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Install Cheaper, route your calls, and watch the savings.

Install

npx cheaperapp install --all

The installer lets you pick components: the skill (routing procedure), the hook (always-on policy), the plugin (skill + hook + tiered agents), and the gateway (the proxy that routes every API call).

Run the gateway

cheaper gateway start
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=http://localhost:8787
cheaper monitor            # live downgrade-rate + estimated savings

How routing decides

Each request is classified: simple work runs on the cheapest tier; auto-escalate categories (concurrency, security, proofs, hard debugging, high-stakes judgment, dense synthesis) jump straight to the top tier. By default the model your client requested is a ceiling — Cheaper only ever downgrades, never overspends. Set ROUTER_ALLOW_UPGRADE=true for full adaptive upgrades.

Where it applies

The gateway covers any client that can set ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL (Claude Code, the SDKs, your own apps). For the Claude desktop app, the plugin (skill + hook + tiered agents) is the lever, since that app doesn't expose a custom base URL.

Config

Env vars: ROUTER_MODE, ROUTER_MODEL_HAIKU/SONNET/OPUS, ROUTER_ALLOW_UPGRADE, ROUTER_MIN_TIER, CHEAPER_DB. See the repo's README.