Claude Desktop Setup
Prerequisites
- Claude Desktop is installed
- Gate.AI API Key
Step 1: Enable Developer Mode
- Launch Claude Desktop. You do not need to sign in with an Anthropic account .
- From the menu bar, choose Help → Troubleshooting → Enable Developer Mode .

After enabling it, the Developer menu appears in the menu bar.

Step 2: Open Third-Party Inference Settings
From the menu bar, choose Developer → Configure Third-Party Inference…

Step 3: Enter Gate.AI Credentials and Models
- Choose Gateway and Static API key , then enter your Gate.AI credentials. After filling them in, click Test connection to test the connection.

- Turn on Model discovery . After enabling it, you can click Test connection again.

- Click Apply Changes to save.
Step 4: Restart and Launch
- Fully quit Claude Desktop, including the app process, then reopen it.
- On the launch page, choose Continue with Gateway . No Anthropic account is required.
Step 5: Verify
The connection is successful when the model picker shows available models.
FAQ
| Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|
| Connection failed / 401 | Confirm the Base URL is https://api.gate.ai/anthropic/, Auth scheme is x-api-key, and the API key is valid. |
| Continue with Gateway does not appear | Confirm you clicked Apply Changes and fully quit and restarted Claude Desktop. |
| No models are shown | Confirm your Gate.AI account has available balance, and check that Model discovery is enabled. |