claude-code-relay

Local proxy that exposes Claude CLI as an OpenAI-compatible API server.

Use your existing Claude CLI installation with any OpenAI-compatible client.

Why?

- You already have Claude CLI working with your subscription
- You want to use tools that expect OpenAI API format
- No separate API key needed - uses your local Claude CLI

Installation

$3

``bash
npx claude-code-relay serve


or

bunx claude-code-relay serve

or install globally

npm install -g claude-code-relay
`

$3

`bash
pip install claude-code-relay
`

Usage

$3

`bash


Node

npx claude-code-relay serve --port 52014

Python

claude-code-relay serve --port 52014
`

$3

`python
from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
base_url="http://localhost:52014/v1",
api_key="not-needed"
)

response = client.chat.completions.create(
model="sonnet", # or "opus", "haiku"
messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}]
)
print(response.choices[0].message.content)
`

`typescript
import OpenAI from "openai";

const client = new OpenAI({
baseURL: "http://localhost:52014/v1",
apiKey: "not-needed",
});

const response = await client.chat.completions.create({
model: "sonnet",
messages: [{ role: "user", content: "Hello!" }],
});
`

$3

`python
from litellm import completion

response = completion(
model="openai/sonnet",
api_base="http://localhost:52014/v1",
api_key="not-needed",
messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}]
)
`

$3

`typescript
import { createOpenAICompatible } from "@ai-sdk/openai-compatible";
import { generateText } from "ai";

const claude = createOpenAICompatible({
name: "claude-code-relay",
baseURL: "http://localhost:52014/v1",
apiKey: "not-needed",
});

const { text } = await generateText({
model: claude.chatModel("sonnet"),
prompt: "Hello!",
});
`

API Endpoints

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

OpenAI API Compatibility

$3

| Feature | Status | Notes |
|---------|--------|-------|
| model | Supported | sonnet, opus, haiku (+ aliases below) |
| messages | Supported | system, user, assistant roles |
| stream | Supported | SSE streaming |
| System prompts | Supported | Via system role in messages |

$3

These model names are normalized to Claude CLI format:

| Input | Maps to |
|-------|---------|
| sonnet | sonnet |
| opus | opus |
| haiku | haiku |
| claude-3-sonnet | sonnet |
| claude-3-opus | opus |
| claude-3-haiku | haiku |
| claude-sonnet-4 | sonnet |
| claude-opus-4 | opus |

$3

These parameters are accepted but ignored (not passed to Claude CLI):

| Parameter | Status |
|-----------|--------|
| temperature | Ignored |
| max_tokens | Ignored |
| top_p | Ignored |
| stop | Ignored |
| n | Not supported |
| presence_penalty | Not supported |
| frequency_penalty | Not supported |
| logit_bias | Not supported |
| response_format | Not supported |
| tools / functions | Not supported |
| tool_choice | Not supported |
| seed | Not supported |
| logprobs | Not supported |
| user | Not supported |

$3

- usage tokens are always 0 (not tracked by Claude CLI)
- finish_reason is always "stop" (no length/tool_calls detection)

Configuration

$3

| Variable | Default | Description |
|----------|---------|-------------|
| CLAUDE_CODE_RELAY_PORT | 52014 | Server port (Python only) |
| CLAUDE_CODE_RELAY_HOST | 127.0.0.1 | Host to bind (Python only) |
| CLAUDE_CLI_PATH | claude | Path to Claude CLI binary |
| CLAUDE_CODE_RELAY_TIMEOUT | 300 | Request timeout in seconds |
| CLAUDE_CODE_RELAY_VERBOSE | false | Enable verbose logging (1 or true) |

$3

`
claude-code-relay serve [options]

Options:
--port, -p Server port (default: 52014)
--host Host to bind (default: 127.0.0.1)
--claude-path Path to Claude CLI
--timeout Request timeout (default: 300)
--verbose, -v Enable verbose logging
``

Requirements

- Claude CLI installed and authenticated
- Python 3.10+ or Node.js 18+

License

MIT - see LICENSE

Disclaimer: Unofficial community project. Users are responsible for compliance with Anthropic's Terms of Service.