For the complete documentation index, see llms.txt. Markdown versions of all docs pages are available by appending .md to any docs URL.

Claude Code

Configure Claude Code CLI to use agentgateway

Configure Claude Code, the AI coding CLI by Anthropic, to route LLM requests through your agentgateway proxy.

The primary use case is routing Claude Code to non-Anthropic LLM backends (such as vLLM, Ollama, or any OpenAI-compatible provider) for cost optimization and flexibility. You can also configure direct routing to Anthropic or use a Claude Teams account as alternative options.

Before you begin

1. Install the agentgateway binary.
2. Install the Claude Code CLI (npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code).

Configure agentgateway with OpenAI-compatible backend

Route Claude Code to any OpenAI-compatible LLM provider (such as vLLM, Ollama, or local language models). This is the recommended approach for cost-effective and flexible deployment.

1. Create a configuration file with an OpenAI-compatible provider. The wildcard * model name accepts any model. Claude Code sends the model in each request, so you do not need to pin a specific model.

   cat > config.yaml << 'EOF'
   # yaml-language-server: $schema=https://agentgateway.dev/schema/config
   llm:
     models:
     - name: "*"
       provider: openAI
       params:
         baseURL: "http://localhost:8000/v1"  # vLLM or similar OpenAI-compatible endpoint
         apiKey: "mock-key"  # Not used for local providers, but required by config
   EOF

   Replace http://localhost:8000/v1 with your OpenAI-compatible provider’s endpoint.

2. Start agentgateway.

   agentgateway -f config.yaml

3. Configure Claude Code to point to your agentgateway instance.

   export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="http://localhost:4000"

4. Verify the connection.

   claude -p "Hello"

Configure agentgateway with Anthropic backend

Alternatively, route Claude Code directly to Anthropic’s API through agentgateway. This is useful if you want to leverage Anthropic’s latest models or features directly.

1. Get an Anthropic API key from the Anthropic Console.

2. Export your Anthropic API key.

   export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-your-key-here"

3. Create a configuration file with the Anthropic provider. The wildcard * model name accepts any model. Claude Code sends the model in each request, so you do not need to pin a specific model.

   cat > config.yaml << 'EOF'
   # yaml-language-server: $schema=https://agentgateway.dev/schema/config
   llm:
     models:
     - name: "*"
       provider: anthropic
       params:
         apiKey: "$ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"
   EOF

4. Start agentgateway.

   agentgateway -f config.yaml

5. Configure Claude Code.

   export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="http://localhost:4000"

6. Verify the connection.

   claude -p "Hello"

   Example output:

   Hello! How can I help you today?

   If you see an error like API Error: 400 context_management: Extra inputs are not permitted, Claude Code is sending experimental beta parameters that agentgateway does not yet support. Disable experimental betas and retry the request.

   export CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_EXPERIMENTAL_BETAS=1
   claude -p "Hello"

Claude Teams or Pro account

If you have a Claude Teams or Pro account, you can use agentgateway for request routing without an API key. Authentication is handled by your Claude subscription via OAuth.

1. Create a configuration file. Agentgateway listens on port 4001 and exposes Claude at the /claude path.

   cat > config.yaml << 'EOF'
   binds:
   - port: 4001
     listeners:
     - name: default
       protocol: HTTP
       routes:
       - name: claude-agent
         matches:
         - path:
             pathPrefix: /claude
         policies:
           urlRewrite:
             path:
               prefix: /
         backends:
         - ai:
             name: claude-agent
             provider:
               anthropic: {}
             policies:
               ai:
                 routes:
                   /v1/messages: messages
                   /v1/messages/count_tokens: anthropicTokenCount
                   '*': passthrough
   EOF

2. Start agentgateway.

   agentgateway -f config.yaml

3. Set the ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL environment variable to point Claude Code at the /claude path.

   export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="http://localhost:4001/claude"

4. Verify the connection.

   claude -p "Hello"

Next steps