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Claude Code error Auth conflict:Both a token and an API key are set - cc-switch

Quick fix

Remove primaryApiKey from ~/.claude.json or add "auth_mode": "bearer_only". Restore overwritten settings via default or manage shared settings with Common…

Symptom

Section titled “Symptom”
Error output
Auth conflict:Both a token (ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN) and an API key (/login managed   key) are set. This may lead to unexpected behavior.

Cause

Section titled “Cause”

cc-switch rewrites Claude Code configuration files when switching providers, causing two types of problems: conflicting environment variables and overwritten settings.

Authentication conflicts: Selecting the second login option in Claude Code (API key login) creates a primaryApiKey field in ~/.claude.json. cc-switch only writes ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN to ~/.claude/settings.json. When both exist, Claude Code detects multiple authentication sources and reports Auth conflict. Some users resolved this by adding "auth_mode": "bearer_only" or deleting primaryApiKey. However, the maintainer noted that primaryApiKey is required for official keys, so deleting it may break official login.

Overwritten settings: cc-switch replaces configuration files instead of merging them. Different providers may require specific fields, such as CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_OUTPUT_TOKENS for LongCAT, that can cause side effects for other providers. The developer therefore chose full replacement over field-level merging. This can remove existing hooks, permissions, and env settings. The initial configuration is saved as the default provider and can be restored by switching back. Users must manually maintain settings shared across providers through Common Config.

Fix

Section titled “Fix”

  1. 404 error with a local llama.cpp deployment: cc-switch currently has problems supporting the llama.cpp /v1/messages endpoint. Temporarily use tools such as CherryStudio, or wait for an official fix.

    Windows PowerShell (管理员)
    netsh interface portproxy add v4tov4 listenaddress=0.0.0.0 listenport=15722 connectaddress=127.0.0.1 connectport=15721
    New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "WSL CCS Proxy 15722" -Direction Inbound -Action Allow -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 15722

Affected Versions

Section titled “Affected Versions”
ToolClaude Code / Claude Desktop
Versioncc-switch v3.9.0+ 已修复代理监听地址问题；其他问题在最新版中仍存在
PlatformsWindows

Source Issues

Section titled “Source Issues”

This page is distilled from 7 real issues

FAQ

Section titled “FAQ”
My hooks and permissions settings disappeared after switching providers. Can I restore them?
The initial configuration is automatically saved as the default provider. Switch back to default to restore it. Use Common Config afterward to maintain shared settings across providers and prevent them from being overwritten.
I deleted primaryApiKey, but the warning persists. Why?
Check whether ANTHROPIC_API_KEY or other authentication variables are set in your system environment. Also confirm that no old settings remain in ~/.claude/settings.json.
WSL cannot connect to cc-switch on Windows and reports that the connection was refused. What should I do?
v3.9.0+ supports changing the listening address to 0.0.0.0. After changing it, manually point ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL in WSL to the Windows LAN IP and ensure that Windows Firewall allows the port. Windows 10 users can switch to WSL2 mirrored networking (networkingMode=mirrored).
A model deployed with llama.cpp returns 404 in cc-switch, but curl tests work. Why?
This is a known issue. The cc-switch proxy layer may have compatibility problems with the llama.cpp response format. There is currently no official fix; temporarily use another client.
Claude Desktop reports authentication failure after saving a provider, even though the key is correct. Why?
cc-switch stores credentials as ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN by default, but Claude Desktop direct mode requires ANTHROPIC_API_KEY. Edit the provider and rename the field to ANTHROPIC_API_KEY.
Section titled “Related problems”
Provider API Key Overwritten: After Codex Restart or SwitchUpgrade to cc-switch v4.0.0 or later to prevent provider keys from overwriting each other and restore the official login state.6 issues mergedINVALID_API_KEY after switching providers in CodexUpgrade to v3.20.1 or later; third-party switching no longer writes to `auth.json`, preventing provider key/authentication mismatches.5 issues merged400 model provider error Claude Code pluginAdd the environment variables required by the current provider to VS Code’s claudeCode.environmentVariables setting so the plugin can read them.1 issues merged

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