Developer workflow · Hands-on

Connecting Claude Code to Parel

You use Claude Code daily. The Anthropic subscription is $200/month, but 80% of your day is simple file navigation and edits. Solution: keep Claude Code as it is, route the model brain through Parel. Use tm_qwen3coder ($0.18/M tokens) for routine work, claude-opus-4-7 only for hard refactors. Setup takes 30 seconds.

Time5 min read · 30 sec setup

RoleDeveloper, ML eng.

OSmacOS · Linux · Windows

Parel ships an Anthropic Messages API compatible proxy. Set two env vars (ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL + ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN) and Claude Code's /model picker shows Parel's 100+ models. Command, IDE integration, MCP setup all stay the same.

1. Install the Parel CLI (30 seconds)

install

# macOS / Linux
curl -fsSL https://parel.cloud/install.sh | sh

# Windows (PowerShell)
iwr -useb https://parel.cloud/install.ps1 | iex

# Brew alternative
brew install parel-cloud/tap/parel

# 30 seconds, doesn't touch the claude command

2. Login + Claude Code init

parel auth + claude-code init

parel auth login           # opens a browser for OAuth
parel claude-code init     # writes env vars to ~/.zshrc or $PROFILE
parel claude-code status   # verify: ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL set?

# Open a fresh terminal and continue

parel claude-code init writes 4 env lines to your shell profile (idempotent, running it twice doesn't duplicate). To roll back run parel claude-code uninstall.

3. Smoke test

curl connectivity check

# Verify with curl before opening Claude Code
curl https://api.parel.cloud/anthropic/v1/messages \
  -H "x-api-key: $ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN" \
  -H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d &#039;{
    "model": "claude-opus-4-7",
    "max_tokens": 64,
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "One sentence: which model are you?"}]
  }&#039;

# Expected: 200 + Claude's reply
# 401 = ANTHROPIC_API_KEY must be empty (empty string)
# 404 = wrong model name (claude-opus-4-7, not "4.7")

4. Three lanes in the model picker

Open Claude Code (claude), type /model. Parel's three lanes appear:

Lane	Example	$/M tokens	For
Showcase	`claude-opus-4-7`, `gpt-5.4`	$15-$30	Hard refactor, architectural decisions
Showcase	`claude-haiku-4-5`, `gemini-3-flash`	$1-$3	Quick edits, file navigation
Instant	`tm_qwen3coder`, `tm_qwen3max`	$0.18-$0.42	Routine coding, most work
Instant	`tm_llama3370b`, `tm_gpt4omini`	$0.18-$0.30	Test writing, simple edits
BYOM	`byom-d2k7x9`	$0.22-$3.20/hr	Your fine-tune

two-model flow

# Claude Code's /model picker now shows 3 lanes:
#
# claude-opus-4-7      (showcase — hard refactors, complex debugging)
# tm_qwen3coder        (instant — routine coding, file navigation)
# tm_gpt4omini         (instant — fast hot-fixes, simple edits)
# byom-DEPLOY_ID       (BYOM — your fine-tune)
#
# Example flow:
#   1. claude --model tm_qwen3coder  → plan a 50-file refactor
#   2. /model claude-opus-4-7        → review the critical diff first
#   3. /model tm_qwen3coder          → apply to the other 49 files

5. Manual install (without the CLI)

Skip the CLI by writing the four env vars yourself. ANTHROPIC_API_KEY must be an empty string; otherwise the Anthropic login picker isn't bypassed and Claude Code goes to Anthropic instead of Parel.

shell profile

# If you don't want to install the CLI, write env vars yourself
# ~/.zshrc, ~/.bash_profile or $PROFILE
export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="parel_pk_xxxxxxxxxxxx"  # Parel key, app.parel.cloud/api-keys
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=""                          # MUST be empty
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.parel.cloud/anthropic"
export ANTHROPIC_CUSTOM_MODEL_OPTION="parel/claude-opus-4-7"

Tool-use compatibility

Claude Code's productivity comes largely from tool-use (file read/write, shell, MCP). Tool-use across lanes:

Model	Tool-use	Note
claude-*	Full	Native, Parel passes through
tm_qwen3coder	Full	Function-call → Anthropic tool_use mapping
tm_gpt4omini	Full	OpenAI function → Anthropic tool_use
BYOM (vLLM)	Full	Requires `--enable-auto-tool-choice`
BYOM (TGI)	Limited	No native function-call; "JSON only" prompting recommended

Decision

Ship

Smoke 200, picker shows Parel entries, agentic flow (file + shell + commit) works on tm_qwen3coder. Cancel the subscription, keep going on a Parel key.

Hybrid

Routine on tm_qwen3coder, hard refactors on claude-opus-4-7. The $200/month subscription becomes a variable Parel bill — most teams see a 60-80% reduction.

Stop

If you only have one senior workflow doing hard refactors and debugging, the Anthropic showcase is enough. Until you need BYOM or open models, stay on the direct subscription.

Claude Code setup page Create an API key