Original Reddit post

I’ve been experimenting a lot with AI coding tools lately, and I think there is one setup that people are seriously sleeping on: Claude Code + GPT-5.5 through a local Codex-auth proxy. I know it sounds weird at first, because when people compare these tools they usually frame it like this: “Should I use Claude Code or Codex?” or “Should I switch from Claude Code to Codex?” But after using Claude Code, Codex CLI, and OpenCode across multiple projects, my conclusion is different: The best experience is not necessarily Codex CLI. It is Claude Code as the interface, with GPT-5.5 as the model. Here is my experience. I work on multiple projects, and I usually keep paid subscriptions for both ecosystems because I use both OpenAI and Anthropic tools. Claude Code is excellent. The agent workflow is mature, the way it edits files is clean, the terminal experience is good, and it feels very natural when working inside a real codebase. But the problem is obvious: usage gets consumed quickly. If you use it seriously across multiple repos, you hit limits fast. Codex has a different advantage. With ChatGPT Plus/Pro and Codex auth, you can use Codex through your ChatGPT subscription instead of relying only on a standard OpenAI API key. That makes it attractive for day-to-day coding work. But here is the thing: I personally don’t enjoy Codex CLI as much as Claude Code. I also tried OpenCode, and honestly, I prefer OpenCode over Codex CLI. OpenCode feels more flexible, more open, and better for switching providers. It is a great tool, especially if you want something open source and provider-agnostic. But when I compare all three: Codex CLI OpenCode Claude Code The interface and workflow I keep coming back to is still Claude Code . So I started asking a different question: Can I keep Claude Code as the coding agent interface, but run GPT-5.5 behind it? And the answer is yes. The setup I’m using is based on a local proxy, specifically a Claude Code proxy that authenticates through OpenAI Codex using ChatGPT subscription auth. Technically, what it does is simple but powerful: Claude Code normally talks to an Anthropic-style API. The proxy exposes a local Anthropic-compatible endpoint, for example: http://localhost:18765/ Then Claude Code is configured with environment variables like: ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=http://localhost:18765/ ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN=anything ANTHROPIC_MODEL=gpt-5.5 ANTHROPIC_SMALL_FAST_MODEL=gpt-5.4-mini Claude Code thinks it is talking to an Anthropic-compatible endpoint. The proxy receives the request, translates the Anthropic-style messages and streaming format, sends the work to the Codex/OpenAI side using the authenticated ChatGPT subscription flow, then streams the response back to Claude Code. So the final chain looks like this: Claude Code → local Anthropic-compatible proxy → Codex auth through ChatGPT Plus/Pro → GPT-5.5 → streamed back into Claude Code The result is surprisingly good. You keep the Claude Code UX, but you get GPT-5.5 as the actual model. For me, this is better than using Codex CLI directly, because Claude Code still feels like the better agent shell. It handles repo work, edits, approvals, and terminal flow in a way that feels more productive. It is also different from OpenCode. OpenCode is still great, and I actually prefer it over Codex CLI. But Claude Code with GPT-5.5 feels like the strongest combination for serious project work. My current take: Codex CLI: useful, but not my favorite interface. OpenCode: very good, flexible, open, better than Codex CLI for my taste. Claude Code: best coding-agent workflow. Claude Code + GPT-5.5 through Codex-auth proxy: currently the best combination I’ve tried. Obviously, I would keep this local and personal. I’m not talking about exposing it as a public API or reselling access. This is just about using your own subscription auth locally with your own coding tools. But I’m surprised more people are not talking about this. Everyone is debating “Claude Code vs Codex”, but the more interesting setup might be: Claude Code as the interface, GPT-5.5 as the engine. submitted by /u/No-Jury2396

Originally posted by u/No-Jury2396 on r/ClaudeCode