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Claude Code is a strong agent, but Claude tokens aren’t cheap. The thing is, the agent itself isn’t tied to Anthropic’s models. Through RuAPI you can put it on deepseek-v4-pro and get the same interface, the same file edits and command runs — at DeepSeek prices. Over one real working day that comes out about 25× cheaper. Here’s how it works: RuAPI accepts Claude Code’s requests in Anthropic format (/v1/messages) and translates them into the DeepSeek format itself. To Claude Code it all looks like ordinary Claude — no proxy, no router needed.
This builds on the base Claude Code setup. If Claude Code isn’t installed yet, start there — this page only covers what changes for DeepSeek.

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What you’ll need

  • A RuAPI token (sk-...) with a positive balance. Sign up at www.ruapi.ai; top up in USDT — see Top-up.
  • Claude Code installed — claude --version should print a version number. Installation is on the Claude Code page.

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Setup

Open ~/.claude/settings.json (on Windows, %USERPROFILE%\.claude\settings.json) and add: 
{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://www.ruapi.ai",
    "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "sk-your-RuAPI-token",
    "ANTHROPIC_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-pro",
    "ANTHROPIC_SMALL_FAST_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-flash"
  }
}
Four lines, and Claude Code runs on DeepSeek.
FieldMeaning
ANTHROPIC_BASE_URLRuAPI endpoint. No trailing /v1
ANTHROPIC_API_KEYYour RuAPI token (sk-...), not an Anthropic key
ANTHROPIC_MODELThe main model. deepseek-v4-pro does the actual work
ANTHROPIC_SMALL_FAST_MODELModel for small internal tasks (session titles, background calls). deepseek-v4-flash is the cheapest option
Don’t append /v1 to ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL. The Anthropic client adds /v1/messages itself; an extra /v1 returns 404.
If you prefer environment variables or switching via CC Switch, both methods from the base guide work the same way — you just change the model names to deepseek-v4-pro and deepseek-v4-flash.

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First run

Open a new terminal so the settings load, and go into a project: 
cd ~/some-project
claude
Give it a coding task: 
> Find where errors are handled in this project and show me that file
Claude Code will read files, call tools and answer — as usual. In RuAPI Console → Logs you’ll see a fresh request with model deepseek-v4-pro (not Claude) and the tokens it spent — that’s your confirmation it’s going through DeepSeek.

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What to expect

  • Tools work. Reading and editing files, running commands, searching the project — Claude Code’s whole agent loop runs through DeepSeek.
  • Streaming is on: the answer prints as it’s generated.
  • You’ll see the reasoning. DeepSeek V4 is a reasoning model, so before answering Claude Code sometimes shows a thinking block. That’s expected.
DeepSeek can’t read images. Paste a screenshot into Claude Code and DeepSeek won’t process it — the line has no vision. For that, switch to a vision model mid-session with /model claude-sonnet-5.

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When to go back to Claude

DeepSeek V4 Pro handles almost everything, but now and then you want top quality. Without leaving the session, switch the model: 
/model claude-sonnet-5
The same way gets you back to deepseek-v4-pro. It’s convenient to keep DeepSeek as the default and bring in Claude only for the hardest spots or image tasks. One RuAPI token covers every model, with no surcharge for switching.

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How much it saves

Saving money is the whole point of the combo. For one real day of Claude Code — 405 million tokens — the bill on Claude Sonnet would be $167; on deepseek-v4-pro it’s about $7. The line-by-line breakdown is in DeepSeek vs Claude: what one day of work actually costs.

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Troubleshooting

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY must be a RuAPI token (sk-...), not an Anthropic key (sk-ant-...). Check for stray spaces when copying, and that the token is active in Console → Tokens.
Check the spelling: deepseek-v4-pro and deepseek-v4-flash. And don’t append /v1 to ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL.
Top up in USDT — see Top-up. Tokens burn slowly on DeepSeek, but long tool-heavy sessions still spend from your balance.
That’s by design: DeepSeek has no vision. Switch to a vision model with /model — see Claude models.

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Next

Base Claude Code setup

Install, configuration methods and provider switching.

DeepSeek vs Claude: cost of a day

A line-by-line breakdown and the 25–30× gap.

DeepSeek API

Pro and Flash: how they differ and what they do.

Top up your balance

USDT, networks and top-up discounts.