Claude Code Model Configuration

Switch Claude Code to use custom model providers (DeepSeek, GLM, Qwen, OpenAI-compatible endpoints).

Configuration Locations

Claude Code reads config from multiple sources (in priority order):

1. Environment variables (highest priority)
2. ~/.claude/config.json
3. ~/.claude/settings.json

Required Parameters

User must provide:

• base_url: API endpoint (e.g., https://api.deepseek.com/anthropic)
• model: Model name (e.g., deepseek-v4-flash, glm-5)
• api_key: API key

Workflow

Step 1: Update Environment Variables

Set user-level environment variables (persist across restarts):

[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("ANTHROPIC_API_KEY", "<api_key>", "User")
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL", "<base_url>", "User")
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("ANTHROPIC_MODEL", "<model>", "User")

Clear conflicting variables:

[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN", "", "User")

Step 2: Update config.json

Edit ~/.claude/config.json:

{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "<api_key>",
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "<base_url>",
    "ANTHROPIC_MODEL": "<model>"
  }
}

Step 3: Update settings.json

Edit ~/.claude/settings.json, add/update:

{
  "model": "<model>",
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "<base_url>",
    "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "<api_key>"
  }
}

Step 4: Verify

Test the configuration:

claude --print "hi, what model are you?"

Common Issues

• Auth conflict: Both ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN and ANTHROPIC_API_KEY set → Clear ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN
• Old model still shows: Check config.json for stale ANTHROPIC_MODEL value
• Changes not生效: New terminal window required for env var changes

Popular Provider Examples

Script

Use the bundled script for automated configuration:

python scripts/configure_model.py --base-url <url> --model <name> --api-key <key>