Claude Code on Tensormesh

Get stock Claude Code CLI driving open-weight models against Tensormesh in 5 minutes. No config file, no proxy — just three environment variables. Every model listed below supports the full Claude Code flow today (chat + tool use); MiniMaxAI/MiniMax-M2.5 is the recommended default.

Quick Links

Sign up / Log in

Create your Tensormesh account with Google or GitHub.

Get an API key

Generate an ak-... key under Profile → API keys.

Install Claude Code

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code — verified against 2.1.145+.

Supported models

Matrix of Claude-Code-ready models on Tensormesh serverless.

Get support

Email saas-support@tensormesh.ai for help.

TL;DR

Three environment variables, no config file:

# Step 1 — install Claude Code CLI (skip if already installed)
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

# Step 2 — point Claude Code at Tensormesh (add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc to persist)
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://serverless.tensormesh.ai
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=ak-...

# Run it — --bare tells Claude Code to authenticate strictly via
# ANTHROPIC_API_KEY (no OAuth/keychain fallback). Required for the
# interactive TUI when using a custom base URL.
claude --bare

That’s the full setup — no config.toml, no PATH change, no proxy.

Running claude --bare every time gets old. Persist it as an alias so plain claude Just Works:

echo "alias claude='claude --bare'" >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

For one-shot prompts (claude -p "..."), the --bare flag isn’t strictly required — the Anthropic SDK uses ANTHROPIC_API_KEY in non-interactive mode. But keeping it consistent is cleaner.

Prerequisites

Claude Code CLI installed via npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code. Verified against 2.1.145 (chat + tool use end-to-end); forward-compatible with later versions barring upstream Claude Code breaking changes.
A Tensormesh account with an API key (ak-...). Sign up, then visit Profile → API keys.
macOS or Linux, bash or zsh. Windows binaries ship in recent Claude Code releases but aren’t currently tested by Tensormesh.

Tensormesh accepts Claude Code’s native x-api-key header. You do not need to use claude login or the Anthropic OAuth flow — those are for Anthropic-hosted models. Setting ANTHROPIC_API_KEY is sufficient.

You do not need to run any local infrastructure. Tensormesh handles the full Anthropic Messages API server-side, so stock claude pointed at serverless.tensormesh.ai is the complete setup.

Supported models

Model	Claude Code status	Notes
`MiniMaxAI/MiniMax-M2.5`	✓ chat + tool use	Recommended default; 192K context
`MiniMaxAI/MiniMax-M2.7`	✓ chat + tool use	Newer MiniMax release; 200K context
`openai/gpt-oss-120b`	✓ chat + tool use	Reasoning + tools, 128K context
`openai/gpt-oss-20b`	✓ chat + tool use	Reasoning + tools, 128K context
`Qwen/Qwen3-30B-A3B`	✓ chat + tool use	Reasoning + tools, 40K context
`Qwen/Qwen3-Coder-30B-A3B-Instruct`	✓ chat + tool use	Coding-tuned, 256K context
`Qwen/Qwen3-Coder-480B-A35B-Instruct-FP8`	✓ chat + tool use	Coding-tuned, 256K context
`moonshotai/Kimi-K2.6`	✓ chat + tool use	Reasoning + tools, 32K context
`lukealonso/GLM-5.1-NVFP4-MTP`	✓ chat + tool use	Reasoning + tools, 198K context
`deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-V4-Flash`	✓ chat + tool use	Long-context, 1M tokens

GET /v1/models reflects what’s currently available — Tensormesh hides any model that’s temporarily cold. If you see fewer models than the table lists, retry after 30–60 seconds; the first request to a cold model warms it up.

For non-Claude-Code clients (Python SDK, curl, custom apps), every model in the table works fine via /v1/messages and /v1/chat/completions as well. The matrix above is calibrated specifically for stock Claude Code CLI.

Switching models

Claude Code defaults to a Claude-family model if --model is omitted. To use a Tensormesh model, pass --model on the command line. Per-invocation overrides don’t change any defaults — they only affect the current run.

Per-invocation (no env edit)

claude --model MiniMaxAI/MiniMax-M2.5                            # MiniMax (recommended default)
claude --model MiniMaxAI/MiniMax-M2.7                            # newer MiniMax, 200K
claude --model openai/gpt-oss-120b                               # reasoning, large
claude --model openai/gpt-oss-20b                                # reasoning, small
claude --model Qwen/Qwen3-30B-A3B                                # reasoning, 40K
claude --model Qwen/Qwen3-Coder-30B-A3B-Instruct                 # coder, 256K
claude --model Qwen/Qwen3-Coder-480B-A35B-Instruct-FP8           # coder, 256K
claude --model moonshotai/Kimi-K2.6                              # Kimi reasoning, 32K
claude --model lukealonso/GLM-5.1-NVFP4-MTP                      # GLM 5.1, 198K
claude --model deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-V4-Flash                     # DeepSeek, 1M context

Set a default for every session

The cleanest way to pin a Tensormesh model as your everyday default is ANTHROPIC_MODEL, persisted alongside the other two env vars:

# Add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://serverless.tensormesh.ai
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=ak-...
export ANTHROPIC_MODEL=MiniMaxAI/MiniMax-M2.5

After reloading your shell, claude (no --model) uses the model above. Per-invocation --model still overrides.

