Claude Code + CC Switch + DeepSeek: Full Setup Guide for AI Agent

1. Why This Setup?

The primary reason is Anthropic’s increasingly strict access restrictions on accounts registered in mainland China, compounded by high subscription costs — though I’ve never actually subscribed due to the cumbersome process.

With CC Switch + DeepSeek, you get an AI Agent that is affordable, stable, and functionally comparable. This guide should help anyone getting started with this workflow — including my past self.

2. Architecture Overview

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│              Positron IDE (VS Code Fork)          │
│  ┌─────────────┐  ┌──────────────────────────┐   │
│  │ VS Code Ext  │  │  Terminal (claude cmd)   │   │
│  └──────┬──────┘  └───────────┬──────────────┘   │
└─────────┼─────────────────────┼──────────────────┘
          │                     │
          ▼                     ▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│        Claude Code CLI (@anthropic-ai/claude-code)│
│        Reads env config from ~/.claude/settings   │
│        ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL → routes to DeepSeek    │
└──────────────────────┬───────────────────────────┘
                       │
                       ▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│            CC Switch Desktop App (v3.14+)         │
│   • Manages multiple provider configs             │
│     (DeepSeek/GLM/Xiaomi etc.)                    │
│   • Auto-writes ~/.claude/settings.json           │
│   • Balance check, model switching, local proxy   │
└──────────────────────┬───────────────────────────┘
                       │
                       ▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│     DeepSeek API (api.deepseek.com/anthropic)     │
│   • Anthropic Messages API compatible endpoint    │
│   • Model: deepseek-v4-pro (1M context)           │
│   • Model: deepseek-v4-flash (fast response)      │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Data Flow

1. Enter / commands or natural language in the Claude Code plugin dialog within Positron’s terminal
2. Claude Code CLI reads environment variables from ~/.claude/settings.json, sends API requests to ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL
3. Requests arrive at DeepSeek’s Anthropic-compatible endpoint, processed in Anthropic Messages API format
4. After DeepSeek model inference, a response in Anthropic format is returned
5. Claude Code CLI parses the response and renders the output in the terminal/IDE

3. Prerequisites

3.1 System Requirements

3.2 Register DeepSeek and Get API Key

1. Open your browser and visit platform.deepseek.com
2. Register an account and log in
3. Go to the “API Keys” page and click “Create API Key”
4. Copy the generated sk- prefixed key (shown only once — save it immediately)

4. Installation

4.1 Install Claude Code

Runoob.com has a detailed and clear guide here, covering both the official script installation (recommended) and npm installation.

Below is the npm installation flow I used previously, for reference.

Install Node.js

Node.js is the runtime environment for Claude Code CLI.

Windows

1. Visit nodejs.org and download the LTS installer (.msi)
2. Run the installer with all default options
3. Restart your terminal and verify:

node -v   # Should show v18.x.x or v20.x.x or v22.x.x
npm -v    # Should show 9.x.x or 10.x.x

macOS

# Recommended: use Homebrew
brew install node@22
# Or download .pkg from nodejs.org

Common Issue: PowerShell Execution Policy

If Windows PowerShell reports: cannot be loaded because running scripts is disabled on this system

Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser RemoteSigned

Install Claude Code CLI

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Verify:

claude -v   # Shows version number

After installation, the global config directory is located at:

• Windows: C:\Users\<username>\.claude\
• macOS/Linux: ~/.claude/

Key config files:

• settings.json — Main config (environment variables, permissions, etc.)
• settings.local.json — Local overrides (not synced)
• CLAUDE.md — Project or global coding guidelines

4.2 Download and Install CC Switch

Download

CC Switch is an open-source desktop app (GitHub: farion1231/cc-switch) for one-click model provider switching in Claude Code.

• Releases: github.com/farion1231/cc-switch/releases

Configure DeepSeek Provider

1. Open CC Switch, click the "+" button (top right) to add a provider
2. Select DeepSeek from presets, or fill in manually:

3. Check “Write to common config”, click “Add”
4. Back on the main screen, select the newly added DeepSeek and click “Enable”

{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "sk-your-deepseek-key",
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://api.deepseek.com/anthropic",
    "ANTHROPIC_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-pro[1m]",
    "ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-flash",
    "ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-pro[1m]",
    "ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-pro[1m]",
    "ANTHROPIC_REASONING_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-pro"
  }
}

4.3 Install Positron IDE

Installation Steps

1. Visit positron.posit.co to download the installer for your platform
2. Launch Positron after installation
3. In the sidebar extensions page, install the Claude Code for VS Code extension — verify the publisher is Anthropic

Using Claude Code in Positron

A. Terminal Mode (Recommended)

claude

Start an interactive session:

> Refactor the validateInput function in src/utils.ts for better readability
> /memory    # View and manage memories
> /model     # Check current model
> /help      # Show all commands

5. Verify Configuration

5.1 Verify CLI Startup

claude

In the interactive session, ask:

> What model are you using?

5.2 Verify API Connectivity

> Write a Python function to compute the Fibonacci sequence and print the first 20 terms

If it returns correct code and output, the API connection is working properly.

5.3 Model Selection Strategy

In my experience, switching models via /model in the sidebar is unreliable. Editing model names or switching providers directly in CC Switch is more effective. After saving changes, wait 1–2 minutes before continuing.

6. Other Features

6.1 Multi-Provider Management

CC Switch supports configuring multiple providers simultaneously:

After adding multiple providers in CC Switch, you can switch between them at any time.

6.2 Skills and Plugins

Claude Code supports installing Skills (skill sets) to extend functionality. I may publish a separate article on using and building Skills in the future.

Many users publish their own Skills, but for security and usability reasons, I strongly recommend reading the documentation and reviewing the structure before installing any Skills.

7. Troubleshooting

Problem 1: claude command not found

npm list -g --depth=0
npm bin -g  # Add this path to your PATH

Problem 2: 401 Unauthorized

Cause: Invalid API Key or insufficient balance. Check at platform.deepseek.com.

Problem 3: Connection refused or model not found

• Base URL missing /anthropic path — Ensure it is https://api.deepseek.com/anthropic
• Model name typo — Confirm: deepseek-v4-pro, deepseek-v4-flash

Problem 4: PowerShell script execution error

Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser RemoteSigned

8. Security

Appendix: Core Config Reference

~/.claude/settings.json

{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "sk-your-deepseek-api-key",
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://api.deepseek.com/anthropic",
    "ANTHROPIC_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-pro[1m]",
    "ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-flash",
    "ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-pro[1m]",
    "ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-pro[1m]",
    "ANTHROPIC_REASONING_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-pro"
  }
}

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