Claude Code CLI Provider

Use your Claude Max subscription ($200/month) with any OpenAI-compatible client — no separate API costs!

This provider wraps the Claude Code CLI as a subprocess and exposes an OpenAI-compatible HTTP API, allowing tools like Clawdbot, Continue.dev, or any OpenAI-compatible client to use your Claude Max subscription instead of paying per-API-call.

Why This Exists

| Approach | Cost | Limitation | |----------|------|------------| | Claude API | ~$15/M input, ~$75/M output tokens | Pay per use | | Claude Max | $200/month flat | OAuth blocked for third-party API use | | This Provider | $0 extra (uses Max subscription) | Routes through CLI |

Anthropic blocks OAuth tokens from being used directly with third-party API clients. However, the Claude Code CLI can use OAuth tokens. This provider bridges that gap by wrapping the CLI and exposing a standard API.

How It Works

Your App (Clawdbot, etc.)
         ↓
    HTTP Request (OpenAI format)
         ↓
   Claude Code CLI Provider (this project)
         ↓
   Claude Code CLI (subprocess)
         ↓
   OAuth Token (from Max subscription)
         ↓
   Anthropic API
         ↓
   Response → OpenAI format → Your App

Features

• OpenAI-compatible API — Works with any client that supports OpenAI's API format
• Streaming support — Real-time token streaming via Server-Sent Events
• Multiple models — Claude Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku
• Session management — Maintains conversation context
• Auto-start service — Optional LaunchAgent for macOS
• Zero configuration — Uses existing Claude CLI authentication
• Secure by design — Uses spawn() to prevent shell injection

Prerequisites

1. Claude Max subscription ($200/month) — Subscribe here
2. Claude Code CLI installed and authenticated:

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

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code-cli-provider.git
cd claude-code-cli-provider

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build
npm run build

Usage

Start the server

node dist/server/standalone.js

The server runs at http://localhost:3456 by default.

Test it

# Health check
curl http://localhost:3456/health

# List models
curl http://localhost:3456/v1/models

# Chat completion (non-streaming)
curl -X POST http://localhost:3456/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "claude-opus-4",
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}]
  }'

# Chat completion (streaming)
curl -N -X POST http://localhost:3456/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "claude-opus-4",
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}],
    "stream": true
  }'

API Endpoints

| Endpoint | Method | Description | |----------|--------|-------------| | /health | GET | Health check | | /v1/models | GET | List available models | | /v1/chat/completions | POST | Chat completions (streaming & non-streaming) |

Available Models

| Model ID | Maps To | |----------|---------| | claude-opus-4 | Claude Opus 4.5 | | claude-sonnet-4 | Claude Sonnet 4 | | claude-haiku-4 | Claude Haiku 4 |

Configuration with Popular Tools

Clawdbot

Clawdbot has built-in support for Claude CLI OAuth! Check your config:

clawdbot models status

If you see anthropic:claude-cli=OAuth, you're already using your Max subscription.

Continue.dev

Add to your Continue config:

{
  "models": [{
    "title": "Claude (Max)",
    "provider": "openai",
    "model": "claude-opus-4",
    "apiBase": "http://localhost:3456/v1",
    "apiKey": "not-needed"
  }]
}

Generic OpenAI Client (Python)

from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    base_url="http://localhost:3456/v1",
    api_key="not-needed"  # Any value works
)

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="claude-opus-4",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}]
)

Auto-Start on macOS

Create a LaunchAgent to start the provider automatically on login. See docs/macos-setup.md for detailed instructions.

Architecture

src/
├── types/
│   ├── claude-cli.ts      # Claude CLI JSON output types
│   └── openai.ts          # OpenAI API types
├── adapter/
│   ├── openai-to-cli.ts   # Convert OpenAI requests → CLI format
│   └── cli-to-openai.ts   # Convert CLI responses → OpenAI format
├── subprocess/
│   └── manager.ts         # Claude CLI subprocess management
├── session/
│   └── manager.ts         # Session ID mapping
├── server/
│   ├── index.ts           # Express server setup
│   ├── routes.ts          # API route handlers
│   └── standalone.ts      # Entry point
└── index.ts               # Package exports

Security

• Uses Node.js spawn() instead of shell execution to prevent injection attacks
• No API keys stored or transmitted by this provider
• All authentication handled by Claude CLI's secure keychain storage
• Prompts passed as CLI arguments, not through shell interpretation

Cost Savings Example

| Usage | API Cost | With This Provider | |-------|----------|-------------------| | 1M input tokens/month | ~$15 | $0 (included in Max) | | 500K output tokens/month | ~$37.50 | $0 (included in Max) | | Monthly Total | ~$52.50 | $0 extra |

If you're already paying for Claude Max, this provider lets you use that subscription for API-style access at no additional cost.

Troubleshooting

"Claude CLI not found"

Install and authenticate the CLI:

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

Streaming returns immediately with no content

Ensure you're using -N flag with curl (disables buffering):

curl -N -X POST http://localhost:3456/v1/chat/completions ...

Server won't start

Check that the Claude CLI is in your PATH:

which claude

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please submit PRs with tests.

License

MIT

Acknowledgments

• Built for use with Clawdbot
• Powered by Claude Code CLI