Claude Code

Claude Code is Anthropic's official agentic coding CLI. Point it at Router9's Anthropic-compatible endpoint to run it on your flat monthly token plan instead of metered API billing — no code changes required.

Setup

Claude Code reads its endpoint and key from environment variables. Point it at Router9's Anthropic Messages endpoint:

export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://api.router9.com/anthropic
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-r9k-your-key-here

Then start Claude Code as usual:

claude

Router9's Anthropic endpoint authenticates with the x-api-key header, which the Anthropic SDK behind Claude Code sends from ANTHROPIC_API_KEY.

Choosing a Model

Override the default model with ANTHROPIC_MODEL, or switch mid-session with the /model command:

export ANTHROPIC_MODEL=claude-sonnet-4-20250514

Use any Claude model id Router9 routes on.

Add Skills via MCP

Expose Router9 Skills as tools by adding Router9's hosted MCP server over HTTP:

claude mcp add --transport http router9 https://api.router9.com/v1/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer sk-r9k-your-key"

Or add it to .claude/settings.json directly:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "router9": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.router9.com/v1/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer sk-r9k-your-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

See Install MCP Server for details.

Tips

• Router9's flat monthly pricing pairs well with long Claude Code sessions — no per-token cost surprises.
• Persist the env vars in your shell profile (~/.zshrc, ~/.bashrc) so every claude session uses Router9.
• Keep your sk-r9k- key in the environment rather than committing it to .claude/settings.json.