Providers
Claude Max API proxy
claude-max-api-proxy is a community tool that exposes your Claude Max/Pro subscription as an OpenAI-compatible API endpoint. This allows you to use your subscription with any tool that supports the OpenAI API format.
Why use this?
| Approach | Cost route | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropic API | Pay per token through Claude Console or cloud | Production apps, shared automation, volume |
| Claude subscription proxy | Claude Code / claude -p plan and credit rules |
Personal experiments with compatible tools |
If you have a Claude Max or Pro subscription and want to use it with OpenAI-compatible tools, this proxy may fit some personal workflows. It is not an unlimited flat-rate path. API keys remain the clearer policy and billing path for production use.
How it works
Your App → claude-max-api-proxy → Claude Code CLI / claude -p → Anthropic (OpenAI format) (converts format) (uses your login)The proxy:
- Accepts OpenAI-format requests at
http://localhost:3456/v1/chat/completions - Converts them to Claude Code CLI commands
- Returns responses in OpenAI format (streaming supported)
Getting started
Install the proxy
Requires Node.js 22+ and Claude Code CLI.
npm install -g claude-max-api-proxy # Verify Claude CLI is authenticatedclaude --versionStart the server
claude-max-api# Server runs at http://localhost:3456Test the proxy
# Health checkcurl http://localhost:3456/health # List modelscurl http://localhost:3456/v1/models # Chat completioncurl http://localhost:3456/v1/chat/completions \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "model": "claude-opus-4", "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}] }'Configure OpenClaw
Point OpenClaw at the proxy as a custom OpenAI-compatible endpoint:
{ env: { OPENAI_API_KEY: "not-needed", OPENAI_BASE_URL: "http://localhost:3456/v1", }, agents: { defaults: { model: { primary: "openai/claude-opus-4" }, }, },}Built-in catalog
| Model ID | Maps To |
|---|---|
claude-opus-4 |
Claude Opus 4 |
claude-sonnet-4 |
Claude Sonnet 4 |
claude-haiku-4 |
Claude Haiku 4 |
Advanced configuration
Proxy-style OpenAI-compatible notes
This path uses the same proxy-style OpenAI-compatible route as other custom
/v1 backends:
- Native OpenAI-only request shaping does not apply
- No
service_tier, no Responsesstore, no prompt-cache hints, and no OpenAI reasoning-compat payload shaping - Hidden OpenClaw attribution headers (
originator,version,User-Agent) are not injected on the proxy URL
Auto-start on macOS with LaunchAgent
Create a LaunchAgent to run the proxy automatically:
cat > ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.claude-max-api.plist << 'EOF'<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd"><plist version="1.0"><dict> <key>Label</key> <string>com.claude-max-api</string> <key>RunAtLoad</key> <true/> <key>KeepAlive</key> <true/> <key>ProgramArguments</key> <array> <string>/usr/local/bin/node</string> <string>/usr/local/lib/node_modules/claude-max-api-proxy/dist/server/standalone.js</string> </array> <key>EnvironmentVariables</key> <dict> <key>PATH</key> <string>/usr/local/bin:/opt/homebrew/bin:~/.local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin</string> </dict></dict></plist>EOF launchctl bootstrap gui/$(id -u) ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.claude-max-api.plistNotes
- This is a community tool, not officially supported by Anthropic or OpenClaw
- Requires an active Claude Max/Pro subscription with Claude Code CLI authenticated
- Inherits Claude Code
claude -pbilling, usage-credit, and rate-limit behavior - The proxy runs locally and does not send data to any third-party servers
- Streaming responses are fully supported
Related
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