Claude Code

This documentation is provided for informational purposes only and demonstrates how to configure and use our API with third-party AI chat interfaces. Any third-party software, websites, or services mentioned are not operated, controlled, or endorsed by us.

Introduction to Claude Code

Claude Code is an agentic coding tool that lives in your terminal, understands your codebase, and helps you code faster by executing routine tasks, explaining complex code, and handling git workflows - all through natural language commands.

Claude Code Key Features:

Autonomous Action: Reads/writes files, runs terminal commands, and fixes bugs directly.
Full Context: Automatically understands the entire codebase without manual copy-pasting.
Safety & Control: Supports one-click rollbacks and requires manual approval for key actions.
Tool Integration: Supports custom complex workflows via SKILL.md.

Step

Install Claude Code

If you have previously installed Claude Code, please run the following command in the terminal to update to the latest version. This may require administrator privileges.

claude update

CLI - Node.js

RouterLink has already prepared installation scripts for you. You can run the following commands for one-click installation of Node.js and the corresponding coding agent.

macOS, Linux, WSL:

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

Windows PowerShell:

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

Windows users may be unable to run scripts because of digital signature requirements. Please run the following command:
Windows PowerShell:
Terminal window
Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Force

Or, you can choose to manually install Node.js and the corresponding coding agent:

Install the newest LTS version of Node.js, and then use npm to install it globally in the terminal:

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

CLI - Native Install

macOS, Linux, WSL:

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

Windows PowerShell:

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

Windows CMD:

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

If you see The token '&&' is not a valid statement separator, you’re in PowerShell, not CMD. If you see 'irm' is not recognized as an internal or external command, you’re in CMD, not PowerShell. Your prompt shows PS C:\ when you’re in PowerShell and C:\ without the PS when you’re in CMD.

Native Windows setups require Git for Windows. Install it first if you don’t have it. WSL setups do not need it.

Native installations automatically update in the background to keep you on the latest version.

VS Code Extension

Install the Claude Code extension from the VS Code Marketplace — no separate CLI needed. The VS Code extension provides inline diffs, @-mentions, plan review, and conversation history directly in your editor.

Desktop App

Please follow the tutorial to complete the installation.

Point Claude Code at RouterLink

CLI — settings.json

Claude Code officially supports managing persistent configuration through the settings system. For daily use, it is recommended to prioritize writing configurations into settings.json. Shell or system environment variables are better suited for temporary switching, CI scenarios, or as a fallback when encountering known issues in the current version.

Edit or create the settings.json file
On macOS & Linux: ~/.claude/settings.json
On Windows: C:\Users\<USERNAME>\.claude\settings.json

Make sure to replace <ROUTERLINK_API_KEY> with your API key from RouterLink. When replacing it, do not keep the angle brackets < and >.

{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "<ROUTERLINK_API_KEY>",
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://router-link.world3.ai/api",
    "API_TIMEOUT_MS": "3000000",
    "CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC": "1",
    "ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL": "claude-haiku-4-5",
    "ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL": "claude-sonnet-5",
    "ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL": "claude-opus-5",
    "ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_FABLE_MODEL": "claude-fable-5"
  }
}

VS Code Extension

Open your VS Code settings.json.

VS Code Claude Code settings

Click “Edit in settings.json” under Environment Variables.

Add the following content. Make sure to replace with the <ROUTERLINK_API_KEY> obtained from RouterLink Key.

{
    "claudeCode.disableLoginPrompt": true,
    "claudeCode.preferredLocation": "panel",
    "claudeCode.environmentVariables": [
    {"name":"ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN","value":"<ROUTERLINK_API_KEY>"},
    {"name":"ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL","value":"https://router-link.world3.ai/api"}
    ]
}

Desktop App

Open the installed Claude Desktop app.

Click Help → Troubleshooting in the top menu bar.
In the submenu that appears, click Enable Developer Mode.
For Windows users, you can access the same options by clicking the menu button in the top-left corner of the Claude Desktop app.

Img V3 0212p 0c555764 7a1f 439d Ad0b C5daef51e4hu

After Developer Mode is enabled successfully, a new Developer menu will appear in the top menu bar.
From the Developer menu, select Configure Third-Party Inference….

Img V3 0212p 2bd65ee8 8d1e 46ba 9343 786dbc96b6hu

Select “Static API key” for Credential kind.
Enter “https://router-link.world3.ai/api” as the Gateway base URL.
For Gateway API key, enter the actual API key you obtained from RouterLink Key.

Img V3 0212p 8043532d A2f1 4ac6 833d F555a4922chu

Scroll down the page and click “Add model”.
In the Model ID field, enter “claude-opus-5”, then click Add. Repeat the same steps to add “claude-sonnet-5”, “claude-haiku-4-5” and “claude-fable-5”.
Offer 1M-context variant can be enabled optionally.
Finally, click Apply Changes.

Img V3 0212p 11d8941c 120f 483c B289 64dd885062hu

First launch

CLI

Navigate to your code working directory and run the claude command in the terminal to start using Claude Code.

claude

When using Claude Code for the first time, you may be forced to log in to an Anthropic account.

Please follow the steps below to skip this process:
Open or create the .claude.json file in the user’s home directory. The specific paths are as follows: macOS / Linux: ~/.claude.json Windows: C:\Users\<USERNAME>\.claude.json
Set the value of the hasCompletedOnboarding field to true.

{
  "hasCompletedOnboarding": true
}

Save the file, then run claude again in the terminal.

After launching, choose to trust Claude Code to access the files in the folder, as shown below:

Done! You can now use Claude Code normally.

VS Code Extension

Click the Claude icon on the left, then select “New session” to start using Claude Code for VS Code.

Done! You can now use Claude Code for VS Code.

Desktop App

Enable Virtualization on Windows

Cowork runs in a virtualized environment. On Windows, you must enable the Virtual Machine Platform feature first; otherwise, Cowork will not work properly after installation.

Open PowerShell as an administrator and run the following command, then restart your computer:

Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName VirtualMachinePlatform -All -NoRestart

Open the Claude Desktop App, and you’re ready to start using it! 🚀

Img V3 0212p Acd87bdb D39f 49ae B3f1 C0c7d38b40hu

Troubleshooting

No response after entering a prompt / “You don’t have enough $WAI” error

Make sure your API input is correct. Due to the high token consumption of Anthropic models, the daily free quota may not support this model. Please top up your balance.

How can I switch to another model?

Claude Code only supports the Anthropic-format API.
Go to https://routerlink.ai/models. Click on the model, set the API Format to “Anthropic,” and locate the model field in the code block.

Copy the model name from the model field and replace it in the settings.json file above.

Open a new terminal window. Run claude to start Claude Code. Then enter /model to switch the model, and finally type /status to verify the model status.

Img V3 02115 9616c753 A33d 47d5 9e3d Dc70d79c24hu

Manual configuration changes not taking effect

If you have manually edited the ~/.claude/settings.json file but the changes are not applied, please try the following:

Close all Claude Code windows. Open a new terminal window and run claude again to restart.
If the issue persists, try deleting the ~/.claude/settings.json file and reconfigure the environment variables. Claude Code will automatically generate a new configuration file.
Make sure the JSON format of the configuration file is correct. Check for issues such as incorrect variable names, missing commas, or extra commas. You can use an online JSON validator to verify the file.

How can I upgrade Claude Code?

Enter the following command in the terminal:

claude update

For more information

Please check the official documentation.