User Setup

Connect your coding agent to an Auto Router your team has deployed. Ask your admin for the LiteLLM gateway URL, a virtual API key with access to the router, and the router's model name. To create a router first, see Admin Setup.

Install Claude Code or Codex before continuing. For Codex, use stable version 0.129.0 or newer.

1. Install the LiteLLM CLI

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/BerriAI/litellm/main/scripts/install-cli.sh | sh

See the LiteLLM Proxy CLI for other installation options.

2. Configure your coding agent

Replace the gateway URL and key with the values from your admin, then run:

export LITELLM_PROXY_API_KEY="sk-your-virtual-key"

lite configure \
  --gateway-url https://your-proxy.example.com \
  --api-key "$LITELLM_PROXY_API_KEY"

Choose Claude Code, Codex, or both, then select your team's Auto Router from the model picker for each agent. The CLI checks your key and available models before saving the connection in your agent's settings. Use a long-lived virtual key for this setup; lite configure does not use the temporary credential from lite login.

You can also specify the agent and router in the command. Replace smart-router with your router's model name.

Claude Code

lite configure \
  --gateway-url https://your-proxy.example.com \
  claude \
  --api-key "$LITELLM_PROXY_API_KEY" \
  --model smart-router

claude

Codex

lite configure \
  --gateway-url https://your-proxy.example.com \
  codex \
  --api-key "$LITELLM_PROXY_API_KEY" \
  --model smart-router

codex

After setup, start your agent with claude or codex from any terminal. You do not need to repeat lite configure or export the key each time.

Live session savings

In Claude Code, lite configure adds a status line with the model that handled your last turn and your session's routed spend compared with an estimated baseline.

This example shows $3.03 in routed spend against a $14.00 estimated baseline, a 78% saving. The baseline uses the most expensive model in your router's highest configured tier. Your savings depend on the session; see Reported savings for how LiteLLM calculates the estimate.

Stats can lag a completed turn while the gateway records usage. If you see the routed model without savings, ask your admin to check that the gateway has a database and spend logging enabled, and that your key can access /auto_router/session. A key restricted to llm_api_routes also needs access to this endpoint. Savings require an available baseline estimate.

Undo setup

Run the command for the agent you want to disconnect:

lite unconfigure claude
# Or, for Codex:
lite unconfigure codex

The CLI restores the settings it changed and preserves later edits you made.