# Vercel AI Gateway for Coding Agents: One-Command Setup Guide > Connect Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode, Hermes and more to Vercel AI Gateway with one command: endpoints, fallbacks, spend controls, and tradeoffs. - **Published**: 2026-08-19 - **Category**: AI Infrastructure - **URL**: https://agentpedia.codes/blog/vercel-ai-gateway-coding-agents-guide --- > **Important callout** **Bottom line:** `vercel ai-gateway coding-agents setup` connects Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Pi, Cursor, Cline, Hermes and other coding agents to Vercel AI Gateway in one command. It provisions an API key, writes each agent's config in place, and gives every request a single spend dashboard, provider fallbacks, budgets, and model catalog. Vercel states there is no token markup. Vercel documented the [coding-agent setup flow](https://vercel.com/docs/ai-gateway/coding-agents) and shipped the one-command experience in the [August 12, 2026 changelog](https://vercel.com/changelog/set-up-coding-agents-in-one-command-with-ai-gateway). The goal: developers running several AI coding tools no longer manage a separate account, API key, invoice, and dashboard per agent. One gateway key routes every agent's requests, and the gateway adds fallbacks and observability the agents themselves do not provide. This guide covers the setup command, the endpoint each agent uses, how model selection works per agent, spend controls, and the operational tradeoffs to check before you migrate a team. ## What the one-command setup changes Before AI Gateway, each coding agent shipped with its own provider configuration and billing surface. Claude Code used `ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL`, Codex used a `model_provider` block in `config.toml`, Cursor stored API settings in its own account-synced store, and OpenCode or Pi each needed a provider entry. Monitoring spend meant opening a dashboard per provider. AI Gateway replaces the per-agent plumbing with one key and one endpoint family. The documented benefits table: | Concern | Without gateway | With gateway | | --- | --- | --- | | Spend tracking | Separate dashboards per provider | Single unified view | | Model access | Limited to the agent's default models | 200+ models from all providers | | Billing | Multiple invoices and accounts | One Vercel invoice | | Reliability | Single point of failure | Automatic provider fallbacks | | Observability | Limited or no visibility | Request traces and metrics | The gateway does not replace the agent. Each agent still runs locally, owns its agent loop, tools, and session state. The gateway only sits in front of the model provider, routing model requests and returning responses in the protocol the agent expects. ## Set up every agent in one command The documented flow requires the Vercel CLI at the latest version, then one command: ```bash pnpm i -g vercel@latest vercel ai-gateway coding-agents setup ``` The command: 1. Detects the coding agents installed on your machine. 2. Provisions an API key on your Vercel account. 3. Shows a diff of every planned change before writing anything. 4. Writes the gateway URL and credentials into each agent's own config format, preserving formatting. 5. Copies existing Claude Desktop and Codex Desktop sessions so history survives the switch. 6. Does not pin a model. For non-interactive automation, pass flags: ```bash vercel ai-gateway coding-agents setup \ --agent claude-code --agent codex \ --budget 500 --refresh-period monthly --yes ``` The `--agent` value selects which agents to connect: `claude-code`, `cline`, `codex`, `cursor`, `hermes`, `kilo`, `openclaw`, `opencode`, and `pi`. `--all` covers every supported agent. Agents the CLI does not cover can still be configured by hand. ## Which endpoint each agent uses Most agents point at the generic coding-agent surface: ```text https://ai-gateway.vercel.sh/coding-agent/v1 ``` That URL passes through to the standard `/v1` handlers, so auth, routing, billing, and errors are identical to the bare gateway surface. Using it marks traffic as coming from a coding agent, which lets Vercel land shared harness behavior there without editing agent configs again. Clients that speak the Anthropic protocol and append `/v1/messages` themselves should drop the `/v1`: ```text https://ai-gateway.vercel.sh/coding-agent ``` Three agents use dedicated endpoints because they need behavior the generic surface does not provide: | Agent | Endpoint | | --- | --- | | Claude Code | `https://ai-gateway.vercel.sh/claude-code` | | OpenAI Codex | `https://ai-gateway.vercel.sh/codex/v1` | | Cursor | `https://ai-gateway.vercel.sh/cursor/v1` | Agents with a first-party AI Gateway provider, such as Cline, OpenCode, and Pi, already know the URL and only need your API key. ## Claude Code The CLI connects Claude Code with `--agent claude-code`. To configure by hand, use environment variables: ```bash export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://ai-gateway.vercel.sh/claude-code" export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="" export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="your-ai-gateway-api-key" export CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_GATEWAY_MODEL_DISCOVERY=1 ``` Once configured, Claude Code works exactly as before, but requests route through the gateway. The discovery variable puts every gateway model in the `/model` picker: ```text /model /model anthropic/claude-opus-5 ``` The `/claude-code` endpoint is Claude Code's own compatibility endpoint, so Claude Code's Anthropic protocol is preserved end to end. ## OpenAI Codex The CLI connects Codex with `--agent codex`. To configure by hand, add a provider block to `~/.codex/config.toml`: ```toml model_provider = "vercel" [model_providers.vercel] name = "Vercel AI Gateway" base_url = "https://ai-gateway.vercel.sh/codex/v1" env_key = "AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY" wire_api = "responses" ``` `/codex/v1` is Codex's own compatibility endpoint, and `wire_api = "responses"` is required because Codex no longer speaks Chat Completions. Start Codex normally and pick models: ```bash codex codex --model openai/gpt-5.5-pro ``` Codex reads the gateway catalog from `/codex/v1/models` at startup, so `/model` inside a session lists every gateway model. ## OpenCode and Pi OpenCode has native support. Connect from inside the tool: ```text /connect ``` Search for "Vercel AI Gateway", paste the key, then: ```text /models ``` OpenCode discovers available models automatically. In config, model IDs use the `vercel/` prefix, for example `vercel/openai/gpt-5.5-pro`. Pi ships a first-class `vercel-ai-gateway` provider. The CLI writes only the credential: ```bash vercel ai-gateway coding-agents setup --agent pi ``` Then select a model with `/model` or `pi --list-models`. Pi's manual setup stores the key in `~/.pi/agent/auth.json` under the `vercel-ai-gateway` entry. ## Cursor, Cline and other agents Cursor keeps API-key settings in its own account-synced store, so `--agent cursor` provisions the key and walks you through the last few clicks in **Settings** -> **Models**. Set **Override OpenAI Base URL** to: ```text https://ai-gateway.vercel.sh/cursor/v1 ``` Cline connects via `--agent cline`. In the extension, select **Vercel AI Gateway** as the API Provider, paste the key, and choose a model from the auto-populated catalog. Other supported agents: - **Blackbox AI:** `blackbox configure` -> "Configure Providers" -> "Vercel AI Gateway". - **Roo Code, Kilo Code:** extension-based providers that fetch the model list from the gateway automatically; pick models with `/models`. - **OpenClaw:** `--agent openclaw` adds a `vercel-ai-gateway` provider and starter model list to `~/.openclaw/openclaw.json`. - **Superset:** environment variables point `ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL` at `https://ai-gateway.vercel.sh/coding-agent` with `ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN` set to the gateway key. - **Grok Build, Conductor, Crush:** supported via the CLI's extended agent list; configure by hand when the CLI does not cover them. ## Hermes Hermes is listed as a supported agent (`--agent hermes`). The changelog documents model selection through Hermes' own picker: ```text /model custom:vercel-ai-gateway: ``` For example: ```text /model custom:vercel-ai-gateway:anthropic/claude-opus-5 ``` Hermes connects to the gateway as a custom OpenAI-compatible endpoint, so the same key works across the terminal CLI and any Hermes gateway surfaces that honor the configured provider. ## Spend controls and budgets The gateway adds controls that individual agents lack: - **Budgets, resets, and expiry** on the keys agents use, configured at key creation or via `--budget` and `--refresh-period`. - **Team-wide policy** that agents cannot route around: Zero Data Retention or a provider allowlist holds for every agent request without editing each agent's config. - **Request traces** with the cost, tokens, and model behind each request. - **Observability** in the Vercel dashboard: spend by agent, model usage, and traces. The `--budget 500 --refresh-period monthly` flags in the setup command preconfigure a $500 monthly budget on the provisioned key. Budgets are enforced by the gateway on the key itself, so an agent cannot exceed them by retrying or switching models. ## Tradeoffs and caveats - **A new central dependency.