Claude VS Code Setup With AI API Gateway

Prerequisites

Required Software

System Requirements

AI API Gateway details / API Key

• Base URL: https://aiapi-prod.stanford.edu (or your environment's gateway URL)
• API Key: Your own AI API key (provided via secure email)

Installation  

1. Open VS Code
2. Open Extensions panel: ⌘/Ctrl + Shift + X
3. Search for "Claude Code"
4. Click Install
5. Restart VS Code if prompted

AI API Gateway configuration: Claude Code

Claude Code uses environment variables for gateway routing. Configure these via a global config file.

Step 1 — Create Claude Code Global Config Folder (if needed)

If you already have Claude Code configured, you may skip this.

_shell

mkdir -p ~/.claude

Step 2 — Create/Update Settings File

Edit:

_shell

vi ~/.claude/settings.json

Paste (replace placeholders):

_shell

vi ~/.claude/settings.json
	> insert mode
	> paste the below json (save the settings.json)
{
	"$schema": 
"https://json.schemastore.org/claude-code-settings.json",
	"env": {
		"ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://aiapi-prod.stanford.edu",
		"ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "YOUR_AIAPI_KEY",
		"CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_EXPERIMENTAL_BETAS": "1",
		"DISABLE_PROMPT_CACHING": "1"
	}
}

Step 3 — Verify File Contents

_shell

vi ~/.claude/settings.json

Notes:

• The flags help avoid errors related to anthropic-beta headers and prompt caching behavior.

Configuration: VS Code

Step 1 — Install Claude Code Extension

• Install from VS Code Extensions Marketplace

Step 2 — Disable Login Prompt

Open:

• Command Palette → Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON)

Add:

_shell

{
	"claudeCode.disableLoginPrompt": true
}

Step 3 — Force Model Name (must match gateway alias)

In the same settings JSON, set the model:

_shell

{
	"claudeCode.disableLoginPrompt": true,
	"claudeCode.selectedModel": 
	"claude-4-sonnet/claude-opus-4-6"//Choose from the Available models.
}

Use a model name that exists in your AI API Gateway's /models list (see Section 5).

Available Models

Step 4 — Fully Restart VS Code

Quit VS Code completely and reopen it (restart is required for settings/env to apply reliably).

Configuration fields explained

Model Information / Model Alias Notes

Claude Code requires the selected model name to match a valid gateway model alias.

To confirm available model aliases:

_shell

curl -s https://aiapi-prod.stanford.edu/v1/models \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_AIAPI_KEY"

Available Models

• Confirm your chosen alias (example: claude-opus-4-6) is present.
• If you see "invalid model" errors, update claudeCode.selectedModel to a valid alias.

Advanced Options / Recommended Flags

Recommended in ~/.claude/settings.json:

• CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_EXPERIMENTAL_BETAS=1
• DISABLE_PROMPT_CACHING=1

Purpose:

• Reduces the chance of gateway errors related to unsupported headers/behaviors.

Validation (Test Cases)

Run the following inside the Claude Code panel in VS Code.

Test Case 1 — Basic Connectivity

Input:

Say OK 

Expected:

• Normal response
• No login prompt
• No 401/403 errors
• No anthropic-beta header errors

Test Case 2 — Model Verification

Input:

What model are you using?

Expected:

• Responds normally
• No "invalid model" error

Test Case 3 — Code Generation Test

Create a new file called test.js, then ask:

Write a simple Node.js Express server that returns Hello World.

Expected:

• Valid Express server code
• No API / gateway errors

Test Case 4 — Multi-line Response Test

Input:

Explain how REST APIs work in 5 bullet points. 

Expected:

• Proper formatting
• No truncation/timeouts

Test Case 5 — Large Prompt Test

Paste a longer paragraph (10–20 lines) and ask:

Summarize this.

Expected:

• Summary returned
• No prompt-caching or anthropic-beta header errors

Troubleshooting / Common Errors

• 401/403 (Unauthorized/Forbidden)
  • API key missing/incorrect in ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN
  • Gateway key not valid for the environment
• Invalid model / model mismatch
  • claudeCode.selectedModel does not match a gateway alias
  • Validate via GET /models (Section 5)
• Login prompt still appears
  • Confirm claudeCode.disableLoginPrompt: true
  • Fully restart VS Code
• Header-related gateway errors (anthropic-beta / prompt caching)
  • Ensure these are set in ~/.claude/settings.json:
    • CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_EXPERIMENTAL_BETAS=1
    • DISABLE_PROMPT_CACHING=1