Claude Code Router: Route Agents to Any Model
Claude Code Router (CCR) is a local gateway routing Claude Code and other agents to the providers you choose, with fallbacks and logs. Setup, uses, caveats.
By Claudekit Team Published 1 min read
- Type
- CLI
- Pricing
- Open Source
- Repository
- github.com
- GitHub stars
- 37,825
- Website
- ccrdesk.top
Claude Code Router (CCR) is a local model gateway and control plane for coding agents. It sits between Claude Code (and Codex, Grok CLI, Kimi CLI, Kilo Code, OpenCode and others) and the model providers you configure, so you can switch providers, add retries and fallbacks, rotate keys and see every request in one place.
Who it is for
Power users who mix providers, teams that need failover or cost routing, and developers who want request-level observability for their agents.
Install
The desktop app (macOS, Windows, Linux) is the recommended path. For a CLI install, the README says:
npm install -g @musistudio/claude-code-router
ccr uiOpen http://127.0.0.1:3458, add a provider and API key, start the server (the gateway listens on http://127.0.0.1:3456), then apply an agent profile for Claude Code. Logs show the resolved provider, model, tokens, latency and errors.
Use cases
- Fallbacks: keep long sessions alive when one provider rate-limits or fails.
- Cost routing: send background or simple requests to a cheaper model while keeping a strong model for planning.
- Capability add-ons: add vision, web search or MCP tools to models that lack them through CCR’s Fusion and ToolHub features.
- Auditing: inspect token usage and cost estimates per request.
Pros
- One config for many agents and providers.
- Supports Anthropic Messages, OpenAI, Gemini, OpenRouter, DeepSeek and custom compatible endpoints.
- MIT licensed and very actively developed.
Cons and caveats
- Claude Code behavior is designed around Claude; other models may misuse tools or ignore instructions.
- Routing a subscription login through third-party gateways may conflict with provider terms; check yours.
- Another local service to run, secure and update.
Links
- Repo: musistudio/claude-code-router
- Docs: ccrdesk.top
- Related: Claude Code, Claude Code vs Codex, pricing guide
Frequently asked questions
Why would I route Claude Code to other models?
To use a provider you already pay for, cut costs on simple tasks, add fallbacks when a provider is down, or experiment with other models inside the same workflow.
Does Claude Code work as well with non-Claude models?
Not necessarily. Claude Code is tuned for Claude models; other models may handle its tools and prompts differently. Test before relying on it.
Does CCR need the desktop app?
No. The npm CLI (Node.js 22+) starts the same gateway plus a browser-based management UI with ccr ui.