Lightweight desktop tool for configuring DeepSeek, Kimi, Zhipu GLM and Bailian providers in Claude Desktop.

CC Desktop Switch

CC Desktop Switch is a lightweight desktop app for the official Claude Desktop client. It lets you manage third-party Anthropic-compatible API providers such as DeepSeek, Kimi, Zhipu GLM, Alibaba Cloud Bailian, and Xiaomi MiMo, then apply the right Claude Desktop 3P configuration with one click.

This project is focused on Claude Desktop on Windows and macOS. It is different from CLI-oriented tools such as farion1231/cc-switch: the goal here is to give regular desktop users a simple UI for provider setup, model mapping, health checks, and local gateway compatibility.

Since v1.0.18, Claude Desktop is configured to call the local CC Desktop Switch gateway at 127.0.0.1. Keep CC Desktop Switch running in the background when using third-party providers. Closing the window keeps the app available in the tray on Windows or hidden in the Dock app lifecycle on macOS.

Preview

   ![Provider management page](docs/promo/screenshots/readme-provider-list.png) 




   ![Add DeepSeek provider](docs/promo/screenshots/readme-deepseek-config.png)

Provider management and quick switching

Preset-based setup with recommended API URLs and models

   ![DeepSeek options](docs/promo/screenshots/readme-deepseek-options.png) 




   ![Qwen 1M model menu](docs/promo/screenshots/readme-qwen-1m-menu.png)

DeepSeek 1M context and Max reasoning options

Qwen 1M context exposed in Claude Desktop

What It Does

Manages DeepSeek, Kimi, Zhipu GLM, Alibaba Cloud Bailian, Xiaomi MiMo, and custom third-party providers.
Applies Claude Desktop third-party inference settings on Windows and macOS.
Uses a local gateway to keep model mapping, protocol compatibility, extra headers, and upstream keys under local control.
Shows only explicitly mapped Claude-safe model routes in Claude Desktop.
Rejects unmapped Claude model routes instead of silently falling back to an internal default.
Imports Anthropic-compatible CC-Switch configurations while leaving OpenAI-format entries opt-in.
Provides provider connectivity checks, model availability checks, SSE streaming, and custom upstream HTTP/SOCKS proxy support.
Prevents duplicate Windows app instances: launching the shortcut again brings the existing window forward.

Download

Get the latest release from:

https://github.com/lonr-6/cc-desktop-switch/releases/latest

Recommended downloads:

CC-Desktop-Switch-v-Windows-Setup.exe for the Windows installer.
CC-Desktop-Switch-v-Windows-Portable.zip for the Windows portable package.
CC-Desktop-Switch-v-macOS-arm64.pkg for the macOS installer.
CC-Desktop-Switch-v-macOS-arm64.dmg for the macOS drag-and-drop package.

Windows builds are not Authenticode-signed yet, so Windows may show an unknown publisher warning. Release assets include .sha256, .sig, and the public key for integrity checks.

Quick Start

Download and open CC Desktop Switch.
Pick a provider preset or add a custom provider.
Enter your own API key.
Adjust model mappings if needed.
Click Apply to Claude Desktop.
Fully restart Claude Desktop.

If the desktop window cannot open, use the fallback local UI:

http://127.0.0.1:18081

Default ports:

Admin UI: 18081
Local gateway: 18080

Model Mapping

Claude Desktop expects Claude-family model names. Many third-party providers use model IDs such as deepseek-v4-pro, kimi-k2.6, glm-5.1, or qwen3.6-plus.

CC Desktop Switch keeps those real upstream model IDs inside the local gateway and exposes Claude-safe route names to Claude Desktop. Since v1.0.19, only explicitly mapped Claude slots appear in the Claude Desktop model menu. Default remains an internal fallback and is not shown as a menu item.

Development

git clone https://github.com/lonr-6/cc-desktop-switch.git
cd cc-desktop-switch
pip install -r requirements.txt
python main.py

Browser fallback for development:

python main.py --browser

Verification:

python -m compileall -q backend main.py tests
python -m unittest discover -s tests -v
node --check frontend/js/api.js
node --check frontend/js/app.js
node --check frontend/js/i18n.js

Troubleshooting

Claude Desktop still uses the old provider

Claude Desktop reads third-party inference configuration during startup. After applying a provider, fully quit Claude Desktop and open it again. Closing only the chat window is often not enough.

Claude Desktop cannot connect

Third-party providers use the local gateway by default. Make sure CC Desktop Switch is still running in the background, and check whether the local ports are occupied:

netstat -ano | findstr :18081
netstat -ano | findstr :18080

Claude Desktop shows "Managed by your organization" after uninstall

CC Desktop Switch uses Claude Desktop's policy location for third-party inference settings. A normal Windows uninstall now removes only policy values carrying the ccds_managed=true marker. Silent in-place upgrades pass /UPGRADE and keep the active provider configuration. Policies written under HKLM, delivered by MDM, or owned by another administrator are never removed.

With v1.0.25 or earlier, use Clear Desktop configuration before uninstalling. If Claude Desktop is still managed afterwards, check for machine- or organization-level policy rather than deleting unrelated registry values.

DeepSeek Max / reasoning errors

DeepSeek's official Anthropic-compatible endpoint supports output_config.effort=max. CC Desktop Switch now shows the Max compatibility hint only when a 400/422 response explicitly names a thinking/effort field and rejects it. Unrelated authentication, URL, model, context-length, or parameter errors remain visible for diagnosis.

Claude Code attribution header

CLAUDE_CODE_ATTRIBUTION_HEADER=0 is only a Claude Code prompt-cache compatibility option. It is not a Claude Desktop 3P setting and does not replace the local gateway.

GitHub Copilot subscription

GitHub Copilot subscriptions are not directly supported as a provider API in CC Desktop Switch. Supported Copilot clients now offer their own BYOK/custom-provider settings, including OpenAI-compatible and local endpoints; configure those inside Copilot rather than routing a subscription through CC Desktop Switch. If you bring an independent OpenAI Chat or Anthropic-compatible endpoint, you can still test it as a custom provider after verifying its terms, API format, streaming behavior, and tool-call compatibility.

Star History

Tech Stack

Backend: Python, FastAPI, httpx, uvicorn
Frontend: HTML, CSS, vanilla JavaScript, Bootstrap 5.3 CDN
Storage: ~/.cc-desktop-switch/config.json
Packaging: PyInstaller, NSIS, macOS pkg/dmg scripts

Disclaimer

This project is not affiliated with Anthropic, Claude, CC-Switch, or any third-party model provider. Your upstream API keys are stored locally on your machine.