Claude Saver

Local proxy for Claude Code CLI that sits between your machine and api.anthropic.com. It can route requests across Haiku / Sonnet / Opus, cache non-streaming responses, and (opt-in) compress prompts so you spend fewer tokens on repeat work.

You still use Anthropic's normal billing (API key or Pro/Max subscription). This app does not replace an API key or login — it only intermediates HTTP.

Default listen address: http://127.0.0.1:8766.

---

Quickstart (≈ 30 seconds)

git clone https://github.com/cliclye/ClaudeSaver.git
cd ClaudeSaver
npm install
npm run claude        # starts the proxy if needed, launches `claude` through it

That's it. npm run claude auto-starts the proxy in the background, sets ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL for you, and execs claude. By default it runs in subscription mode (it strips ANTHROPIC_API_KEY so OAuth auth is used).

Running in two terminals is fine too:

# terminal 1
npm run dev

# terminal 2
npm run claude

To sanity-check the environment first:

npm run doctor

---

Script reference

Command	What it does
npm run claude	Launches claude through the proxy. Starts the proxy in the background if not already running. Subscription mode by default.
npm run claude -- --api-key	Same, but keeps ANTHROPIC_API_KEY in the environment (Console / API-key mode).
npm run claude -- <args>	Any args after -- are forwarded to claude.
npm run dev	Run the proxy in the foreground with hot reload.
npm run build && npm start	Production-style build + run.
npm run setup	Create .env from .env.example (optional — defaults work out of the box).
npm run doctor	Check Node version, port availability, .env, and whether claude is installed.

---

Manual setup (without the wrapper)

If you prefer to wire it up yourself:

1. Start the proxy: npm run dev

2. Point Claude Code at it in the same shell where you run claude:

   export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="http://127.0.0.1:8766"
   claude

Path A — Console API key

export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="http://127.0.0.1:8766"
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."
claude

Path B — Pro / Max / Team subscription

unset ANTHROPIC_API_KEY          # must not be set; subscription auth uses Bearer tokens
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="http://127.0.0.1:8766"
claude

If you have never logged in to Claude Code, run claude once without the proxy and complete the browser login first.

To make these permanent, drop the exports in ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc. To temporarily bypass the proxy:

env -u ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL claude

---

Configuration

.env next to package.json is loaded automatically (shell exports override it). All values are optional.

Variable	Default	Role
HOST	127.0.0.1	Bind address
PORT	8766	Listen port (must match ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL)
ANTHROPIC_UPSTREAM_URL	https://api.anthropic.com	Upstream API
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY	(unset)	Server-side API key injection for trusted setups only; leave unset for subscription users
CLAUDE_SAVER_ENABLE_COMPRESSION	(unset)	Set to 1 to enable prompt-text rewriting (off by default because it is lossy)
CLAUDE_SAVER_SKIP_MODEL_ROUTING	(unset)	Set to 1 to disable Haiku/Sonnet/Opus switching
CHEAP_MODEL	claude-haiku-4-5-20251001	Router: light requests
SMART_MODEL	claude-sonnet-4-6	Router: medium complexity
PREMIUM_MODEL	claude-opus-4-7	Router: heaviest prompts
REDIS_URL	(unset)	Shared cache; omit for in-memory LRU
CACHE_TTL_SECONDS	86400	Cache entry lifetime
CACHE_MAX_ENTRIES	5000	In-memory cache size cap

Response header x-claude-saver-cache can be HIT, MISS-STORED, SKIP, BYPASS-STREAM, or ERROR for debugging.

---

What the proxy does

• POST /v1/messages: optional compression → optional model routing → optional cache (not for streaming) → forward to Anthropic.
• Other /v1/... routes: forwarded as-is.
• GET /health: health check — returns { ok: true }.

Limitations: streaming responses are not cached. There is no repo-wide context indexer here — only request-level optimizations.

---

Security

• Bind to 127.0.0.1 unless you intend LAN access.
• Treat server ANTHROPIC_API_KEY like a secret — anyone who can reach the proxy could abuse it.

---

Troubleshooting

Run npm run doctor first; it catches most issues.

Problem	What to try
EADDRINUSE on start	Another process is on port 8766. Set PORT in .env and match it in ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL.
Connection refused from claude	Proxy not running, or ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL host/port wrong.
Claude ignores the proxy	Run echo $ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL in the same shell as claude.
Auth errors after enabling proxy (subscription)	unset ANTHROPIC_API_KEY; remove ANTHROPIC_API_KEY from .env; check /status in Claude Code.
Wrong or unsupported model	Set CLAUDE_SAVER_SKIP_MODEL_ROUTING=1 or adjust model env vars.
IDE vs CLI differs	Some IDE integrations ignore ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL; test with the CLI first.

More detail: Claude Code authentication, environment variables.