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ScaleMax Documentation

Start with Web Chat and Studio, or connect your own tools through the OpenAI-compatible and Anthropic Messages APIs.

Open in ClaudeOpen in ChatGPT

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Use ScaleMax in the browser with Web Chat and Studio, or connect your own tools through the OpenAI-compatible API and Anthropic Messages gateway.

Choose your path

  • Web Chat — browser conversations for everyday AI work.
  • Studio — generate websites and simple apps with rendered previews.
  • API and client setup — connect SDKs and supported clients.

Install

Requires Node.js 18.19 or later with npm and npx.

bash
npm install -g scalemax
scalemax

Or run the latest CLI once:

bash
npx scalemax@latest

Get an API key

New to ScaleMax? Choose API credit or a provider-scoped token pack (Claude, OpenAI, Gemini, Grok, Qwen, Local Models, or an exact-model pack such as DeepSeek V4 Flash) and get your API key. No subscription is required. A token key is provider-scoped: Claude tokens are for Claude models, OpenAI tokens are for OpenAI-compatible models, and each of Gemini, Grok, Qwen, and Local Models tokens are for that family's models only. MiMo models are included in the Local Models pack.

Authenticate

Paste your ScaleMax API key when prompted.

text
Enter your ScaleMax API key:

Set the matching gateway URL

The CLI makes this choice for you. For manual SDK or client setup, use the billing surface and protocol that match the key and client.

Start with the key you bought

Choose one billing path

Your choice is remembered across the documentation. Then select the card that matches your client protocol.

For a key funded with a dollar credit balance.

OpenAI-compatible Chat Completions or Responses

Use with: Codex, OpenCode, Cursor, Roo Code, SDKs, and direct HTTP

Base URL to enter

https://api.scalemax.pro/v1

Native Anthropic Messages

Use with: Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and native Messages clients

Base URL to enter

https://api.scalemax.pro

The protocol decides whether the client field ends in /v1. OpenAI-compatible clients use a base URL ending in /v1. Native Anthropic clients use the origin only, without /v1, because they append /v1/messages themselves. A Claude token key therefore reaches /token/v1/messages when the native client builds its request.

Use the key's matching billing surface and only models returned by its authenticated catalog. A Claude token key and an OpenAI token key are provider-scoped; neither can be swapped onto the other's models.

Claude Desktop is a native Anthropic client with its own third-party inference settings. Follow the Claude Desktop guide; it does not read Claude Code's configuration.

If already configured, the installer shows the stored key safely masked:

text
✓ Existing ScaleMax configuration detected.

API key:
••••••••••••••••abcd

1. Keep existing key
2. Replace with a new key
3. Remove configuration
4. Exit

Configure clients

The installer detects and configures supported clients automatically:

  • Codex
  • Cursor
  • Roo Code
  • Cline
  • Continue
  • TRAE SOLO
  • Claude Code
  • OpenCode
  • OpenClaw
  • Hermes
  • Cherry Studio
  • API Code

Managed Claude Desktop on 3P uses a separate third-party inference guide and does not inherit Claude Code settings. The full list, including clients the installer cannot configure, is in Supported clients.

Verify installation

bash
scalemax doctor
scalemax models

scalemax doctor checks your key, model endpoint, streaming, usage path, and client configuration files. Its streaming check sends a small billable request, and a configured client verifier may send an additional small billable request.

scalemax models fetches the live model list from the matching authenticated catalog: /v1/models for API credit or /token/v1/models for API tokens.

First chat example

For an OpenAI-compatible client, select the base URL for the key first. Use only an ID returned by that key's authenticated model catalog.

bash
export SCALEMAX_API_KEY="sm_live_..."
# API-credit key:
export SCALEMAX_BASE_URL="https://api.scalemax.pro/v1"
# API-token key used through an OpenAI-compatible client:
# export SCALEMAX_BASE_URL="https://api.scalemax.pro/token/v1"

curl "$SCALEMAX_BASE_URL/chat/completions" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SCALEMAX_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "YOUR_AUTHENTICATED_MODEL_ID",
    "max_tokens": 16,
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Reply with exactly OK"}]
  }'

Base URL

OpenAI-compatible SDKs use https://api.scalemax.pro/v1 for API credit or https://api.scalemax.pro/token/v1 for API tokens. Native Claude apps use the origin-only entries in the table above instead.

Next steps