3.7 KiB

Raw Blame History

Quick Start Guide

From zero to running in 3 minutes. No fluff.

Prerequisites

You need two things:

Claude Code installed - The official CLI from Anthropic
Node.js 18+ or Bun 1.0+ - Pick your poison

Don't have Claude Code? Get it at claude.ai/claude-code.

Step 1: Get Your API Key

Head to openrouter.ai/keys.

The key looks like: sk-or-v1-abc123...

Step 2: Set the Key

Option A: Export it (session only)

export OPENROUTER_API_KEY='sk-or-v1-your-key-here'

Option B: Add to .env (persistent)

echo "OPENROUTER_API_KEY=sk-or-v1-your-key-here" >> ~/.env

Option C: Let Claudish prompt you Just run claudish - it'll ask for the key interactively.

Step 3: Choose Your Mode

Claudish runs two ways. Pick what fits your workflow.

Option A: CLI Mode (Replace Claude)

Interactive:

npx claudish@latest

Shows model selector. Pick one, start a full session with that model.

Single-shot:

npx claudish@latest --model x-ai/grok-code-fast-1 "add error handling to api.ts"

One task, result printed, exit. Perfect for scripts.

Option B: MCP Mode (Claude + External Models)

Add Claudish as an MCP server. Claude can then call external models as tools.

Add to Claude Code settings (~/.config/claude-code/settings.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "claudish": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["claudish@latest", "--mcp"],
      "env": {
        "OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "sk-or-v1-your-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Code, then:

"Ask Grok to review this function"
"Use GPT-5 Codex to explain this error"

Claude uses the run_prompt tool to call external models. Best of both worlds.

Step 4: Install the Skill (Optional)

This teaches Claude Code how to use Claudish automatically:

# Navigate to your project
cd /path/to/your/project

# Install the skill
claudish --init

# Restart Claude Code to load it

Now when you say "use Grok to review this code", Claude knows exactly what to do.

Install Globally (Optional)

Tired of npx? Install it:

# With npm
npm install -g claudish

# With Bun (faster)
bun install -g claudish

Now just run claudish directly.

Verify It Works

Quick test:

claudish --model minimax/minimax-m2 "print hello world in python"

You should see MiniMax M2 write a Python hello world through Claude Code's interface.

What Just Happened?

Behind the scenes:

Claudish started a local proxy server
It configured Claude Code to talk to this proxy
Your prompt went to OpenRouter, which routed to MiniMax
The response came back through the proxy
Claude Code displayed it like normal

You didn't notice any of this. That's the point.

Next Steps

Interactive Mode - Full CLI experience
MCP Server Mode - Use external models as Claude tools
Choosing Models - Pick the right model for your task
Environment Variables - Configure everything

Stuck?

"Command not found" Make sure Node.js 18+ is installed: node --version

"Invalid API key" Check your key at openrouter.ai/keys. Make sure it starts with sk-or-v1-.

"Model not found" Use claudish --models to see all available models.

"Claude Code not installed" Install it first: claude.ai/claude-code

More issues? Check Troubleshooting.

3.7 KiB Raw Blame History