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

Code
Your App → claude-max-api-proxy → Claude Code CLI / claude -p → Anthropic     (OpenAI format)              (converts format)          (uses your login)

The proxy:

  1. Accepts OpenAI-format requests at http://localhost:3456/v1/chat/completions
  2. Converts them to Claude Code CLI commands
  3. Returns responses in OpenAI format (streaming supported)

Getting started

  • Install the proxy

    Requires Node.js 22+ and Claude Code CLI.

    bash
    npm install -g claude-max-api-proxy # Verify Claude CLI is authenticatedclaude --version
  • Start the server

    bash
    claude-max-api# Server runs at http://localhost:3456
  • Test the proxy

    bash
    # 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:

    json5
    {  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 Responses store, 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:

    bash
    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.plist

    Notes

    • 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 -p billing, 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
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