How to switch models in Claude Code with one command

Claude Code can be routed to Anthropic-compatible gateways such as Vercel AI Gateway and OpenRouter, or to direct and local providers, by changing environment variables rather than running a proxy, allowing a shell wrapper to select and validate model IDs, configure all primary and subagent model slots, and launch sessions with a chosen backend. Correct credential configuration is central because `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` takes precedence over `ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN`, while Vercel and OpenRouter require opposite variable assignments; cached logins, shell-profile keys, and settings-file environment blocks can also override intended routing. The discussion emphasizes that prompt-cache read pricing often dominates coding-agent costs because repeated long-context requests are mostly cached input, making routing choices and provider-specific cache support more consequential than headline input prices; illustrative figures show substantial cost differences among DeepSeek, GLM, and Claude routes. It recommends validating live model catalogs, pinning exact routes and model versions rather than relying on rolling aliases, explicitly setting output and context limits, using Keychain-backed credentials or an API-key helper instead of plaintext shell secrets, and treating provider failover, differing context windows, quantization, throughput, rate limits, and caching behavior as potential reliability and quality risks. Parallel sessions can become affordable with lower-cost models but still increase cache-write costs, require isolated code branches, and can exceed human review capacity, while team deployments require stronger identity, attribution, rotation, revocation, and budget controls than a shared long-lived API key provides.

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