Zukko Blog
Guides to Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and the Claude and GPT APIs: setup, token savings and troubleshooting.
Cline: what this VS Code agent is and what it costs to run
6 min · · IDE
Cline reads your project, edits files and runs commands with your approval. Plan and Act modes, connecting your own key, and the cost of a typical task.
Claude Code in Russia: installation and use without an Anthropic subscription
5 min · · IDE
Install Claude Code, point it at a gateway with two variables and pay per token by SBP, MasterCard or crypto. Plus the first-run errors and how to fix them.
Cursor AI: what this editor is and what it can do in 2026
6 min · · IDE
Cursor is a code editor with an AI agent, chat and autocomplete. We explain what it consists of, how it differs from plain VS Code and when to connect your own key.
How to write Cursor rules in .cursor/rules without wasting tokens
4 min · · IDE
Cursor rules are persistent instructions for the agent. The .mdc format, four ways a rule gets applied, examples, and how rules affect the size of every request.
Claude Code on Windows: native or WSL install and Zukko setup
5 min · · development
Claude Code runs on Windows natively and in WSL. Official install methods, Git Bash, environment variables for Zukko, and the usual errors.
Qwen Code CLI with Claude, GPT, and GLM via Zukko
4 min · · IDE
Qwen Code isn't limited to Qwen models: it supports OpenAI-compatible APIs, so through Zukko you can use Claude, GPT, and GLM in it.
Connect Hermes Agent to Zukko — Anthropic or OpenAI
4 min · · агенты
Hermes Agent works with Claude and GPT via an API key. Here's which wizard option to pick, which base URL to set, and how to verify the Zukko connection.
Claude Code in VS Code — extension and integrated terminal
5 min · · IDE
Claude Code runs in VS Code both as an extension with a graphical panel and as a CLI in the integrated terminal. Both read one settings.json, so you set up Zukko once.
Error 503 model_disabled: What It Means and How to Handle It
4 min · · errors
model_disabled means one specific model is switched off right now, not that the whole service is down. How to find a replacement, switch your IDE, and code a fallback.
How to write CLAUDE.md — instructions for Claude Code
4 min · · development
CLAUDE.md is the instructions file Claude Code loads at the start of every session. Here's what to put in it and how to avoid paying for context bloat.
Cursor alternatives in 2026: eight tools that work with your own API key
6 min · · IDE
Eight AI coding tools: how they differ according to their own docs, and how to connect each one to a single API key.
Which model to use in Claude Code: slots, prices and the index
6 min · · IDE
Claude Code takes its models from several environment variables. Here's what to put in each slot by price and index, and what a session costs.
Anthropic API from Russia: moving your code and Claude Code to Zukko
6 min · · development
Anthropic SDK code and Claude Code move to the gateway with an address and key change. Where the /v1 trap is, which Claude models are available, and how caching works.
GitHub Copilot vs Claude Code
5 min · · сравнение
Copilot lives in the editor on a subscription; Claude Code is a terminal agent billed per token. Where the working model and the billing actually diverge.
Claude Code vs aider
5 min · · сравнение
Claude Code and aider are both terminal-based and agentic, but they treat models and git differently. How they compare, and how to connect both to one key.
Claude Code vs Windsurf
4 min · · сравнение
Claude Code runs in a terminal with no editor of its own; Windsurf is a full IDE with a built-in agent. Where the approaches actually diverge.
aider: setup through environment variables
4 min · · IDE
aider is configured almost entirely through environment variables rather than config files. Here is which variable names it reads and where the base URL goes.
Windsurf: connecting to Claude and GPT
4 min · · IDE
Windsurf may let you add a custom provider and reach Claude, GPT and GLM with one key. Here are the settings fields, the limitations, and where people usually get stuck.
JetBrains AI Assistant: connecting in IntelliJ and PyCharm
4 min · · IDE
JetBrains AI Assistant accepts third-party keys through its custom OpenAI-compatible provider section — here is exactly which field gets the URL and which gets the model.
Zed: setting up the AI assistant with your own key
4 min · · IDE
Zed is configured through settings.json, and its anthropic provider expects a URL without /v1 — miss that detail and the assistant panel just keeps returning 404.
Continue.dev: connecting to the gateway
4 min · · IDE
Continue.dev is configured through a config.yaml file rather than a settings form, which is exactly how a stale apiBase or an extra slash survives unnoticed. Here is a working config.
Roo Code: a five-minute setup
4 min · · IDE
Roo Code is a Cline fork with nearly identical provider settings. Here is the shortest path from installing the extension to a working first request.
Cline: connecting to Claude and GPT with your own key
5 min · · IDE
Cline can talk to a gateway in either Anthropic mode or OpenAI mode, and the base URL depends on which one you pick. Both paths, plus the 404 that trips people up first.
Neovim: connecting avante.nvim and codecompanion
4 min · · IDE
avante.nvim and codecompanion.nvim handle addresses differently under the hood — one provider expects /v1, the other doesn't. Both configs, line by line.