Note: this message was formatted via ChatGPT I rebuilt Claude Code to run on Google Vertex AI (use your $300 free credits + Gemini 2.5 Pro) Although you do need to Configure Vertex AI and choose which model you want to use. Hey everyone, I’ve been working on a project where I took Claude Code’s open-source base and rebuilt the authentication + API layer to run entirely on Google Cloud Vertex AI. Repo: https://github.com/ayellowplum/gemma Support: https://buymeacoffee.com/ayellowplum What this is: A rebranded version called Gemma Based on Claude Code’s architecture (clean, agent-oriented system) Fully replaced Anthropic auth + API with Vertex AI What’s different: No Claude API key No Anthropic account Native Google Cloud / Vertex AI integration Uses the $300 free GCP credits Works with Gemini models (2.5 Pro, upcoming 3.x, etc.) Why this matters: Models like Gemini 2.5 Pro (and upcoming 3.x) are already extremely competitive in real-world coding tasks, and in many cases perform on par with or better than top-tier models like Claude Opus, while also being significantly cheaper . At the same time: Claude Code → very clean internal agent system Gemini CLI → currently pretty limited / rough UX This project combines: Claude Code’s architecture + UX with Gemini / Vertex’s models + pricing + free credits What I changed (high level): Replaced Anthropic auth with Google Cloud auth Rewrote API layer for Vertex endpoints Removed Anthropic dependencies entirely Adapted request/response handling for Gemini models Use cases: Run a Claude-style coding agent on Gemini Use the $300 free credits instead of paying upfront Plug into existing GCP workflows Experiment with newer Gemini models in a better interface Requirements: Google Cloud project Vertex AI enabled Basic env setup (project ID, region, auth) There is a detailed build tutorial on the repo Still a work in progress (especially around stability + edge cases), but it’s already usable. Would love feedback, contributions, or people trying to break it. submitted by /u/CoolDownDude
Originally posted by u/CoolDownDude on r/ClaudeCode