Claude Code with Baseten Model APIs

Run Claude Code with Baseten's MiniMax M2.5, GLM 5, Kimi K2.5 and other frontier open-source models via LiteLLM proxy. This enables Claude Code to work seamlessly with IDE integrations (PyCharm, VS Code, etc.) and provides higher throughput at lower cost.

This is an alternative way of powering Claude Code with higher throughput (tokens per second) and at a substantially lower cost, with on par coding performance.

Sample Performance & Pricing

Benchmarks (Kimi K2.5 vs. Claude Opus 4.6)

Pricing (Lower is better)

Model	Input Tokens	Output Tokens
Claude Opus 4.6	$5.00 /M	$25.00 /M
Kimi K2.5 on Baseten	$0.60 /M	$3.00 /M

Speed (Throughput) (Higher is better)

Model	Tokens per Second
Claude Opus 4.6	~60+ TPS
Kimi K2.5 on Baseten	~300+ TPS

Prerequisites

Before setting up, you'll need:

1. LiteLLM - Install with pip install litellm[proxy]
2. Claude Code CLI - Install with npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
3. Baseten API Key - Get yours from Baseten API Keys

Quick Start

1. Clone and Configure Env.

git clone https://github.com/basetenlabs/baseten-claude-code.git
cd baseten-claude-code
cp env.example .env
# Edit .env and add your BASETEN_API_KEY

2. Set Up Integration

For IDE integrations and seamless claude command usage:

source ./set-baseten.sh

Important: You must source the script (don't execute it). If you try to run ./set-baseten.sh directly, it will exit with an error. Sourcing sets environment variables immediately in your current shell and configures your shell so that claude works globally and integrates with IDEs like PyCharm, VS Code, and Cursor.

3. Start LiteLLM Proxy

Run the proxy:

./setup_baseten_claude_code.sh

Keep this terminal running.

4. Use Claude Code

Now you can run claude from any directory:

cd /path/to/your/project
claude

Claude Code will use Baseten models automatically!

To switch back to Anthropic:

source ./set-anthropic.sh

Configuration

Environment Variables

The .env file contains:

• BASETEN_API_KEY: Your Baseten API key (used by LiteLLM proxy)
• ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL: Set to http://localhost:4000 (LiteLLM proxy endpoint)
• ANTHROPIC_API_KEY: Dummy key to pass Claude Code's validation

When you source set-baseten.sh, these are exported in your shell config (.zshrc/.bashrc) so claude works globally.

Available Models

The following Baseten models are pre-configured:

• DeepSeek V3: baseten/deepseek-ai/deepseek-v3-0324
• DeepSeek V3.1: baseten/deepseek-ai/deepseek-v3.1
• GLM-4.6: baseten/zai-org/glm-4.6
• GLM-4.7: baseten/zai-org/glm-4.7
• GLM-5: baseten/zai-org/glm-5
• Kimi K2: baseten/moonshotai/kimi-k2-instruct-0905
• Kimi K2 Thinking: baseten/moonshotai/kimi-k2-thinking
• Kimi K2.5: baseten/moonshotai/kimi-k2.5
• MiniMax M2.5: baseten/minimaxai/minimax-m2.5
• GPT-OSS 120B: baseten/openai/gpt-oss-120b

Switching Models

Switch models in Claude Code after launch:

/model baseten/moonshotai/kimi-k2.5

Or launch with a specific model:

claude --model baseten/moonshotai/kimi-k2-thinking

How It Works

Claude Code → LiteLLM Proxy (localhost:4000) → Baseten API

Key points:

• Claude Code normalizes model names to lowercase. The proxy handles routing from lowercase to proper Baseten model API case-sensitive slugs.
• The proxy maps Claude Code's default models (claude-haiku, claude-sonnet, claude-opus) to Baseten GPT-OSS 120B to suppress Claude Code's internal checks.
• drop_params: true ensures unsupported parameters are dropped, preventing errors.

Files

• litellm_config.yaml - LiteLLM proxy configuration with all models
• set-baseten.sh - Configure shell to use Baseten models. Must be sourced: source ./set-baseten.sh
• set-anthropic.sh - Switch back to Anthropic models. Must be sourced: source ./set-anthropic.sh
• setup_baseten_claude_code.sh - Start the proxy
• env.example - Environment variables template
• .env - Your API keys (not committed to git)

Troubleshooting

Proxy not starting:

• Check port 4000 is available: lsof -i :4000
• Verify .env has valid BASETEN_API_KEY

Claude Code errors:

• Ensure proxy is running: curl http://localhost:4000/health
• Verify environment variables are set: echo $ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL, echo $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY
• If you executed the script instead of sourcing it, source it now: source ./set-baseten.sh

Model not found:

• The proxy automatically maps Claude models to Baseten
• Use /model command to switch to available Baseten models
• Check litellm_config.yaml has the model configured

References

• LiteLLM Documentation
• LiteLLM Proxy Server
• Baseten Model APIs