Skip to main content
Claude Code is Anthropic’s CLI tool for interacting with Claude models. It allows you to use Claude’s capabilities directly from your terminal for development and analysis tasks. For installation instructions, see the official Claude Code documentation.
This guide was tested on April 16th, 2026. If it’s not working, please check other alternatives in the Opencode setup guide.

​
Setup Steps

1

Create a Gateway Token

Before configuring Claude Code, you need a Gateway Token from Zylon.See Token Management for detailed instructions on creating Gateway tokens.
2

Set Environment Variables

Add the following to your shell configuration file (~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc):
echo 'export ZYLON_BASE_URL="https://your-host/api/gpt"' >> ~/.zshrc
echo 'export ZYLON_API_TOKEN="your-gateway-token"' >> ~/.zshrc
echo 'export ZYLON_MODEL="default"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc
Replace your-host with your Zylon instance URL and your-gateway-token with your actual Gateway token. The model defaults to default.
Never commit environment variables containing tokens to version control. Add them to your .gitignore.
Confirm the variables are set correctly:
echo $ZYLON_BASE_URL
echo $ZYLON_API_TOKEN
echo $ZYLON_MODEL
3

Configure Claude Code

Add the following to your shell configuration file (~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc):
echo 'export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="$ZYLON_BASE_URL"' >> ~/.zshrc
echo 'export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="$ZYLON_API_TOKEN"' >> ~/.zshrc
echo 'export ANTHROPIC_MODEL="$ZYLON_MODEL"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc
4

Run Claude Code

Test your configuration by running:
claude
If configured correctly, Claude Code will connect to your Zylon instance and be ready to assist.

​
Limitations

  • Images are not supported

​
Troubleshooting

​
Connection Errors

  • Verify ZYLON_BASE_URL is correct and accessible
  • Ensure your Gateway token is valid and not expired
  • Check network connectivity to your Zylon instance

​
Authentication Failures

  • Confirm the token is copied correctly without extra whitespace
  • Regenerate the token if it may have been compromised
  • Verify the token has appropriate permissions