deepclaude

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deepclaude routes Claude Code's API calls to DeepSeek V4 Pro, OpenRouter, Fireworks AI, or any Anthropic-compatible backend — keeping the full Claude Code UX (file editing, bash, subagents, git) while cutting costs by up to 17x.

How it works

Claude Code reads specific environment variables to determine its API endpoint and model names. deepclaude sets these per-session (not permanently), launches Claude Code, then restores originals on exit.

Your terminal
  └── Claude Code CLI (tool loop, file editing, bash, git — unchanged)
        └── API calls → DeepSeek V4 Pro ($0.87/M) instead of Anthropic ($15/M)

Key environment variables Claude Code uses:

Variable	Purpose
ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL	API endpoint override
ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN	API key for the backend
ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL	Model for Opus-tier tasks
ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL	Model for Sonnet-tier tasks
ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL	Model for Haiku-tier / subagents
CLAUDE_CODE_SUBAGENT_MODEL	Model for spawned subagents

Installation

Prerequisites

• Claude Code CLI installed (npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code)
• Node.js 18+ (for the proxy server)
• API key for at least one backend

1. Clone the repo

git clone https://github.com/aattaran/deepclaude.git
cd deepclaude

2. Set API keys

macOS/Linux:

# DeepSeek (default backend — get key at platform.deepseek.com)
echo 'export DEEPSEEK_API_KEY="$DEEPSEEK_API_KEY"' >> ~/.bashrc

# OpenRouter (optional — cheapest US latency)
echo 'export OPENROUTER_API_KEY="$OPENROUTER_API_KEY"' >> ~/.bashrc

# Fireworks AI (optional — fastest inference)
echo 'export FIREWORKS_API_KEY="$FIREWORKS_API_KEY"' >> ~/.bashrc

source ~/.bashrc

Windows (PowerShell):

setx DEEPSEEK_API_KEY $env:DEEPSEEK_API_KEY
setx OPENROUTER_API_KEY $env:OPENROUTER_API_KEY
setx FIREWORKS_API_KEY $env:FIREWORKS_API_KEY

3. Install the CLI

macOS/Linux:

chmod +x deepclaude.sh
sudo ln -s "$(pwd)/deepclaude.sh" /usr/local/bin/deepclaude

Windows (PowerShell):

Copy-Item deepclaude.ps1 "$env:USERPROFILE\.local\bin\deepclaude.ps1"
# Or add repo directory to PATH:
setx PATH "$env:PATH;C:\path\to\deepclaude"

Key CLI commands

# Launch Claude Code with DeepSeek V4 Pro (default)
deepclaude

# Show available backends and configured API keys
deepclaude --status

# Select a specific backend
deepclaude --backend ds          # DeepSeek (default)
deepclaude --backend or          # OpenRouter
deepclaude --backend fw          # Fireworks AI
deepclaude --backend anthropic   # Normal Claude Opus

# Show pricing comparison
deepclaude --cost

# Latency benchmark across all configured providers
deepclaude --benchmark

# Switch backend mid-session (proxy must be running)
deepclaude --switch ds
deepclaude --switch or
deepclaude --switch anthropic

# Remote control — open session in any browser
deepclaude --remote
deepclaude --remote --backend or
deepclaude --remote --backend anthropic

Supported backends

Backend	Flag	Input/M	Output/M	Notes
DeepSeek	ds	$0.44	$0.87	Auto context caching (120x cheaper on repeat turns)
OpenRouter	or	$0.44	$0.87	Lowest latency from US/EU
Fireworks AI	fw	$1.74	$3.48	Fastest inference, US servers
Anthropic	anthropic	$3.00	$15.00	Original Claude Opus

Live backend switching (no restart)

A local proxy runs on localhost:3200 and intercepts all API calls. Switch backends instantly without restarting Claude Code.

Proxy control endpoints

# Switch backend
curl -sX POST http://127.0.0.1:3200/_proxy/mode -d "backend=deepseek"
curl -sX POST http://127.0.0.1:3200/_proxy/mode -d "backend=openrouter"
curl -sX POST http://127.0.0.1:3200/_proxy/mode -d "backend=anthropic"

# Check current backend + uptime
curl -s http://127.0.0.1:3200/_proxy/status

# Token usage and cost savings vs Anthropic
curl -s http://127.0.0.1:3200/_proxy/cost

Cost endpoint response shape:

{
  "backends": {
    "deepseek": {
      "input_tokens": 125000,
      "output_tokens": 45000,
      "requests": 12,
      "cost": 0.0941,
      "anthropic_equivalent": 1.05
    }
  },
  "total_cost": 0.0941,
  "anthropic_equivalent": 1.05,
  "savings": 0.9559
}

Slash commands (recommended UX)

Create files in ~/.claude/commands/ to switch backends from inside any Claude Code session:

~/.claude/commands/deepseek.md:

Switch the model proxy to DeepSeek. Run this command silently and report the result:
curl -sX POST http://127.0.0.1:3200/_proxy/mode -d "backend=deepseek"
If successful, say: "Switched to DeepSeek."

~/.claude/commands/anthropic.md:

Switch the model proxy back to Anthropic. Run this command silently and report the result:
curl -sX POST http://127.0.0.1:3200/_proxy/mode -d "backend=anthropic"
If successful, say: "Switched to Anthropic."

~/.claude/commands/openrouter.md:

Switch the model proxy to OpenRouter. Run this command silently and report the result:
curl -sX POST http://127.0.0.1:3200/_proxy/mode -d "backend=openrouter"
If successful, say: "Switched to OpenRouter."

Then type /deepseek, /anthropic, or /openrouter in any Claude Code session.

