Claude Code Guide

Claude Code is an AI coding assistant from Anthropic that supports code generation, modification, and review.

Installation

Choose an installation method based on your workflow.

macOS / Linux

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

Windows PowerShell

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

Windows CMD

Install Git for Windows first, then run:

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

macOS / Linux

brew install --cask claude-code

Windows

winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode

Install Claude Code globally:

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

After installation, verify with claude --version, and run claude in a terminal to start it.

Without global installation, you can run Claude Code on demand with npx:

npx @anthropic-ai/claude-code

On first run, npx downloads and executes Claude Code automatically.

Connect to TokenFlux

After installation, choose one of the following methods to connect Claude Code to TokenFlux.

Using CC-Switch is recommended for centralized configuration.

Steps:

1. Follow Create API Key to generate an API key.
2. In the key list, click "More" on that key and choose "Import to CCS", then confirm the import in the CC-Switch window. See CC-Switch for details.
3. Enable the imported TokenFlux provider on the Claude Code page in CC-Switch.
4. Restart Claude Code after configuration is complete.

Step 1: Set environment variables

The VS Code extension shares ~/.claude/settings.json with the CLI. Environment variables set temporarily in a terminal may not be inherited by the editor; if they do not take effect, write settings.json as described in Step 2. Configuration behavior in Zed depends on the external Agent installed.

macOS / Linux

Run in a terminal:

export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://tokenflux.dev"
export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="YOUR_TOKENFLUX_API_KEY"
export CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC=1

Replace YOUR_TOKENFLUX_API_KEY with your actual API key.

Windows PowerShell

$env:ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://tokenflux.dev"
$env:ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="YOUR_TOKENFLUX_API_KEY"
$env:CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC=1

Windows CMD

set ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://tokenflux.dev
set ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN=YOUR_TOKENFLUX_API_KEY
set CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC=1

Step 2: Configure VSCode Claude Code (optional)

If the Claude Code extension in VSCode does not read shell environment variables, configure settings.json explicitly:

macOS / Linux path

~/.claude/settings.json

Windows path

%userprofile%\.claude\settings.json

settings.json content

{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://tokenflux.dev",
    "ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "YOUR_TOKENFLUX_API_KEY",
    "CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC": "1",
    "CLAUDE_CODE_ATTRIBUTION_HEADER": "0"
  }
}

Replace YOUR_TOKENFLUX_API_KEY with your actual API key.

Verify the Setup

After configuration, run a request:

claude --version
claude -p "Reply with OK only" --model claude-sonnet-5-5 --tools "" --no-session-persistence

Your key must support the example model. You can also set --model to claude-opus-5-5 if your group supports it. This command makes a real, billed request; after receiving a reply, confirm it in the usage logs.

If the client reports an authentication error, read the server message that follows. For example, insufficient balance can appear under Failed to authenticate. Check the balance, subscription, or key according to the specific error; see Error Codes.

The Claude Max Group

The Claude Max group accepts only Claude Code clients and cannot be used in the Claude app. Other clients receive 403 this group only allows Claude Code clients; see Error Codes.

On the Claude Max group you can additionally enable ENABLE_PROMPT_CACHING_1H=1 after finishing the basic configuration above. This option enables a 1-hour prompt cache, which is useful for Claude Code sessions that repeatedly carry long context. Other Claude groups do not need it.

Upstream cache writes cost more with a 1-hour TTL than with the default 5-minute TTL. TokenFlux billing follows the cache prices in the model marketplace. See the official Claude Code documentation for other cache TTL settings.

If you manage Claude Code through CC-Switch, see the CC-Switch Claude Max environment variable notes.

Terminal Launch

Set the environment variable once per system, then start Claude Code.

macOS / Linux

export ENABLE_PROMPT_CACHING_1H=1

Windows PowerShell

$env:ENABLE_PROMPT_CACHING_1H=1

Windows CMD

set ENABLE_PROMPT_CACHING_1H=1

VSCode / Zed

If you launch Claude Code through VSCode or Zed, add the following to the env in ~/.claude/settings.json or %userprofile%\.claude\settings.json:

{
  "env": {
    "ENABLE_PROMPT_CACHING_1H": "1"
  }
}

If the file already has an env, merge the ENABLE_PROMPT_CACHING_1H line into it instead of creating a second env.