Clother CLI
Clother switches Claude Code between providers with one command: Z.AI, Kimi, DeepSeek, OpenRouter and local models.
- 433 ★ on the repository
- Last commit
- MIT
Extended access
Why this level
- Stores provider keys in secrets.env and passes them through environment variables.
- The install replaces how `claude` launches by moving the original binary aside.
Install
- Works in
Manual install
brew tap jolehuit/tap
brew install clotherInstall the Claude Code CLI first. A curl install from raw.githubusercontent.com exists for macOS and Linux. After install run `clother config`.
Access and checks
How we reviewExtended accessThe tool runs code or makes network calls and only reads external data.
- Stores provider keys in secrets.env and passes them through environment variables.
- The install replaces how `claude` launches by moving the original binary aside.
This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.
What it does
A Go CLI installs a set of `clother-*` launchers, each starting Claude Code with the environment variables, endpoint and model of a chosen provider. Instead of editing variables and scripts by hand, `clother-zai`, `clother-kimi`, `clother-deepseek` or `clother-ollama --model qwen3-coder` is enough. `clother-native` covers an Anthropic subscription. It supports cloud providers with an Anthropic-compatible interface, OpenRouter with model aliases, China endpoints, local Ollama, LM Studio and llama.cpp, and any custom address through `clother config custom`. `clother bench` compares time to first token and total response time and `clother test` checks the connection. A provider-aware resume command continues a session in the right launcher.
Who it is for. Claude Code users who keep several keys and models and are tired of rewriting environment variables with every provider change.
Good fit when
- A cheaper model should be plugged into Claude Code for routine tasks.
- Latency of several providers must be compared on one prompt.
- A local Ollama model should run in place of a cloud one.
- A session started with one provider must continue with another.
Not a fit when
- Windows is required: support is declared for macOS and Linux.
- The provider offers no Anthropic-compatible interface.
- Work uses only Anthropic models: there is nothing to switch.
Example request
clother-ollama --model qwen3-coderLimitations
Platforms are macOS and Linux. Each provider needs its own key, and keys from the international and China consoles are not interchangeable. Keys are stored in secrets.env. A Homebrew or `curl` install places launchers beside `claude` and moves the original `claude` binary aside, and `clother uninstall` restores it. How well non-Claude models work through the Claude Code interface depends on endpoint compatibility: OpenRouter guarantees it only for Anthropic models.
How to disable. Run `clother uninstall`: it lists the paths to be removed and restores the original `claude`. Delete the keys in secrets.env by hand.
FAQ
How do I install Clother?
On macOS run `brew tap jolehuit/tap` and `brew install clother` after installing Claude Code. A `curl` install exists for macOS and Linux.
How do I change a provider's model?
Pass `--model` to the launcher, for example `clother-zai --model glm-5.3-flash`, or set a permanent value through `clother config zai`.
How do I use OpenRouter?
Run `clother config openrouter`, add model aliases and start `clother-or <alias>`. For models with a 1M-token window append `[1m]` to the ID.
What does clother bench show?
Time to first token and total response time for every configured provider, fastest first. Local providers are skipped.
What does clother uninstall do?
It lists every path to be removed, then deletes only the launchers Clother created and restores the original `claude`.
Discussion
No questions or reviews yet.
Related
CLI toolsA local gateway for Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode and other agents: pick model providers, route requests, set fallbacks and read logs
CCS
CCS - Claude Codex Switch
A CLI that switches Claude Code between accounts, providers and local models without editing configs
A local gateway for Claude Code that sends mapped models to OpenAI, Kimi, DeepSeek or Gemini and passes the rest to Anthropic
Plugin that switches the model per Claude Code window, routes subagents to other providers and fails over after a 429 limit.
A Go CLI that switches Claude Code profiles with one command, swapping settings, CLAUDE.md and MCP servers together with a backup.
A CLI that plugs third-party models into Claude Code orchestration: workflows, agent teams and subagents on DeepSeek, GLM, Kimi, Qwen or a Codex subscription
Comparison with similar tools
Cards that share the main search query, and how they differ.
| Tool | Official | Repository stars | Main difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clother (this card) | no | 433 | |
| CC Switch | no | 153,939 | a desktop app for switching providers; Clother provides console launchers and a latency benchmark |
| Claude Code Router | no | 38,127 | a local proxy with routing rules; Clother just injects the provider environment into the launch |
README in short
Each provider gets its own launcher and a table mapping its models to the Claude Code opus, sonnet and haiku tiers. Updates verify release checksums and never follow redirects off GitHub.