Claude Code Third Party API Setup: Run GLM, Kimi, and DeepSeek for a Fraction of the Cost

Claude Code can be redirected from Anthropic’s default API to an Anthropic Messages API-compatible third-party endpoint by setting environment variables in its settings file, chiefly ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL, ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN, and ANTHROPIC_MODEL. The described approach uses an aggregator such as Atlas Cloud to access open-weight models including GLM, Kimi, and DeepSeek through a single endpoint and key, with the stated aim of reducing the high token costs associated with agentic coding workflows while retaining the Claude Code interface. It recommends setting both default background-model variables alongside the primary model to prevent failures in summarization and other auxiliary calls, then testing the configuration with a simple terminal task. Model selection is presented as a trade-off between capability and cost, with stronger open models suggested for interactive coding, lower-cost models for bulk work, and frontier models for unusually difficult tasks. The same provider can also support other coding clients through an OpenAI-compatible endpoint, although these tools may require a different URL path, and common setup problems include using the wrong API key, endpoint suffix, or unavailable default models.

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