Claude Desktop (Chat, Cowork, Code)

Connect the official Claude Desktop app to GetVibe API via Third-Party Inference: Developer Mode, Gateway base URL and an sk-pv- key with the x-api-key scheme. Chat, Cowork and Code without an Anthropic account.

The simplest path, especially if you do not work in a terminal. An app, a few steps and your key. If something does not work, see “Common issues” below; the terminal variant lives on the Claude Code CLI page.

If you see “App unavailable in region”, you are in the app, not on the website. The Help → Troubleshooting menu is inside Claude Desktop — the macOS menu bar, or the ☰ button at the top-left of the Windows sign-in screen. Do not sign in to an Anthropic account: enable Developer Mode and configure the gateway as below. If your build does not expose that menu, use the Claude Code CLI.

The official Claude Desktop app (macOS and Windows) can run through a third-party gateway — the Third-Party Inference feature. GetVibe API speaks the native Anthropic format (/v1/messages with the x-api-key header), so the app connects directly, with no translating proxy. All three tabs work: Chat, Cowork and Code. No Anthropic account is needed — do not sign in to one. Anthropic’s docs say the app detects third-party (3P) mode at launch from the configured provider; when a provider and credentials are present, the sign-in screen offers the third-party start without an Anthropic account, and the docs do not describe a region check in 3P mode. See the 3P overview and the installation guide.

Who this is for

Windows 10/11 or macOS. Nothing else to install — no Node.js, no terminal.
You only need your sk-pv-… key from Dashboard → API keys.

1. Install the app

Download Claude Desktop from the official site, install and launch it. On the sign-in screen, do not sign in to an Anthropic account.

If Windows says “This app can’t run on your PC”, the installer does not match your processor or the download was cut short. Check Settings → System → About → System type (x64 or ARM64), download the installer for that architecture again and run it.

2. Enable Developer Mode

In the app’s own menu (macOS menu bar; Windows ☰ at the top-left of the sign-in screen) open Help → Troubleshooting → Enable Developer Mode. A Developer item appears in the menu.

3. Configure the GetVibe API gateway

In the new Developer menu choose Configure Third-Party Inference….
Under Connection switch the type to Gateway.
Gateway base URL: https://getvibeapi.com — no /v1, the app appends /v1/messages itself.
Credential kind: Static API key; Auth scheme: x-api-key.
Gateway API key: your sk-pv-… key from Dashboard → API keys.
On the Models tab add the models by hand before testing the connection: claude-sonnet-5.5, claude-opus-5.5, claude-haiku-5.5. The connection test does not pass without at least one model, and not every app version fills the list from /v1/models by itself.

4. Fully restart the app

Click Apply Changes, then fully quit the app (Quit from the menu, not just closing the window) and open it again. On the sign-in screen choose the third-party start that appears after you save the configuration; do not sign in to Anthropic. If the configuration sets deploymentMode: "3p" (Claude Desktop 4.16336.0+), the claude.ai sign-in option is hidden.

5. Check the connection

Send any message and open Dashboard → Usage: a fresh record should appear with the model and the spend. If nothing appears, see “Common issues” below — no terminal is needed to check.

Limitations

Cowork on Windows requires the .msix installer and hardware virtualization enabled (an app-side requirement).
Anthropic disables some beta features (e.g. tool search) for third-party gateways — that is an app limitation, not a problem with your key.

Common issues

Parameter	Type	Description
`App unavailable in region`	screen	This is the app’s first sign-in screen, not our gateway. The Help/☰ menu is in the app, not on the website. Configure the Gateway; if the menu is missing, use the CLI.
`401`	error	Check the key and that Auth scheme is x-api-key, not Bearer.
`404`	error	The gateway address must not contain /v1 — use the root address shown above.
`Models did not appear / “The connection test needs at least one model”`	config	Add the ids manually on the Models tab: claude-sonnet-5.5, claude-opus-5.5, claude-haiku-5.5.
`“Couldn’t load your organization’s model list”, “Gateway /v1/models was unreachable”, “Can’t reach … provider didn’t respond”`	network	The request never reached us — Usage shows no new record. On the same computer open https://getvibeapi.com/v1/models in a browser: it must return a JSON error (the browser sends no key, that is expected). If the page does not open, a VPN, proxy, antivirus or corporate network is cutting the connection. Add the models by hand on the Models tab as well.
`Changes not applied`	config	Fully quit the app via Quit/Exit and reopen it — closing the window is not enough.

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