Connect Claude Code

Claude Code is Anthropic’s command-line coding assistant. After installation, use a configuration manager or configure it manually to use the CCHP gateway, an LLM key, and models your organization provides.

What you need#

• LLM key: A full key whose status is Active (not the masked key in the list). If you don’t have one yet, see Create an LLM key.
• Gateway URL: In the console sidebar, click API Keys, then copy the URL in the Claude row of the API base URLs card at the top of the page, for example https://api.cchp.example.com. This URL has no /v1 at the end, because Claude Code adds the request path itself. If the page doesn’t show this card, ask your admin for the gateway URL.

Already installed Claude Code? Skip to configuration.

Step 1: Install Claude Code#

Select your operating system and use any one of the installation methods. The first method in each tab is the officially recommended one. Don’t run claude right after you install it: until the gateway is configured, Claude Code asks you to sign in to a claude.ai account on first launch. Start it after you finish configuring CCHP.

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

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

brew install --cask claude-code

brew install --cask claude-code@latest

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

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

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

apk add bash curl libgcc libstdc++ ripgrep

echo "https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/v3.22/community" >> /etc/apk/repositories
apk update

sudo install -d -m 0755 /etc/apt/keyrings
sudo curl -fsSL https://downloads.claude.ai/keys/claude-code.asc \
  -o /etc/apt/keyrings/claude-code.asc
gpg --show-keys /etc/apt/keyrings/claude-code.asc

echo "deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/claude-code.asc] https://downloads.claude.ai/claude-code/apt/stable stable main" \
  | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/claude-code.list
sudo apt update
sudo apt install claude-code

sudo tee /etc/yum.repos.d/claude-code.repo <<'EOF'
[claude-code]
name=Claude Code
baseurl=https://downloads.claude.ai/claude-code/rpm/stable
enabled=1
gpgcheck=1
gpgkey=https://downloads.claude.ai/keys/claude-code.asc
EOF
sudo dnf install claude-code

wget -O /etc/apk/keys/claude-code.rsa.pub \
  https://downloads.claude.ai/keys/claude-code.rsa.pub
echo "https://downloads.claude.ai/claude-code/apk/stable" >> /etc/apk/repositories
apk add claude-code

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd

$currentPath = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable('PATH', 'User')
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('PATH', "$currentPath;$env:USERPROFILE\.local\bin", 'User')

winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

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

After the installation finishes, open a new terminal window and run:

claude --version

Result: The terminal prints a version number followed by (Claude Code). If claude can’t be found, add the install directory to your PATH as described in the tab for your system above. To check the installation and the settings files further, run claude doctor. This command only runs checks and doesn’t start a session.

After installation: Configure CCHP#

Recommended: Use Magpie or CC Switch to configure CCHP through a graphical interface. Once you verify the connection in that guide, you can start using the client without following the manual steps on this page.

Edit the config file manually: Start at step 2 to check the key and models, then edit the config file in step 3. You can also set environment variables for the current terminal only. The status check in step 4 is for the manual configuration.

Step 2: Check that your key works and list available models#

Run the command below in a terminal. Replace the URL with your gateway URL, and replace cch_llm_live_xxxxxxxx with your full key. This request doesn’t call a model and doesn’t incur any cost.

curl "https://api.cchp.example.com/v1/models?limit=1000" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer cch_llm_live_xxxxxxxx" \
  -H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01"

$headers = @{ "Authorization" = "Bearer cch_llm_live_xxxxxxxx"; "anthropic-version" = "2023-06-01" }
(Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "https://api.cchp.example.com/v1/models?limit=1000" -Headers $headers).data.id

Result: The response lists the models that this key can call in Claude Code. Note the models you want to use, because you enter their model IDs in step 3. If you get 401, check that you copied the whole key and that the key is still valid. If the connection fails, check the gateway URL.

The list may also include models from other vendors. Claude Code is designed for Claude models, so enter Claude model IDs in step 3. For the price of each model, see View available models.

