CAMELSTREAM · AGENT GUIDE
Point Claude Code at unlimited frontier intelligence.
Claude Code can send its Anthropic-format traffic through a gateway. Point that gateway at camelStream and you keep the terminal workflow you know while frontier models do the work for $5 a month per stream.
Setup
Four exports and a launch.
Create your Stream API key
Generate a key in the Stream console and keep it in CAMEL_API_KEY. Stream keys are shown once.
Set the gateway and model
Use the Anthropic base URL without /v1, authenticate with ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN, and map Claude Code's model aliases to auto.
Verify the connection
Start Claude Code in a test repository and run /status. Confirm the Anthropic base URL is https://stream.camelai.com before starting a small task.
export CAMEL_API_KEY="qaml_live_..."
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://stream.camelai.com"
export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="$CAMEL_API_KEY"
export ANTHROPIC_MODEL="auto"
export ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL="auto"
export ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL="auto"
export ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL="auto"
claudestream.camelai.com
auto
Anthropic Messages
ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN
Why Claude Code on Stream
Keep the workflow. Change the bill.
If Claude Code is already how you work, you don't have to give up the terminal, the project context, or the tool loop to escape per-token pricing. Four environment variables route its traffic through Stream's Anthropic-compatible gateway. One honest caveat comes with it: your requests are answered by frontier models from our fleet, not by Claude.
The same terminal
Slash commands, project context, tool calls: the Claude Code interface is untouched. Only the endpoint behind it changes.
Every alias covered
Mapping the Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku aliases to the Stream model ID means background tasks and helper calls route through Stream too, instead of failing against a Claude model the gateway can't serve.
Sessions that can sprawl
Long agent sessions stack up context and tool output fast. A 260K-token guaranteed window and a flat price mean neither the window nor the bill is the reason to stop.
The deal
What every stream includes.
Frontier models only
You never pick a model; keeping the fleet smart is our job. Every model we serve scores 70% or higher on Terminal-Bench 2.1, or 50 or higher on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, and always at its newest public release.
260K context, guaranteed
Every request gets at least a 260K-token window, and more when the model serving you supports it. Beyond the guaranteed window we compact the middle of the conversation first; your original task and latest turns stay intact.
One generation per stream
Unlimited works because each stream runs one generation at a time. Extra requests wait in a visible queue instead of raising your bill; add streams for parallel capacity.
$5 a month, flat
No token metering, no overage charges, cancel anytime. Sourcing efficiently across the fleet is what keeps the price flat.
The fleet changes as new models launch. The floor doesn't. The full spec sheet lives on the Stream page, and speed numbers are published targets, not a service-level agreement — the fine print is in the terms.
Troubleshooting
Check these first.
Most connection issues come down to the endpoint, API mode, model ID, or key. Start here before anything else.
Use https://stream.camelai.com without /v1. Claude Code adds the Anthropic API path itself.
Use ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN so the Stream key is sent as an Authorization bearer token.
If Claude Code keeps using an Anthropic account, run /logout and restart it from the shell containing the Stream variables.
Anthropic documents gateways but does not endorse routing Claude Code to non-Claude models.
Frequently asked questions
Claude Code, answered.
More guides
Point another agent at Stream.
Give Claude Code the whole stream.
Unlimited frontier intelligence over the API format Claude Code already speaks, for $5 a month per stream.
Get your API key