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August 31, 2026

Getting Started with Claude Code using Agent Router (Beginner’s Guide)

In today’s world of AI-powered development, tools like Claude Code from Anthropic can save developers hours of work by making coding more…

By Satyam Gupta

2 min read

In today's world of AI-powered development, tools like Claude Code from Anthropic can save developers hours of work by making coding more interactive and intelligent. However, if you want to connect Claude Code to a proxy like Agent Router, the installation and setup process may look confusing at first.

This article walks you through everything step-by-step — from installation to first run.

What is CLI Claude code?

Claude Code is a command-line interface (CLI) tool by Anthropic that lets you interact with Claude directly in your coding environment. Think of it as having an AI coding assistant right inside your terminal.

Signup Using this link : https://agentrouter.org/register?aff=tQl3

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Homepage of Agentrouter.org

Why Use Agent Router?

1. Agent Router acts as a proxy layer that can:

2. Manage multiple API providers (like Anthropic, OpenAI, etc.)

3. Provide a single, stable endpoint

4. Simplify authentication and routing

5. By setting Claude Code to use Agent Router, you gain more flexibility in how requests are handled.

🛠 Step 1: Install Node.js

First, make sure Node.js (v18+) is installed. Check with from PowerShell as administrator:

node -v
npm -v

If not installed, grab it from 👉 https://nodejs.org

🛠 Step 2: Install Claude Code

Claude Code can be installed globally using npm (or pnpm if you prefer). Since many beginners don't have pnpm installed, we'll use npm:

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Verify installation from

claude --version

If you see a version number, you're ready to go.

🛠 Step 3: Get Your Agent Router API Key

Visit 👉 https://agentrouter.org/console/token

Generate and copy your API key (looks like sk-xxxx...).

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🛠 Step 4: Configure Environment Variables

Claude Code needs to know where to send requests. In your terminal:

On linux/macOS, add them to your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc

export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://agentrouter.org/
export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN=sk-xxx
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-xxx

In Windows Powershell:

setx ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL "https://agentrouter.org/"
setx ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN "sk-xxx"
setx ANTHROPIC_API_KEY "sk-xxx"

⚠️ Replace sk-xxx with your actual API key.

On Windows → use the System Environment Variables settings or keep setx commands permanent.

Tip: On Windows, you'll need to restart PowerShell for the changes to apply.

🛠 Step 5: Start Using Claude Code

Open your cmd/terminal, navigate to your project folder and launch Claude using:

claude

You'll now be able to interact with Claude directly in your terminal, routed through Agent Router.

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Applications:

  1. Refactor Your Project Files with Claude Code:

Instead of manually rewriting functions or cleaning up code, you can ask Claude directly:

claude refactor myfile.js

Claude can:

  • Improve readability and structure
  • Suggest performance optimizations
  • Even add inline documentation

This makes it a handy pair-programmer right inside your terminal.

2. Explore Multi-Provider Setups in Agent Router

Agent Router doesn't just work with Anthropic. You can configure it to handle multiple AI providers (like OpenAI, Mistral, or Llama). This way, you can:

  • Route some tasks to Claude (for reasoning/coding)
  • Send others to GPT (for general chat)
  • Use fallback routing when one provider is overloaded

For example, you could configure:

export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://agentrouter.org/provider/claude
export OPENAI_BASE_URL=https://agentrouter.org/provider/openai

and switch seamlessly between them.

3. Automate Workflows with Shell Scripts

You can chain Claude Code into your development workflow. For example, create a script like:

#!/bin/bash
# auto-review.sh
echo "Reviewing code with Claude..."
claude review my-project/

This way, every time you commit, Claude can automatically review and provide suggestions. It's like adding an AI-powered CI/CD step.

Thanks for reading till the end : )

Setting up Claude Code with Agent Router is simple: install, configure, and run. With this setup, you get a powerful AI coding assistant in your terminal, flexible routing across providers, and the ability to streamline your development workflow.