> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cloud.cdata.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Claude Desktop

> Claude Desktop is Anthropic's desktop application for Claude. Follow the directions below to route Claude Desktop traffic through the Connect AI LLM Gateway.

## Prerequisites

Before you can configure Claude Desktop to use the Connect AI LLM Gateway, you must register a provider, create a routing rule, create a project, and issue a virtual key. See [LLM Gateway](/en/LLM-Gateway/LLM-Gateway) for details.

<Note>A Connect AI Personal Access Token (PAT) is not accepted by the LLM Gateway. Only a virtual key authenticates requests.</Note>

## Configure Claude Desktop

<Steps>
  <Step>
    Open Claude Desktop.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    In the application menu, enable **Developer Mode** by selecting **Help** > **Troubleshooting** > **Enable Developer Mode** (Windows and macOS).
  </Step>

  <Step>
    Quit and relaunch Claude Desktop.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    In the menu bar, select **Developer** > **Configure Third Party Inference** > **Gateway**.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    Select **Gateway** for where Claude Desktop sends inference requests.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    Configure the gateway connection as follows:

    * **Credential kind**—**Static API key**.
    * **Gateway base URL**—*[https://cloud.cdata.com/gateway/v1](https://cloud.cdata.com/gateway/v1)*.
    * **Gateway API key**—Your virtual key obtained from the Connect AI LLM Gateway.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    Click **Apply Changes**, then click **Save & Restart**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Claude Desktop routes all requests through the Connect AI LLM Gateway. The gateway selects the provider and model based on your project's routing rule.


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.