Blog

Guide

What Is a Claude-Compatible API Relay? A Plain Explainer

A claude compatible api relay speaks the same endpoints Claude Code already uses. Here's how relays work, why your CLI can't tell, and whether to trust one.

2026-06-16 7

Yazhou Hu

Comparison

Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs Opus 4.8 in Claude Code: Which to Run

Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs Opus 4.8 for Claude Code: Sonnet is cheaper and faster for daily coding; Opus 4.8 wins hard refactors and architecture. Task-by-task picks, token cost, and the in-session /model switch.

2026-06-09 7

Yazhou Hu

Comparison

Claude Code vs Codex CLI in 2026: An Honest Head-to-Head

Claude Code vs Codex CLI compared on workflow, protocol, and config — run both agentic coding CLIs off one sk-relay key because we expose both protocols.

2026-06-06 8

Yazhou Hu

Guide

Claude Opus 4.8 in Claude Code: Setup, the 1M Context Window, and What It Costs

Run Claude Opus 4.8 in Claude Code: exact model IDs, the ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL setup, whether the 1M-token context window is still available, and how to keep the bill down.

2026-06-06 7

Yazhou Hu

Troubleshooting

Fix a Claude Code Connection Error or Timeout: A Diagnostic Ladder

A Claude Code connection error or timeout usually has a boring cause. Here's the diagnostic ladder to tell a real network/config fault from the model thinking.

2026-06-06 7

Yazhou Hu

Comparison

Claude Code Pricing in 2026: Pro vs Max vs Pay-As-You-Go API

A plain-English breakdown of what Claude Code actually costs in 2026 — the official Pro and Max subscription tiers, how token-metered API billing compares, and when a relay subscription at a fraction of the price makes sense.

2026-06-05 8

Yazhou Hu

Tutorial

Using Cline and Roo Code with a Claude-Compatible API

Step-by-step setup for pointing Cline and Roo Code — the VS Code AI coding extensions — at an Anthropic-compatible relay. Provider settings, base URL, model IDs, and the gotchas with OpenAI-compatible vs native Anthropic mode.

2026-06-04 7

Yazhou Hu

Announcement

Codex CLI, OpenAI SDK & LiteLLM with Claude: OpenAI-Compatible Setup

Point Codex CLI, the OpenAI SDK, or LiteLLM at Claude models with one OpenAI-compatible key. Exact /v1/responses and /v1/chat/completions setup, the wire_api gotcha, and a Codex config.toml walkthrough.

2026-05-15 6

Yazhou Hu

Engineering Notes

A 15-Second CPU Stall From One Unclosed XML Tag

Postmortem on a relay process that pegged a single core for fifteen seconds straight. Catastrophic regex backtracking on user-controlled input. Three-character fix, three-layer defense (bounded quantifier + per-request watchdog + nginx next_upstream).

2026-05-06 9

Yazhou Hu

Engineering Notes

Reasoning Blocks at the Relay: What Changes When the Upstream Emits Thinking

Open-weight reasoning models (DeepSeek V3.x, MiniMax M-series, Qwen3 reasoning) now ship interleaved thinking blocks. Notes on translating that to Claude Code's Anthropic-protocol contract — block ordering, signature handling, tool-use interleaving, and SSE shape.

2026-05-06 10

Yazhou Hu

Engineering Notes

Tool-Use IDs in the Wild: When the Same ID Appears Twice

Long Claude Code sessions sometimes produced duplicate `tool_use_id` values from the upstream model. Naive fixes break round-trip correlation; the working answer is occurrence-counter dedup with two-direction translation. With diagnostic dumps for the cases that still slip.

2026-05-06 8

Yazhou Hu

Engineering

Why Claude Code Sessions Break Past 400K Tokens — And the Self-Audit Pattern That Fixes It

Long Claude Code conversations degrade past ~400K tokens: fabricated paths, skipped TODOs, contradicted decisions. The naive fix (open a new window) fails because self-summaries lie. Here is the self-audit pattern that catches the lying — and the open-source skill that automates it.

2026-04-24 9

Yazhou Hu

Guide

Claude Code on a Budget: A Solo Developer Starter Guide

How to run Claude Code for free or under $5/month as a solo developer. Free tier tactics, when to upgrade, model selection, and the 2026 solo dev stack.

2026-04-23 9

Yazhou Hu

Guide

Running Claude Code from China: A Practical 2026 Guide

Real options for running Claude Code productively from mainland China: VPN tradeoffs, domestic-accessible relays, self-hosted proxies, and a 60-second setup with Alipay/WeChat billing.

2026-04-23 10

Yazhou Hu

Guide

Claude Code Tool Use: A Complete Developer Guide

Deep dive into Claude Code's six core tools (Read, Edit, Write, Bash, Grep, Glob), how the model decides which tool to call, parallel tool calls, and how to debug when tool use fails.

2026-04-23 11

Yazhou Hu

Troubleshooting

Fix Claude Code 429 "Rate Limit Exceeded": Complete Triage Guide

Step-by-step triage for Claude Code 429 errors. Learn the three types of rate limits, how to read headers, short-term workarounds, and the structural fix via a multi-provider relay.

2026-04-23 9

Yazhou Hu

Guide

How to Use Claude Code Without Paying $200/Month

Learn how to use Claude Code without the expensive Max subscription. Free and cheap alternatives that give you the same agentic coding experience for under $15/month.

2026-04-11 8

Yazhou Hu

Comparison

Claude Code vs Cursor vs GitHub Copilot: Which AI Coding Tool is Best in 2026?

In-depth comparison of Claude Code, Cursor, and GitHub Copilot in 2026. Features, pricing, performance benchmarks, and which tool fits your workflow best.

2026-04-10 10

Yazhou Hu

Tutorial

Claude Code API Key: Complete Guide to Setup and Configuration

Step-by-step guide to getting and configuring your API key for Claude Code. Covers Anthropic keys, third-party providers, environment variables, and troubleshooting common errors.

2026-04-09 7

Yazhou Hu

Guide

Claude Code Rate Limits Explained: How to Avoid Getting Throttled

Understand Claude Code rate limits, what causes 429 errors, and practical solutions to avoid getting throttled. Covers Anthropic limits, Pro/Max plan caps, and alternative providers.

2026-04-08 8

Yazhou Hu