musistudio/claude-code-router

⭐ 33,756  ·  TypeScript  ·  GitHub Repo

Use Claude Code as the foundation for coding infrastructure, allowing you to decide how to interact with the model while enjoying updates from Anthropic.

1-Sentence Summary

A middleware proxy that routes Claude Code requests to any AI model, breaking vendor lock-in.

🔥 Key Capabilities & USP

• Dynamic Model Routing: Configure rules to send different tasks (e.g., background jobs, complex reasoning, long-context work) to different models automatically. Solves the pain point of being stuck with a single model for all workflows.
• Multi-Provider Adapter Layer: Seamlessly switch between OpenRouter, DeepSeek, Ollama, Gemini, and more via a unified interface. Eliminates the need to manually rewire API calls when changing providers.
• Request/Response Transformation Plugin System: Customize how requests and responses are adapted for each provider using built-in or custom transformers. Solves the pain point of incompatible API schemas between providers.
• On-the-Fly Model Switching: Use the /model command inside Claude Code to change models mid-session without restarting. Solves the pain point of interrupting workflow to reconfigure tools.
• CLI + Web UI Management: Manage providers, rules, and models via terminal (ccr model) or a browser-based UI (ccr ui). Solves the pain point of needing to edit raw config files for every change.

USP: Unlike simple API wrappers, this is a session-aware proxy that preserves Anthropic's updates while giving you full control over which model powers each interaction, with a plugin architecture for custom transformations.

Technical Architecture

Component	Details
Pattern	Local proxy/middleware server between Claude Code CLI and LLM providers
Language	TypeScript
Plugin System	Custom transformers per provider/model for request/response modification
Logging	Dual system: pino for server-level logs (HTTP, API) + separate app-level logs for routing decisions
Configuration	JSON-based (~/.claude-code-router/config.json) with providers, router rules, and global settings
Security	Environment variable interpolation ($VAR, ${VAR}) for API keys; host binding restrictions for proxy exposure
Integration	GitHub Actions support for CI/CD pipelines

Quick Start Guide

# Prerequisite: Install Claude Code
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

# Install Claude Code Router
npm install -g @musistudio/claude-code-router

# Start coding with routing enabled
ccr code

# Restart the proxy server
ccr restart

# Launch the web management UI
ccr ui

# Manage models and providers via CLI
ccr model

Pros, Cons & Use Cases

Pros

• Eliminates vendor lock-in while keeping Claude Code as your primary interface
• Extensive provider support with a unified adapter pattern
• Session-preserving model switching without restarting Claude Code
• Plugin architecture enables custom request/response transformations
• Dual CLI + UI management caters to both power users and visual preference

Cons

• Requires Claude Code as a mandatory prerequisite
• Configuration complexity grows with many providers and custom transformers
• Network dependency — all routing relies on external API connectivity
• Security surface area — exposing the proxy requires careful host binding configuration

Who should NOT use this?

• Teams with a single, fixed model provider who have no need to switch between models
• Users without Claude Code — this is not a standalone tool
• Air-gapped or offline environments where external API calls are impossible
• Organizations with strict proxy security policies that forbid local middleware servers

Ideal Use Cases

• Cost optimization teams routing simple tasks to cheaper models and complex reasoning to premium ones
• AI evaluation workflows testing the same prompts across multiple providers for comparison
• Multi-model development where different models excel at different tasks (e.g., code generation vs. documentation)
• CI/CD pipelines that need to validate code against multiple AI models automatically
• Teams migrating between providers who want a gradual, risk-free transition

Community & Activity

With 33,756 stars on GitHub, Claude Code Router has clearly struck a nerve in the developer community. This is not a niche experiment — it's a rapidly adopted solution for teams demanding model flexibility. The project is actively maintained, with the latest update on May 10, 2026, signaling ongoing development and responsiveness to the fast-moving AI tooling landscape. The momentum suggests a healthy ecosystem of contributors and users who are actively shaping its roadmap.