How to use Claude Code with Aventail^™ Connect

To use Claude Code with Aventail^™ Connect, serve a supported model in Aventail^™ Link, then tick Claude Code under Connected Apps. Aventail^™ configures the connection automatically. You do not edit Claude Code's settings, set an API endpoint or sign in to a Claude account for this path. The model is chosen in Link, and your organisation's routing policy decides where each request may run.

What you need

• An Aventail^™ account and a registered Link device. Install Aventail^™ Link and connect it to Control using the quick start. Link packages are published for Apple Silicon macOS, Linux x64 and Windows x64; Aventail^™ has confirmed the Claude Code and OpenCode integrations on macOS, Windows and Linux, within Link's supported platforms; check compatibility and versions for your machine.

• Claude Code installed on the same computer, following Anthropic's setup requirements.

• A supported language model serving in Link that suits coding work. Claude Code relies on features such as tool use and long context, so check that the model you choose supports what you need.

Registering Link with Aventail^™ is separate from any Anthropic account. The Connect path does not require one.

Set it up

1. Choose and serve a model in Link. In Link, models appear under Models. Add or serve a supported model as described in Manage Link models. This is where you choose the model for Claude Code. Your routing policy may still send a request to another approved model or destination, as configured, so check the actual result in usage.

2. Enable Claude Code in Connected Apps. Below Models, the Connected Apps list shows supported apps with a checkbox. Claude Code may sit under Other apps. If Link shows "Not found on this computer", install Claude Code first, then return. If no model is serving, Link shows "Serve a language model to connect an app to it."

3. Tick Claude Code. Setup is automatic. There is no configuration file to edit and no key to paste.

4. Open a fresh Claude Code session for your check.

Do not select an Aventail^™ provider or model inside Claude Code for this path. Change the model in Link instead.

Check that it works

Run a harmless test that does not change files. For example, paste a three-line function and ask Claude Code to explain it, or ask a general coding question.

Then check where the request actually ran. In Aventail^™ Control, use the device's routing status and Recent usage, as described in the routing documentation, to find the route and destination recorded around the time of your test. An answer shows that Claude Code received a response. Neither the answer nor a model label, such as the one below, proves the request passed through Connect or identifies where it ran. Note the time of your test and match it against the device's routing status and Recent usage in Control.

In one of our own setups, Claude Code v2.1.296 showed the model label gemini-4-argon via Aventail. Your label depends on the model and destination you use.

Troubleshooting

• Claude Code is not detected. Link shows "Not found on this computer". Install Claude Code on this computer, then check Connected Apps again.

• No model is running. Serve a supported model in Link first. Connected apps need a serving language model.

• The model cannot do what Claude Code asks. Some features, such as tool calls or long files, need model support. Try a model with the capabilities your workflow needs.

• Link is unavailable. Check the Link service and its connection using Link troubleshooting.

• An earlier manual setup interferes. If you previously pointed Claude Code at another gateway or endpoint by hand, review those settings so they do not conflict with the Connect path.

• The request ran somewhere unexpected. Check the policy assigned to the device and its delivery state in Control. A configured cloud route or fallback can send a request off the device.

• No permitted destination, or a failed destination. If the policy permits no destination for the request, it fails with an error and is not sent anywhere forbidden. If a permitted destination is running but fails, only fallback hops the policy already allows are tried, and the request can still fail. The routing guide explains the difference.

If something still looks wrong, open a fresh Claude Code session and test again. Unticking Claude Code in Connected Apps disconnects it from Link; review any settings you changed manually yourself.

What Connect governs, and what it does not

Connect brings Claude Code's model requests into Aventail^™ Link, where your routing rules choose an allowed destination: the local model, a peer machine running Link, or an approved hosted API on your organisation's own account. Routing to peers and hosted destinations is currently in beta. Choosing a local model is not proof of local-only processing if your policy permits a remote route or fallback. Requests sent to an approved hosted API may incur provider charges on your organisation's account.

Connect does not change what Claude Code may do on your computer. File access and tool permissions remain Claude Code's own settings, and its updates, telemetry and any storage follow Anthropic's settings and terms. Aventail^™ Connect is Aventail^™'s integration, not an Anthropic product. Anthropic's gateway documentation notes that it does not support non-Claude models used through third-party gateways, and feature compatibility depends on the Claude Code version and the model.

FAQ

Do I edit Claude Code's config or set an API endpoint?

No. With a model serving, ticking Claude Code in Connected Apps sets up the connection automatically. Manual gateway configuration is a different path.

Do I choose the model in Claude Code?

No. Choose the model in Aventail Link. Your organisation's routing policy decides which destinations, and which approved models, may serve each request.

Does a local address guarantee local inference?

No. Where a request runs depends on the policy and the destinations it allows, including fallbacks. Check the observed destination in Control. The routing guide covers this in more detail.

Do I need an Anthropic account?

Not for this Connect path. You need an Aventail^™ account and a registered Link device.

Next steps

• Read the routing guide to set the rules Claude Code will follow.

• Using OpenCode too? See the OpenCode setup guide.

• Rolling out to a team? Read deploying a private AI workspace across laptops and servers, or see Aventail^™ Connect.