Optional: shell aliases for frequent switching

If you switch models often, add aliases to your ~/.zshrc (zsh) or ~/.bashrc (bash):

alias cc-mini='claude --model MiniMaxAI/MiniMax-M2.5'
alias cc-gpt='claude --model openai/gpt-oss-120b'
alias cc-qwen='claude --model Qwen/Qwen3-30B-A3B'
alias cc-coder='claude --model Qwen/Qwen3-Coder-480B-A35B-Instruct-FP8'
alias cc-coder-small='claude --model Qwen/Qwen3-Coder-30B-A3B-Instruct'
alias cc-kimi='claude --model moonshotai/Kimi-K2.6'
alias cc-deepseek='claude --model deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-V4-Flash'

Reload your shell, then run cc-coder from any directory to start a Claude Code session against that model.

Setup

The three steps from the TL;DR, with explanation.

Install Claude Code CLI

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

This installs the claude command to your global node_modules/bin. Verify with claude --version.

Point Claude Code at Tensormesh

Set two environment variables in your shell (add them to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc to persist):

export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://serverless.tensormesh.ai
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=ak-...

ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL redirects the Anthropic SDK away from api.anthropic.com to Tensormesh. ANTHROPIC_API_KEY is sent as the x-api-key header on every request (Anthropic-SDK convention).

Fresh setup
Already using Claude Code with Anthropic

Add both lines to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc, then source the file or open a new terminal.

If you currently use Claude Code against Anthropic’s hosted models, just override the two variables in the shell where you want Tensormesh:

ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://serverless.tensormesh.ai \
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=ak-... \
  claude

Or set them per-shell when working on a Tensormesh-targeted project, and unset for Claude work. The two providers are mutually exclusive within a single claude invocation.

Don’t have a key yet? Generate one in your profile.

(Optional) pin a default model

Without ANTHROPIC_MODEL, Claude Code defaults to a Claude-family model, which won’t resolve on Tensormesh. Either pass --model on every invocation, or set the default once:

export ANTHROPIC_MODEL=MiniMaxAI/MiniMax-M2.5

Persist alongside the other two env vars.

Usage

# Interactive TUI (works in any directory)
# --bare is required: it tells Claude Code to authenticate strictly
# via ANTHROPIC_API_KEY. Without it, the TUI tries OAuth/keychain
# first and shows "Not logged in" even when your env vars are set.
claude --bare

# One-shot prompt — --bare optional here; Anthropic SDK uses
# ANTHROPIC_API_KEY by default in non-interactive mode.
claude -p "Explain what foo.py does"

# Interactive TUI + bypass all permission prompts (sandbox use only —
# see Permission modes below)
claude --bare --dangerously-skip-permissions

The --bare requirement for the TUI is a property of Claude Code’s auth precedence — when a custom ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL is set, Claude Code’s interactive mode still tries OAuth/keychain first by default. --bare switches it to strict env-var auth. The alias in the TL;DR tip is the simplest way to make this transparent for daily use.

Slash commands in TUI

Inside an interactive claude session, type / to bring up the command picker (autocomplete). The set of commands varies slightly between Claude Code versions, so the picker is the source of truth. To exit a session cleanly, type /exit or press Ctrl-D twice.

Permission and sandbox modes

By default, Claude Code asks for confirmation before each file write, shell command, and tool call. Three modes:

Mode	When to use
(no flag)	Default — prompts before each potentially-impactful action. Safest for unfamiliar prompts.
`--dangerously-skip-permissions`	Bypasses all permission checks (writes, shell, tool calls). Per Anthropic’s guidance, recommended only for sandboxes with no internet access — i.e. an isolated container or VM where a misbehaving agent can’t reach outside resources.
`--bare`	Strips hooks, plugins, auto-memory, keychain reads, and `CLAUDE.md` auto-discovery. Auth is restricted to `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` (no OAuth or keychain fallback), which is the path Tensormesh uses — so `--bare` is the most predictable mode for scripts and CI.

--bare is the recommended mode when calling Claude Code from automated pipelines — fewer side effects, more deterministic behavior, no surprise interactive prompts, and a single explicit auth path. Combine with -p for one-shot prompts.

