DeepClaude works by intercepting Claude Code’s Anthropic environment variables at session start, routing inference through a local proxy on localhost:3200, then restoring the originals on exit. The full Claude Code agent loop - file editing, bash integration, subagents, tool calls - stays intact. The only substitution is the model running the inference. Supported backends include DeepSeek V4 Pro via OpenRouter, Fireworks, and Anthropic. The proxy supports live backend switching mid-session without restarting Claude Code. The pricing gap is the main proposition. Current Anthropic pricing is $3/M input and $15/M output. DeepSeek V4 Pro via OpenRouter runs $0.44/M input and $0.87/M output. The README maps that to rough monthly scenarios: $20/$50/$80 for light/heavy/auto-loop-heavy usage versus the $200 Anthropic subscription ceiling. The limits are worth noting before you try it. Image input is not supported through the compatibility layer. Anthropic’s prompt caching semantics don’t carry over. MCP server tools don’t work through the proxy. The project’s own framing is honest about this: use the cheaper backend for routine coding work and keep Anthropic around for the hardest reasoning tasks. Have you tried routing Claude Code through a cheaper model, and does the output quality hold for your actual daily tasks? submitted by /u/jimmytoan
Originally posted by u/jimmytoan on r/ClaudeCode