Step 3: Write the Claude Code settings#

Write the settings to Claude Code’s user settings file so that they apply to all your projects and terminals. Open the settings file, or create it if it doesn’t exist:

• macOS, Linux, and WSL: ~/.claude/settings.json
• Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.claude\settings.json

Add the following content, and replace the URL, key, and models with your own values. If the file already has other settings, merge only these keys into the existing env.

{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://api.cchp.example.com",
    "ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "cch_llm_live_xxxxxxxx",
    "ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL": "claude-opus-5-5",
    "ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL": "claude-sonnet-5-5",
    "ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL": "claude-haiku-5-5"
  }
}

• ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL: The gateway URL. Don’t add /v1 at the end. Otherwise, the gateway returns 404 with a message that starts with no API endpoint matches.
• ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN: Your LLM key. Claude Code sends it in the Authorization: Bearer header. You can use ANTHROPIC_API_KEY instead (sent in the x-api-key header), which the gateway also accepts, but Claude Code asks you to confirm the key the first time you use it.
• ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL, ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL, ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL: The models that Claude Code’s Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku tiers call. Enter model IDs from the list in step 2. By default, Claude Code requests its built-in model names, which your organization may not provide, so requests may return 404 if you don’t set these variables. If only a few models are available, you can set all three variables to the same model. When ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL is set, background tasks such as generating session titles also use that model.

Use in the current terminal only#

If you don’t want to edit the settings file, set the same environment variables in a terminal, then run claude in that terminal:

export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.cchp.example.com"
export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="cch_llm_live_xxxxxxxx"
export ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL="claude-opus-5-5"
export ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL="claude-sonnet-5-5"
export ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL="claude-haiku-5-5"

$env:ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL = "https://api.cchp.example.com"
$env:ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN = "cch_llm_live_xxxxxxxx"
$env:ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL = "claude-opus-5-5"
$env:ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL = "claude-sonnet-5-5"
$env:ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL = "claude-haiku-5-5"

These variables apply only to the current terminal and the programs started from it. To make them apply in new terminals too, add these lines to ~/.zshrc, ~/.bashrc, or your PowerShell profile $PROFILE. If the same variable is set in both the settings file and the terminal, the settings file takes precedence.

Step 4: Start Claude Code and check the connection#

Switch models#

• In Claude Code, enter /model and select Opus, Sonnet, or Haiku. The model that is actually called is the one you set for that tier in step 3.
• To use a model outside the three tiers, enter /model followed by the model ID, for example /model claude-fable-5-1, or start Claude Code with claude --model claude-fable-5-1.
• To see the models that the gateway provides directly in the /model list, add "CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_GATEWAY_MODEL_DISCOVERY": "1" to env in the settings file. When Claude Code starts, it reads the gateway’s model list and adds only the models whose IDs contain claude or anthropic.

Frequently asked questions#

How do I troubleshoot Claude Code errors?#

Look up the status code and message from the error in the table below:

Why does Claude Code still ask me to sign in after it starts?#

Claude Code didn’t read your key. Make sure that ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN is in env in the user settings file ~/.claude/settings.json (%USERPROFILE%\.claude\settings.json on Windows), that the variable name is spelled correctly, and that the file is valid JSON. You can also set it in the terminal as described in “Use in the current terminal only” in step 3. If the key is only in a settings file in your project directory, Claude Code can’t read it during the sign-in step on first launch.

What do I do if Claude Code says there are two credential sources at startup?#

You signed in to Claude Code with a claude.ai account before. When ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN is set, requests go to the gateway with your LLM key, and the saved sign-in is no longer used. To remove this message, run /logout in Claude Code to clear the saved sign-in.

How do I configure the VS Code extension?#

The Claude Code extension for VS Code checks for sign-in credentials before it starts, and this check doesn’t read ~/.claude/settings.json. In the VS Code Command Palette, run Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON) and add the following content. Replace the URL and the key with your own values:

{
  "claudeCode.environmentVariables": [
    { "name": "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL", "value": "https://api.cchp.example.com" },
    { "name": "ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN", "value": "cch_llm_live_xxxxxxxx" }
  ]
}

The extension also uses the model settings from the settings file in step 3.

Related pages#

• Create an LLM key
• View available models
• Provider groups and your final price
• Connect Codex