Quickstart
Route your Claude traffic through ModelPilot in about five minutes. Your API key and prompts never leave your machine.
You'll need a ModelPilot account (free 7-day trial, no card) and your Anthropic
API key. Create an account →
Get your deployment id and an API key
After signing up, open Connect in the console. Copy yourdeployment idand click Create API key (it's shown once).Install the proxy
# Python 3.10+ pip install modelpilot-clientConfigure & run it
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-… # stays on your machine export MODELPILOT_API_KEY=mp_live_… # from the Connect page export MODELPILOT_BRAIN_URL=https://brain.modelpilot.app export MODELPILOT_CONSOLE_URL=https://app.modelpilot.app export MODELPILOT_DEPLOYMENT_ID=dep_… modelpilot-client # listens on http://127.0.0.1:8400
See the full list on the Configuration page.
Point your app at it
The proxy speaks the Claude Messages API — just change the base URL. Nothing else in your code changes.# Python from anthropic import Anthropic client = Anthropic(base_url="http://127.0.0.1:8400") # your key, local
Or one line with our helper — see SDKs.
Watch the savings
Send some traffic, then open your dashboard — realized savings by task type, baseline-vs-actual, and a non-inferiority proof rate, recomputed from real tokens.
Choosing a routing mode
Set your mode in the console (it takes effect server-side within seconds, no redeploy):
| Mode | What it does | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| shadow | Scores every request and measures savings — changes nothing. | First, to quantify the opportunity with zero risk. |
| guidance | Recommends a cheaper model per request; you decide. | To review routing before trusting it. |
| autopilot | Auto-routes to the cheapest good-enough model. | Once the numbers convince you. This is where you save. |
It always fails open. If ModelPilot is ever unreachable, your request is
forwarded straight to the Claude API, unrouted. We can degrade your savings, never your uptime.
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