Claude Code and Codex: how to choose

If you're torn between Claude Code and Codex, this article first breaks them down by use case before diving into detailed comparison.

Who it's for

For users doing agentic coding, terminal development, code agent evaluation, and model switching decisions.

How to do it

1. First confirm whether you lean toward the terminal, an IDE, or cloud collaboration
2. Compare the differences in workflow, quotas, and ecosystem
3. Then decide on your access or top-up path in China

Cautions

The quotas and capabilities mentioned in the comparison update with versions, so it's recommended to cross-check with the latest official information.

How to Use Claude Code + Codex in China! CC Switch Step-by-Step DeepSeek Integration Tutorial

Want to use the latest AI coding tools smoothly and at low cost in China? This article will teach you how to use Claude Code + Codex in China!

As everyone knows, using these top overseas AI command-line tools directly has an extremely high barrier — not only are there network restrictions, but you also have to deal with complex configuration files. In today's step-by-step tutorial, we'll use the open-source tool CC Switch to easily connect China's powerful large models (such as DeepSeek) to both tools with zero barrier, delivering a true "usable in China" experience!

Table of Contents

• 1. What is CC Switch? Solving the model-switching headache
• 2. CC Switch download and quick install
• 3. Prepare a domestic large-model API Key (using DeepSeek as an example)
• 4. Hands-on: use Claude Code in China
• 5. Hands-on: use the Codex desktop app in China
• 6. Advanced Codex: generate a presentation from a single sentence with the PPT Skill

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1. What is CC Switch? Solving the model-switching headache

Before we get to using Claude Code + Codex in China, we must first get to know the core helper tool — CC Switch.

Command-line AI coding tools like Claude Code and Codex each have different underlying configuration formats. If you want to switch them to a model provider that works in China, you usually have to dig through tedious documentation and manually edit JSON, TOML, or .env files. Get one Base URL or API Key wrong and the tool simply refuses to work.

CC Switch is a cross-platform desktop tool built specifically to solve this problem. It can:

• Provide a visual interface to centrally manage configurations for multiple AI coding tools such as Claude Code, Codex, and Gemini CLI.
• Come with presets for 50+ domestic and international large-model providers (including DeepSeek, Qwen Tongyi Qianwen, Kimi, Zhipu GLM, MiniMax, etc.).
• Require no manual code editing — switch with one click from the system tray, perfectly delivering VPN-free use of AI coding tools in China.

Open-source reference: https://github.com/farion1231/cc-switch

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2. CC Switch download and quick install

For stability and the latest features, download from official channels:

• CC Switch official site (opens new window)
• GitHub Releases page (opens new window)

System installation guide:

• Windows users: download the .msi installer and double-click through the "Next" steps.
• Linux users: choose the matching .deb, .rpm, or .AppImage for your distribution.
• macOS users: download the matching .dmg and drag it to install.

After installation, launch CC Switch; its main interface stays on the desktop or in the system tray, ready to be called on.

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3. Prepare a domestic large-model API Key (using DeepSeek as an example)

To achieve the core goal of using Claude Code + Codex in China, integrating a cost-effective domestic large model is key. Here we use the highly regarded DeepSeek as an example:

1. Visit the DeepSeek open platform (opens new window) and register/log in.
2. Navigate to the "API keys" page and click "Create New API Key".
3. Important: the generated key is shown in full only once at creation time, so be sure to copy and store it securely on the spot.

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4. Hands-on: use Claude Code in China

Claude Code is Anthropic's native terminal AI coding assistant. It can independently analyze projects, write code, run commands, and fix bugs, fully automated. But the native tool requires logging in with an overseas account; below we'll show you how to bypass this restriction with CC Switch.

1. Install Claude Code locally

Make sure your computer has the Node.js environment installed (if not, download it from the Node official site (opens new window)). Open a terminal and run the following command to install:

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

2. Override the model configuration with CC Switch

Normally, typing claude in the terminal gets stuck at the login step. Now we forcibly take over via CC Switch:

• Open CC Switch, select Claude in the top app bar, and click "Add Provider".

• In the preset list, search for and select DeepSeek.

• Paste the DeepSeek API Key you saved earlier.

• Parameter notes: CC Switch comes with built-in DeepSeek-V4-Pro (great for writing code and complex reasoning) and DeepSeek-V4-Flash. If you need to handle huge project codebases, you can directly check Enable 1M mode (million-token ultra-long context).

• Click "Add" in the bottom-right corner to save. You can visually see the JSON code it automatically modifies for you in the interface.

• Finally, click to enable the DeepSeek model.

Reopen the terminal, type claude, and send a test question: "What model are you?" If the AI replies that it's DeepSeek, congratulations — the integration is successful!

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5. Hands-on: use the Codex desktop app in China

Codex is OpenAI's aggressively promoted new AI coding tool, available as a command-line version (Codex CLI) and a desktop visual interface (APP). This section uses the APP as an example.

1. Configure basic information in CC Switch

The logic is similar to configuring Claude Code:

• Switch the top app bar to Codex and click "Add Provider".

• Choose DeepSeek from the presets and fill in your API Key.
• Key point: in the popup settings, you must turn on the "Local Routing Mapping" switch, then click Add to save.

Go back to the home page and click to enable the DeepSeek provider. But it's not over yet — to prevent 404 errors on the API endpoint, you must enable local routing.

2. Enable local routing (key to avoiding errors)

• After switching to DeepSeek, click the "Settings" icon (gear-shaped) in the top-left corner of the interface.
• Find the routing settings menu and turn on the "Master Routing Switch".
• In the sub-options, check to enable Codex routing.

The principle behind this step is to let CC Switch's local proxy take over Codex's network requests, automatically converting between the OpenAI format and the DeepSeek format.

Open the Codex APP and start a simple test conversation; if it replies smoothly, you've connected it successfully!

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6. Advanced Codex: generate a presentation from a single sentence with the PPT Skill

Now that you've mastered the skills for using Claude Code + Codex in China, let's look at the advanced extension capabilities of AI coding tools — Skills (skill plugins). The recently viral auto-slide-generation plugin is the best example.

Preparation: get the PPT Skill source address

Go to the open-source repository and copy the plugin link: guizang-ppt-skill GitHub address (opens new window)

Step 1: automatic installation

Open Codex, send it the GitHub repository address above, and add an instruction for it to complete the installation for you. It will fetch the code and configure it on its own.

Step 2: invoke it by sending a command

Once installed, you can summon it using a slash command, the skill selector, or by explicitly naming it in natural language.

You can simply tell Codex:

"Invoke this skill and generate a PPT for me. The content should mainly introduce the scenery of Nanjing, aimed at students on a one-day trip."

Codex and the DeepSeek behind it will rapidly outline ideas, write copy, and even output a formatted PPT file directly!

Once generated, just click to preview in the browser and export — done in one smooth flow. This is exactly the explosion of productivity that comes from combining AI development tools with domestic large models!