Claude Code - Yelu AI API

Claude Code can route Anthropic Messages requests through Yelu. The configuration uses the gateway root URL https://api.yelu.ai; Claude Code appends /v1/messages itself.

Use a model returned by GET /v1/models. The commands below use claude-sonnet-4-6, which is supported by the Yelu gateway but may need to be enabled for your key.

Configuration at a glance

Setting	Value
Base URL	`https://api.yelu.ai`
Credential variable	`ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN`
Header sent by Claude Code	`Authorization: Bearer ...`
API format	Anthropic Messages
Example model	`claude-sonnet-4-6`

Do not add /v1 to ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL. Doing so would produce an invalid /v1/v1/messages path.

macOS

1. Install Claude Code

The native installer is the recommended installation method:

macOS

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

Homebrew is also supported:

macOS

brew install --cask claude-code

2. Configure the current terminal

Copy a key from the Yelu Console, then run:

macOS

read -s "YELU_API_KEY?Yelu API key: "
echo
export YELU_API_KEY
export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="$YELU_API_KEY"
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.yelu.ai"
export CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_GATEWAY_MODEL_DISCOVERY="1"

This keeps the key out of shell history. These variables last until the terminal closes.

3. Persist non-secret settings

Add the following lines to ~/.zshrc:

~/.zshrc

export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.yelu.ai"
export CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_GATEWAY_MODEL_DISCOVERY="1"

Then reload the profile:

macOS

source ~/.zshrc

Load YELU_API_KEY from your secret manager at login and set ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="$YELU_API_KEY". Do not commit keys to a repository or store them in a shared shell profile.

Windows

Native PowerShell

Install without opening PowerShell as Administrator:

Windows PowerShell

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

Configure the current PowerShell session without echoing the key:

Windows PowerShell

$secret = Read-Host "Yelu API key" -AsSecureString
$env:YELU_API_KEY = [System.Net.NetworkCredential]::new("", $secret).Password
$env:ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN = $env:YELU_API_KEY
$env:ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL = "https://api.yelu.ai"
$env:CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_GATEWAY_MODEL_DISCOVERY = "1"

Persist the non-secret settings for future terminals:

Windows PowerShell

[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL", "https://api.yelu.ai", "User")
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_GATEWAY_MODEL_DISCOVERY", "1", "User")

Open a new terminal after changing user-level variables. Load the key from your Windows credential manager or enter it at the start of each session. A user environment variable is convenient but is not a secret store. Git for Windows is optional. If installed but Claude Code cannot locate Git Bash, add this to %USERPROFILE%\.claude\settings.json:

Claude settings

{
  "env": {
    "CLAUDE_CODE_GIT_BASH_PATH": "C:\\Program Files\\Git\\bin\\bash.exe"
  }
}

WSL 2

Use WSL 2 when the repository and toolchain live in Linux or when you need Claude Code sandboxing. Install and configure Claude Code inside the WSL terminal, not in PowerShell:

WSL 2

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
read -rsp "Yelu API key: " YELU_API_KEY; echo
export YELU_API_KEY
export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="$YELU_API_KEY"
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.yelu.ai"
export CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_GATEWAY_MODEL_DISCOVERY="1"
claude --version

For WSL, persistent shell settings belong in ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc inside the Linux distribution. Windows user environment variables are not a reliable substitute for WSL shell variables.

Optional settings file

Claude Code reads ~/.claude/settings.json on macOS and %USERPROFILE%\.claude\settings.json on Windows. This safe global configuration persists the URL and model discovery without storing a key:

Claude settings

{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://api.yelu.ai",
    "CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_GATEWAY_MODEL_DISCOVERY": "1"
  }
}

Use .claude/settings.local.json for project-local secrets and ensure it is ignored by Git. Never put a key in the shared .claude/settings.json inside a repository.

Verify the gateway

Test the API before starting Claude Code:

curl -sS "$ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL/v1/messages" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN" \
  -H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "claude-sonnet-4-6",
    "max_tokens": 16,
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Reply with: ready"}]
  }'

$body = @{
  model = "claude-sonnet-4-6"
  max_tokens = 16
  messages = @(@{ role = "user"; content = "Reply with: ready" })
} | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 4

Invoke-RestMethod -Method Post `
  -Uri "$env:ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL/v1/messages" `
  -Headers @{
    Authorization = "Bearer $env:ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN"
    "anthropic-version" = "2023-06-01"
  } `
  -ContentType "application/json" `
  -Body $body

Then start Claude Code from the same terminal:

Terminal

claude --model claude-sonnet-4-6

Run /status inside Claude Code. Anthropic base URL should show https://api.yelu.ai, and the credential source should be ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN. Run /model to select another model exposed by your Yelu account.

Update and diagnose

Terminal

claude update
claude doctor
claude --debug

Symptom	Fix
`401 Unauthorized`	Confirm `ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN` is set in the same terminal and contains a valid Yelu key.
Request goes to Anthropic	Run `/status`; correct `ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL` and restart Claude Code from the configured shell.
`/v1/v1/messages` or `404`	Remove `/v1` from the base URL.
Unknown model	Use `/model` or `GET /v1/models` and select a Claude model enabled for the key.
Models do not appear	Update Claude Code and run `claude --debug` to inspect `[gatewayDiscovery]` messages.
Windows terminal cannot see new values	Close and reopen the terminal after setting user environment variables.

Next step

Continue with the Claude Code examples for repository exploration, implementation, review, and automation workflows.

​Configuration at a glance

​macOS

​1. Install Claude Code

​2. Configure the current terminal

​3. Persist non-secret settings

​Windows

​Native PowerShell

​WSL 2

​Optional settings file

​Verify the gateway

​Update and diagnose

​Next step

​Official references

Configuration at a glance

macOS

1. Install Claude Code

2. Configure the current terminal

3. Persist non-secret settings

Windows

Native PowerShell

WSL 2

Optional settings file

Verify the gateway

Update and diagnose

Next step

Official references