Recommended settings

MiniMaxAI/MiniMax-M2.5 is the most reliable all-purpose default for Claude Code on Tensormesh. It handles the full agentic loop (read → edit → run shell → iterate) and stays consistent across long multi-turn sessions (verified through 10+ turns of stateful workflow without drift).
For pure code generation or editing (e.g. write a function, refactor a file, translate snippets), Qwen/Qwen3-Coder-30B-A3B-Instruct (256K) or Qwen/Qwen3-Coder-480B-A35B-Instruct-FP8 are coding-tuned alternatives. They’re strong at code-generation work but can be more brittle than MiniMax on composite tool-orchestration prompts (e.g. “create file X, then run Y, then summarize”) — if you hit unexpected output, retry with a simpler one-step prompt or fall back to MiniMax.
For very long contexts, deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-V4-Flash (1M tokens) handles inputs that won’t fit elsewhere.
Stay in the default (prompted) permission mode for code you don’t fully trust. Reach for --dangerously-skip-permissions only inside a sandboxed environment with no internet access, per Anthropic’s own guidance.

Troubleshooting

When a request fails, the meaningful error message is the most recent line printed by Claude Code. Match that line against the Symptom column below.

Symptom (the actual error line)	Likely cause	Fix
`command not found: claude`	Claude Code CLI not installed	`npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code`
`Not logged in · Please run /login` (in the interactive TUI, despite `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` being set)	Claude Code’s interactive TUI tries OAuth/keychain before env-var auth. Without `--bare`, your env-var key is ignored.	Run `claude --bare` instead of plain `claude`. To make this the default, alias it: `echo "alias claude='claude --bare'" >> ~/.zshrc && source ~/.zshrc`.
`API Error: 500 Internal Server Error` (after Claude Code’s “try again” suggestion)	Most often an invalid or wrong-environment API key. Authentication failures are surfaced as 5xx, which Claude Code wraps with its retry-suggestion text.	Verify your key matches your target environment (`ak-dev-...`, `ak-staging-...`, `ak-live-...`). Quickest probe: a real POST that exercises auth, e.g. `curl -sS -X POST -H "x-api-key: $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"model":"MiniMaxAI/MiniMax-M2.5","max_tokens":5,"messages":[{"role":"user","content":"hi"}]}' https://serverless.tensormesh.ai/v1/messages` — HTTP 500 = bad key.
`There's an issue with the selected model (<slug>). It may not exist or you may not have access to it.`	Three things can produce this message: (1) typo in the model slug; (2) the model is currently cold and Tensormesh is hiding it from `/v1/models`; (3) `ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL` has a `/v1` suffix (the Anthropic SDK then double-appends `/v1`, hits an unknown path, surfaces it as a model error).	Check the supported models matrix against your spelling. Confirm `echo $ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL` returns `https://serverless.tensormesh.ai` without a `/v1` suffix (a trailing slash is fine). If the model is in the table and the URL is clean, wait 30–60 seconds and retry to warm the model.
`Maximum context length is N tokens`	Conversation grew past the model’s context window	Start a fresh session (type `/` in the TUI to see the available clear/exit commands in your version), or switch to a larger-context model (e.g., `deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-V4-Flash` for 1M tokens).
Same “It may not exist or you may not have access to it” message but the slug looks like `claude-opus-4-7…` or `claude-sonnet-…`	`ANTHROPIC_MODEL` not set and `--model` not passed — Claude Code defaulted to its own Claude-family model, which Tensormesh doesn’t serve.	Either set `ANTHROPIC_MODEL` (see Setup) or pass `--model <slug>` on every invocation.
`claude` sits silent for many seconds after a prompt, no error	`ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL` points to an unreachable host	Confirm `echo $ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL` returns `https://serverless.tensormesh.ai`. If you set it to a private URL or typo’d, requests will block until the SDK’s network timeout.

Still stuck? Email saas-support@tensormesh.ai with the meaningful error line and the output of claude --version.

Rollback / uninstall

To remove Tensormesh from your Claude Code setup:

Unset the three environment variables from your shell, and remove them from ~/.zshrc / ~/.bashrc:
unset ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL ANTHROPIC_API_KEY ANTHROPIC_MODEL
Claude Code will resume targeting Anthropic’s hosted API on its next invocation.

All actions reverse the setup steps above. No config files to clean up.

Overview

Get Started

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Account

Troubleshooting & Support

Reference

Quick Links

Sign up / Log in

Get an API key

Install Claude Code

Supported models

Get support

TL;DR

Prerequisites

Supported models

Switching models

Per-invocation (no env edit)

Set a default for every session

Optional: shell aliases for frequent switching

Setup

Usage

Slash commands in TUI

Permission and sandbox modes

Recommended settings

Troubleshooting

Rollback / uninstall

​Quick Links

Sign up / Log in

Get an API key

Install Claude Code

Supported models

Get support

​TL;DR

​Prerequisites

​Supported models

​Switching models

​Per-invocation (no env edit)

​Set a default for every session

​Optional: shell aliases for frequent switching

​Setup

​Usage

​Slash commands in TUI

​Permission and sandbox modes

​Recommended settings

​Troubleshooting

​Rollback / uninstall

Quick Links

TL;DR

Prerequisites

Supported models

Switching models

Per-invocation (no env edit)

Set a default for every session

Optional: shell aliases for frequent switching

Setup

Usage

Slash commands in TUI

Permission and sandbox modes

Recommended settings

Troubleshooting

Rollback / uninstall