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Guide to Using Claude Desktop with ZenMux ​

Claude Desktop supports third-party inference, which routes model inference requests to a third-party platform. With ZenMux's Anthropic-compatible protocol, you can use the models aggregated by ZenMux in the Claude Desktop Cowork / Code experience instead of relying only on Anthropic's default service.

Compatibility Notes

Claude Desktop's third-party inference configuration is designed for Bedrock, Vertex AI, Azure AI Foundry, or an LLM gateway compatible with /v1/messages. ZenMux provides an Anthropic Messages-compatible endpoint and can be connected through Gateway mode.

ZenMux Anthropic-compatible Base URL:

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https://zenmux.ai/api/anthropic

For more models that support the Anthropic Messages protocol, see the ZenMux model list.

Note

Claude Desktop third-party inference requires a recent desktop client version. Anthropic describes it as a third-party platform / enterprise deployment configuration mode. If your client does not show the relevant menu, update Claude Desktop first.

Prerequisites ​

Before you begin, make sure you have:

  • The latest Claude Desktop installed
  • A ZenMux API Key
  • The model slug you want to use, such as anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6

Get a ZenMux API Key ​

ZenMux offers two types of API Keys. Choose based on your use case:

text
Best for: personal development, learning, and Vibe Coding
Key format: sk-ss-v1-xxx
Get it from: https://zenmux.ai/platform/subscription
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Best for: production, commercial products, and enterprise applications
Key format: sk-ai-v1-xxx
Get it from: https://zenmux.ai/platform/pay-as-you-go

API Key Guidance

Subscription API Keys are better suited to personal development and learning. For production, commercial products, or enterprise applications, use a pay-as-you-go API Key.

Configure Claude Desktop ​

Step 1: Sign out or stay signed out ​

After opening Claude Desktop, sign out of any existing Claude account first, or complete the third-party inference setup while signed out.

According to Claude's official guidance, third-party inference can be configured without logging in to a Claude account. Once configured, Claude Desktop sends inference requests to your configured Gateway.

Step 2: Enable Developer Mode ​

In the Claude Desktop menu bar, select:

text
Help → Troubleshooting → Enable Developer Mode

After you confirm, Claude Desktop restarts. Once it relaunches, a Developer menu appears in the menu bar.

Step 3: Open the third-party inference configuration ​

In the menu bar, select:

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Developer → Configure third-party inference

This opens Claude Desktop's third-party inference configuration UI.

Step 4: Configure the Gateway connection ​

In the Connection section, choose Gateway, then fill in:

FieldValue
Gateway Base URLhttps://zenmux.ai/api/anthropic
Gateway API KeyYour ZenMux API Key
Gateway Auth SchemeBearer
Gateway Extra HeadersUsually leave blank. Add values only if your gateway requires tenant routing or enterprise headers.

Relationship to Claude Code

If you have configured Claude Code before, this is the same value as ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL:

bash
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://zenmux.ai/api/anthropic"

Claude Desktop does not require you to manually write shell environment variables. Enter the same Base URL in the third-party inference configuration UI.

Step 5: Configure the model list ​

Go to Identity & Models, or the model-related configuration section, and add the model slugs you want to use in Claude Desktop.

Examples:

text
anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6
anthropic/claude-opus-4.6
openai/gpt-5.5
google/gemini-3.1-pro-preview

Use exact model slugs

Use model slugs from the ZenMux model list that support the Anthropic Messages protocol. If a model name is misspelled, Claude Desktop may fail to start a session or return a model-not-found error at runtime.

Step 6: Enable 1M Context only when supported ​

Claude Desktop's model configuration UI may expose advanced options such as 1M Context. Enable these only when the backend model and provider actually support the corresponding context length.

If you are unsure whether the model supports long context, keep the option disabled first. Complete the basic call verification, then adjust it later.

Step 7: Apply the configuration and restart ​

Click Apply locally at the bottom of the configuration UI. Claude Desktop writes the local configuration and restarts automatically.

After the restart, you should see entries such as Cowork / Code and the model picker should show the model list you configured. Choose a model to start using Claude Desktop through ZenMux.

Verify the Setup ​

Start with a simple message:

text
Introduce the model you are currently using in one sentence.

If the request succeeds, test tasks closer to your real workflow, such as:

  • Ask Cowork to summarize a local document
  • Ask Code to open a project and explain its directory structure
  • Switch between models to compare latency and output quality

You can also check the ZenMux request logs to confirm that the request went through ZenMux.

Troubleshooting ​

The Developer menu is missing

Check that:

  • Claude Desktop has been updated to a version that supports third-party inference
  • You enabled Developer Mode through Help → Troubleshooting → Enable Developer Mode
  • You fully restarted Claude Desktop after enabling it
Which Base URL should I use?

For ZenMux, use:

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https://zenmux.ai/api/anthropic

Do not use the OpenAI-compatible endpoint https://zenmux.ai/api/v1. Claude Desktop Gateway mode expects an Anthropic Messages-compatible /v1/messages interface.

API Key or authentication errors

Check that:

  • The API Key was copied completely, without extra spaces or line breaks
  • Gateway Auth Scheme is set to Bearer
  • The API Key is still valid and the account has available quota or balance
  • If using a subscription key, the usage fits the subscription scope
Model unavailable or model list is empty

Check that the model slug in Model List is exact and that the model supports the Anthropic Messages protocol.

Copy model slugs from the ZenMux model list.

Calls fail after enabling 1M Context

1M Context only works for models whose backend explicitly supports long context. If calls fail after enabling it, disable the option first, verify the basic model call, then retest with a model that supports 1M context.

References ​

Contact Us

If you encounter any issues while using the platform, or have suggestions and feedback, feel free to contact us:

For more contact methods and details, see our Contact Us page.