** Every agent now fails if the gateway is unreachable, so gateway uptime becomes a team-wide availability factor. Vercel's documented model catalog and fallback behavior mitigate upstream provider outages, but the gateway hop itself is a single point. - **Key handling.** The setup stores keys per agent. The macOS CLI path keeps the key in the Keychain rather than plaintext config; other platforms use each agent's own credential store. Audit where each key lands before running in a team. - **Protocol translation.** Codex needs the Responses protocol and Claude Code needs the Anthropic surface. Using the dedicated endpoints (not the generic one) for these agents matters; the generic surface is correct for everything else. - **No model pinning.** The setup intentionally does not pin models. Teams that need deterministic models must configure them per agent after setup, or spend changes silently when agents default to different models. - **Billing model.** Vercel states zero token markup, with the upstream provider's published rate as the cost basis. Verify current AI Gateway pricing and BYOK terms in the Vercel docs before assuming cost neutrality. ## Migration checklist - [ ] Upgrade the Vercel CLI: `pnpm i -g vercel@latest` - [ ] Run `vercel ai-gateway coding-agents setup` and review the diff before accepting - [ ] Confirm which agents were detected and connected (`--agent` list) - [ ] Verify per-agent model selection works: `/model`, `/models`, or `codex --model` - [ ] Confirm Codex uses `/codex/v1` with `wire_api = "responses"` and Claude Code uses `/claude-code` - [ ] Set a budget on the key: `--budget 500 --refresh-period monthly` or in the dashboard - [ ] Turn on Zero Data Retention or a provider allowlist if policy requires it - [ ] Check the Observability dashboard after a few sessions: spend by agent, model usage, traces - [ ] Document the gateway key location for every agent and rotate on team changes - [ ] Test a fallback: temporarily block one provider and confirm the gateway routes to the next ## FAQ **Does Vercel AI Gateway add a markup on tokens for coding agents?** Vercel states the gateway adds zero token markup. You are billed for the upstream provider's published rate, with optional Team and Enterprise features as the monetization layer. **Can I keep my existing agent configuration when moving to AI Gateway?** The one-command setup edits each agent's own config file in place, preserves formatting, copies existing Claude Desktop and Codex Desktop sessions, and does not pin a model, so existing conversations and histories survive the provider switch. **Which endpoint should I use for an agent Vercel does not list?** Point it at the generic coding-agent surface `https://ai-gateway.vercel.sh/coding-agent/v1`, which passes through to the standard `/v1` handlers. Clients that append `/v1/messages` themselves should use `https://ai-gateway.vercel.sh/coding-agent` without the `/v1` suffix. **Does the setup pin my agents to a single model?** No. The command writes the gateway URL and credentials only; model selection stays inside each agent via `/model`, `/models`, or `codex --model`, reading the full gateway catalog. ## All Sources and Links - [Vercel AI Gateway: Coding Agents documentation](https://vercel.com/docs/ai-gateway/coding-agents) -- official docs, accessed August 19, 2026 - [Set up coding agents in one command with AI Gateway (changelog)](https://vercel.com/changelog/set-up-coding-agents-in-one-command-with-ai-gateway) -- official changelog, August 12, 2026 - [Vercel CLI: AI Gateway reference](https://vercel.com/docs/cli/ai-gateway) -- official CLI docs - [Vercel AI Gateway models catalog](https://vercel.com/ai-gateway/models) -- official catalog - [Vercel AI Gateway API keys and BYOK](https://vercel.com/docs/ai-gateway/authentication-and-byok/api-keys) -- official auth docs - [Vercel AI Gateway observability and spend](https://vercel.com/docs/ai-gateway/observability-and-spend/observability) -- official monitoring docs Related AgentPedia guides: [Vercel Eve Extensions](https://agentpedia.codes/blog/vercel-eve-extensions-guide), [Vercel FX Native Coding Agent](https://agentpedia.codes/blog/vercel-fx-native-coding-agent-guide), [OmniRoute AI Gateway Routing](https://agentpedia.codes/blog/omniroute-ai-gateway-routing-setup-guide), [Cursor Router Modes and Billing](https://agentpedia.codes/blog/cursor-router-modes-billing-guide). --- - [All articles](https://agentpedia.codes/blog)