Knowledge Base Sections ▾

Navigation

▸ Start here By roles

Categories

Tools 52
Glossary 12

Tools

Claude Code + Gonka AI - LLM for the terminal

Claude Code is a powerful AI assistant for terminal-based development. It works with Git, the file system, runs tests, and refactors code. However, native Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $3-15 per 1M tokens, and with active use, your weekly bill can exceed $200.

JoinGonka Gateway supports the native Anthropic API (/v1/messages) — Claude Code connects directly without a proxy. Use models like MiniMax M2.7, DeepSeek V4 Flash, and GLM-5.3 Flash via the decentralized Gonka network for $0.0069/1M tokens — hundreds of times cheaper, with comparable quality on coding tasks.

Setup takes 2 minutes: one installation command or a few environment variables.

Step 1: Get API Key

If you don't have a JoinGonka Gateway key yet:

  1. Sign up at gate.joingonka.ai/register.
  2. Get a bonus of 3M free tokens.
  3. Create an API key in Dashboard → API Keys.
  4. Copy the key (format: jg-xxx).

One key works with any OpenAI-compatible tool: Cursor, Aider, LangChain, etc.

Step 2: Connect Claude Code

JoinGonka Gateway natively supports the Anthropic Messages API (/v1/messages) — no proxy needed.

The recommended approach is the one-command installer:

npx @joingonka/setup --tool claude-code

This is the universal JoinGonka installer: run it without a flag — npx @joingonka/setup — and it will prompt you to pick a tool from a list. There are already 25 of them: Claude Code, Codex CLI, OpenClaw, Cursor, Cline, and others — see the full list in the package README.

The installer will ask for your API key, back up ~/.claude/settings.json, and write only its own fields into the env block, leaving the rest of your settings untouched: the gateway URL (ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL), the key (ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN), the model (ANTHROPIC_MODEL and the opus, sonnet, haiku aliases), and its real limits — CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_CONTEXT_TOKENS and CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_OUTPUT_TOKENS. The limits matter: for an unfamiliar identifier, Claude Code assumes its own context window and fails to compact the history in time, while the network's models have their own window — from 200K to 390K tokens. The file containing the key is given 600 permissions. DeepSeek V4 Flash is installed by default; use the --model minimax|deepseek|glm flag to choose another model. With the --scope local flag, settings are written to the current project's .claude/settings.local.json, and that file is added to .gitignore.

Manual setup (plan B)

Or do it manually — via environment variables:

export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://gate.joingonka.ai
export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN=jg-your-key
export ANTHROPIC_MODEL=deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-V4-Flash-0731
export CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_CONTEXT_TOKENS=380000
export CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_OUTPUT_TOKENS=32768
claude

The first two variables point Claude Code at the gateway: requests go out in the native Anthropic format, and the Gateway converts them into requests to the Gonka network and returns the response in Anthropic format. ANTHROPIC_MODEL pins the network model — without it, Claude Code will send its own claude-* identifier, and the gateway will substitute the default model. The last two declare the actual context window and response ceiling of the chosen model (requires Claude Code 2.1.223 or newer): otherwise, for an unfamiliar identifier, Claude Code assumes its own window and fails to compact the history in time. Values for other network models are in the "Working tips" section below.

What's supported:

  • Streaming — the response starts displaying right away (SSE in Anthropic format: message_start, content_block_delta, message_stop)
  • Tool calling — Claude Code makes heavy use of functions for working with files and commands. Native tool calling across all network models.
  • System prompts — system prompts are passed through as-is

Verification: ask Claude Code any question. If a response appears, everything is working.

For Windows/PowerShell:

$env:ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://gate.joingonka.ai"
$env:ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="jg-your-key"
$env:ANTHROPIC_MODEL="deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-V4-Flash-0731"
$env:CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_CONTEXT_TOKENS="380000"
$env:CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_OUTPUT_TOKENS="32768"
claude

The old narrow installer npx @joingonka/claude-code has been replaced by the universal @joingonka/setup and is no longer maintained — use the new one.

Cost Comparison with Anthropic

Claude Code is one of the most "resource-intensive" AI tools: it sends full file contexts, command history, and diffs. A typical session consumes 20-50M tokens.

ProviderModelInput/Output price per 1M4hr session (~30M tokens)Month (20 work days)
JoinGonkaMiniMax M2.7 / DeepSeek V4 Flash / GLM-5.3 Flash$0.0069 / $0.021$0.14$2.9
AnthropicClaude Sonnet 4.6$3.00 / $15.00$210$4,200
OpenAIGPT-5.5$5.00 / $30.00$300$6,000

The difference is three orders of magnitude. For $2.9 per month via JoinGonka, you get what costs $4,200+ at Anthropic. For an indie developer, this is the difference between "I can afford an AI assistant" and "I can't".

Usage Tips

A few recommendations for efficient work with Claude Code via Gonka:

  • Context: MiniMax M2.7 has a 200K token context window (~100K words) — enough for most projects, DeepSeek V4 Flash has 380K, and GLM-5.3 Flash has 390K. The maximum output length via Gateway is 8192 tokens for MiniMax M2.7 and GLM-5.3 Flash, 32768 for DeepSeek V4 Flash. For long generations, you might need to split the task into parts. The current list of network models is available at GET https://gate.joingonka.ai/v1/models.
  • Streaming: The Gateway supports streaming in the native Anthropic format — the response starts appearing immediately, just like with native Claude.
  • Tool calling: All network models support native tool calling, which is important for Claude Code — the tool actively uses functions to work with files and commands.
  • Latency: The first request may take 5-10 seconds (node cold start). Subsequent requests take 1-3 seconds.
  • Other tools: JoinGonka Gateway is also compatible with the OpenAI API — Aider, OpenCode, Cursor connect via /v1/chat/completions.

For developers who prefer other terminal tools, see also: Aider, OpenCode.

Claude Code + Gonka = powerful terminal AI assistant for ~$0.60/month instead of $4,200 from Anthropic. Direct connection via Anthropic API — no proxy: one installer command, 2 minutes. Free tokens at startup.
← Cursor + Gonka AI - cheap LLM for coding OpenClaw + Gonka AI - affordable AI agents →

Want to learn more?

Explore other sections or start earning GNK right now.

Get free tokens →