โ โโโ page.tsx
+โ โโโ sign-up/
+โ โ โโโ [[...sign-up]]/
+โ โ โโโ page.tsx
+โ โโโ layout.tsx (wrap with ClerkProvider)
+โโโ middleware.ts (protect routes)
+โโโ components/
+ โโโ UserButton.tsx (user menu)
+```
+
+---
+
+## ๐ ๏ธ Implementation
+
+### 1. Update Next.js Layout
+
+**File**: `src/app/layout.tsx`
+
+```typescript
+import { ClerkProvider } from '@clerk/nextjs';
+
+export default function RootLayout({
+ children,
+}: {
+ children: React.ReactNode;
+}) {
+ return (
+
+ ${tier.price} + {tier.price > 0 && /mo} +
+ +