Claude Code Integration

Claude Code brings AI-powered coding directly to your terminal. Connect it to the gateway to use any provider through a single endpoint.

Installation

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

For platform-specific instructions, visit code.claude.com.

Configuration

Method 1: ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN (Recommended)

Set ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN to your gateway virtual key:

export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN=your-virtual-key

Claude Code sends this token in the Authorization: Bearer header automatically. The gateway recognizes it and uses the virtual key for routing and authentication.

Why this is recommended: No Anthropic account login required. The gateway handles everything through the virtual key.

Method 2: ANTHROPIC_CUSTOM_HEADERS (Alternative)

export ANTHROPIC_CUSTOM_HEADERS="x-bf-vk: your-virtual-key"

Caveat: The virtual key is sent as a custom header, so Claude Code falls back to standard Anthropic account authentication. You still need to log in with an Anthropic account.

Shell Profile

Add to your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc for persistence:

export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN=your-virtual-key

Basic Usage

# Start an interactive session
claude

# Ask a single question
claude "How do I implement a REST API in Python?"

# Use a specific model
claude --model anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-20250514 "Explain this code"

# Pipe input
echo "Explain this function" | claude

# Continue the last session
claude --continue

Model Selection

Claude Code defaults to Anthropic models. To use other providers, specify the model with provider/model format:

# OpenAI models
claude --model openai/gpt-4o "Hello"

# Google models
claude --model gemini-2.5-pro "Hello"

# Any configured provider
claude --model openai/o3-mini "Debug this error"

Virtual Keys

Use gateway virtual keys to enforce budgets, rate limits, and provider access controls:

# Create a virtual key in the gateway dashboard, then:
export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN=vk_your_virtual_key

Virtual keys let you:

• Set per-key spending budgets
• Apply rate limits
• Restrict access to specific providers
• Track usage per key

Gateway Endpoint

By default, Claude Code connects to https://api.anthropic.com. Point it to your gateway instead:

export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://viprouter.com

Troubleshooting

401 Unauthorized

• Verify your virtual key is valid and not expired
• Check that the gateway is running
• Ensure ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN is set correctly

404 Not Found

• Ensure the model is configured in the gateway
• Check the model format: provider/model-name (e.g., openai/gpt-4o)

Rate Limited

• The gateway will automatically fallback to other providers if configured
• Check your virtual key's rate limits in the dashboard

Connection Refused

• Verify the gateway URL is correct
• Check that the gateway is running and accessible

Next Steps

• OpenAI SDK - Python & Node.js SDK
• Cursor - AI-powered IDE
• Hermes Agent - Terminal AI agent