Claude Series: Claude Code and VS Code / Cursor Deployment Guide

Claude Code uses the Anthropic-compatible root URL. The key detail is not to append /v1 to ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL.

1. Use cases

• Use Claude models from Claude Code.
• Use Claude models in VS Code / Cursor with Anthropic-compatible extensions.
• Teams that need the Claude Messages API style.

2. Core configuration

3. Claude Code prerequisites

Claude Code requires Node.js 18+ and can be installed with npm:

node -v
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
claude doctor

Do not use sudo npm install -g, because it may cause permission and security issues.

4. Claude Code environment variables

export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.synterolink.com"
export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="your_synterolink_key"
export CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC=1

ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN is sent as the Authorization bearer token.

5. Verify Messages API first

curl https://api.synterolink.com/v1/messages \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN" \
  -H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" \
  -d '{
    "model": "claude-sonnet-4-6",
    "max_tokens": 64,
    "messages": [
      {"role": "user", "content": "Reply exactly: OK"}
    ]
  }'

6. Start Claude Code

claude --model claude-sonnet-4-6 -p "Reply exactly: OK"

If it returns OK, Claude Code is using the SynteroLink route.

7. Other Claude model examples

claude --model claude-opus-4-7
claude --model claude-opus-4-6
claude --model claude-sonnet-4-5
claude --model claude-haiku-4-5

8. VS Code / Cursor configuration

9. OpenAI-compatible fallback

If a plugin does not support Anthropic-compatible providers but supports OpenAI-compatible providers, try:

Base URL: https://api.synterolink.com/v1
Model: claude-sonnet-4-6

Prefer Anthropic-compatible for Claude Code; fallback is only for plugin limitations.

10. Success checklist

• /v1/messages returns a valid response.
• claude --model claude-sonnet-4-6 -p "Reply exactly: OK" returns OK.
• Claude Code no longer asks for official Anthropic login for this route.
• Editor plugin uses the same Base URL and exact model ID.

11. Common errors