Quickly switch the API provider Claude Code uses, without leaving VS Code.
Features
Switch Provider from the command palette (Claude: Switch Provider).
Status bar item showing the active provider; click to switch.
Sidebar panel (Activity Bar) to add, edit, delete, and activate providers.
Built-in presets: Claude Official, DeepSeek, Zhipu GLM, Kimi, Qwen Coder, OpenRouter, MiniMax.
How it applies
Switching writes the provider's environment config where Claude Code reads it,
controlled by claudeSwitcher.applyMethod:
settings.json (default): merges an env block into ~/.claude/settings.json.
osEnv: sets persistent user environment variables (Windows setx; Unix
appends a managed block to ~/.bashrc). Restart your terminal afterwards.
both: writes both.
Restart Claude Code (and your terminal for osEnv) for a switch to take effect.
Security note
API keys are stored in VS Code SecretStorage (your OS keychain), never in
VS Code settings. However, applying a provider necessarily writes the key in
plaintext to ~/.claude/settings.json or your OS environment — that is where
Claude Code reads it. SecretStorage is the extension's secure store-of-record;
the applied file is the runtime handoff.
claudeSwitcher.claudeSettingsPath — override the settings.json location.
Development
npm install
npm run build # bundle with esbuild
npm test # run Vitest unit tests
npm run typecheck # tsc --noEmit
# Press F5 in VS Code to launch the Extension Development Host.
npm run package # produce a .vsix (requires @vscode/vsce)