VS Code keyboard shortcuts

.vscode/tasks.json:

{
  "version": "2.0.0",
  "tasks": [
    {
      "label": "Proxy: Switch to DeepSeek",
      "type": "shell",
      "command": "curl -sX POST http://127.0.0.1:3200/_proxy/mode -d 'backend=deepseek'",
      "presentation": { "reveal": "always" },
      "problemMatcher": []
    },
    {
      "label": "Proxy: Switch to Anthropic",
      "type": "shell",
      "command": "curl -sX POST http://127.0.0.1:3200/_proxy/mode -d 'backend=anthropic'",
      "presentation": { "reveal": "always" },
      "problemMatcher": []
    },
    {
      "label": "Proxy: Switch to OpenRouter",
      "type": "shell",
      "command": "curl -sX POST http://127.0.0.1:3200/_proxy/mode -d 'backend=openrouter'",
      "presentation": { "reveal": "always" },
      "problemMatcher": []
    }
  ]
}

keybindings.json:

[
  { "key": "ctrl+alt+d", "command": "workbench.action.tasks.runTask", "args": "Proxy: Switch to DeepSeek" },
  { "key": "ctrl+alt+a", "command": "workbench.action.tasks.runTask", "args": "Proxy: Switch to Anthropic" },
  { "key": "ctrl+alt+o", "command": "workbench.action.tasks.runTask", "args": "Proxy: Switch to OpenRouter" }
]

VS Code / Cursor terminal profiles

settings.json on macOS/Linux:

{
  "terminal.integrated.profiles.linux": {
    "DeepSeek Agent": {
      "path": "/usr/local/bin/deepclaude"
    },
    "DeepSeek (OpenRouter)": {
      "path": "/usr/local/bin/deepclaude",
      "args": ["--backend", "or"]
    }
  },
  "terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.linux": "DeepSeek Agent"
}

settings.json on Windows:

{
  "terminal.integrated.profiles.windows": {
    "DeepSeek Agent": {
      "path": "powershell.exe",
      "args": ["-ExecutionPolicy", "Bypass", "-NoExit", "-File", "C:\\path\\to\\deepclaude.ps1"]
    }
  }
}

Remote control (browser UI)

Open a Claude Code session in any browser with DeepSeek as the backend:

deepclaude --remote                  # DeepSeek backend
deepclaude --remote --backend or     # OpenRouter backend
deepclaude --remote --backend anthropic  # Normal Anthropic

Traffic split:

claude remote-control
  ├── Bridge WebSocket → wss://bridge.claudeusercontent.com (Anthropic, required)
  └── Model API calls  → http://localhost:3200 (proxy)
                          ├── /v1/messages → active backend (DeepSeek/OR/etc.)
                          └── everything else → Anthropic (passthrough)

Requirements for remote control:

• Must be logged in: claude auth login
• Must have a claude.ai subscription (bridge is Anthropic infrastructure)

Manually setting environment variables (without the CLI wrapper)

If you want to wire up the backend yourself without using the deepclaude wrapper script:

# DeepSeek
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.deepseek.com/v1"
export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="$DEEPSEEK_API_KEY"
export ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL="deepseek-chat"
export ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL="deepseek-chat"
export ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL="deepseek-chat"
export CLAUDE_CODE_SUBAGENT_MODEL="deepseek-chat"
claude  # launch normally

# OpenRouter
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://openrouter.ai/api/v1"
export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="$OPENROUTER_API_KEY"
export ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL="deepseek/deepseek-chat-v3-0324"
export ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL="deepseek/deepseek-chat-v3-0324"
export ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL="deepseek/deepseek-chat-v3-0324"
export CLAUDE_CODE_SUBAGENT_MODEL="deepseek/deepseek-chat-v3-0324"
claude

What works and what doesn't

✅ Fully supported

• File reading, writing, editing (Read/Write/Edit tools)
• Bash / PowerShell execution
• Glob and Grep search
• Multi-step autonomous tool loops
• Subagent spawning
• Git operations
• Project initialization (/init)
• Thinking mode (enabled by default)

⚠️ Not supported or degraded

Feature	Reason
Image / vision input	DeepSeek's Anthropic-compat endpoint doesn't support images
MCP server tools	Not supported through compatibility layer
Anthropic prompt caching (cache_control)	Ignored; DeepSeek uses its own automatic caching
Parallel tool use	DeepSeek supports up to 128/call but Claude Code sends sequentially

Choosing the right backend

Task type	Recommendation
Routine coding, refactoring, CRUD	DeepSeek (default) — 90% cost savings
US/EU latency sensitive	OpenRouter
Highest throughput / speed	Fireworks AI
Complex multi-step reasoning, architecture	Switch to --backend anthropic

Use /deepseek for most work, /anthropic for the hard 20% — then switch back.

Troubleshooting

DEEPSEEK_API_KEY not found:

# Verify the var is set in current shell
echo $DEEPSEEK_API_KEY
# If blank, re-source your profile
source ~/.bashrc   # or ~/.zshrc

deepclaude: command not found:

# Check symlink
ls -la /usr/local/bin/deepclaude
# Re-create if missing
sudo ln -sf "$(pwd)/deepclaude.sh" /usr/local/bin/deepclaude

Proxy not responding on port 3200:

# Check if proxy process is running
lsof -i :3200
# Restart deepclaude — proxy starts automatically
deepclaude

curl not available on Windows for slash commands:

# Use PowerShell equivalent in the .md command files:
Invoke-RestMethod -Uri http://127.0.0.1:3200/_proxy/mode -Method Post -Body 'backend=deepseek'

Image inputs fail with DeepSeek:

• Switch to Anthropic for that session: deepclaude --switch anthropic
• Or launch with: deepclaude --backend anthropic

Remote control fails:

# Ensure you're authenticated
claude auth login
# Verify subscription at claude.ai — bridge requires it