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Claude account banned? Your workflow isn't

Through 2026, developers have reported several waves of Anthropic account suspensions. The Claude Code CLI itself keeps working: point it at an Anthropic-compatible API and the same agent runs on open-source models.

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What happened

Through 2026, developers have reported several waves of Anthropic account suspensions, the most recent in late October. We don't know the reasons behind individual bans and won't speculate. Whatever the cause, the effect is the same: the account is gone and the agent has no endpoint.

We are not affiliated with Anthropic and can't restore access. This page covers the practical question that follows: how to keep the workflow you built around Claude Code.

The ban hit your account, not your CLI

Claude Code is an agent in your terminal. It talks to whatever endpoint ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL points at, and your Anthropic account is only one of the places it can point. Gonka Broker speaks the same Anthropic protocol and serves open-source models, so the agent keeps working while the models behind it change.

What you keep

  • The terminal workflow and your muscle memory: same CLI, same commands
  • The full agentic loop: multi-turn sessions, tool use, streaming
  • Your project setup: CLAUDE.md files, hooks, slash commands

What changes

  • The models: open-source MiniMax M2 or DeepSeek V4 Flash instead of Claude models, with a different quality profile
  • The billing: a prepaid USD balance spent per token, no subscription
  • The price class: cents per million tokens, input and output at the same rate

Weighing the switch on its own merits rather than after a ban? The Claude Code on open-source models page makes the full case.

Back to work in three variables

Sign up, create a gnk-prx- key, export three environment variables, and start your agent as usual. Nothing to install, nothing to patch. 

export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://proxy.gonkabroker.com"
export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="gnk-prx-YOUR_KEY_HERE"
export ANTHROPIC_MODEL="MiniMaxAI/MiniMax-M2.7"

claude

Step-by-step instructions live in the Claude Code connection guide; protocol details are on the Anthropic-compatible API page.

Trying it costs nothing

Every account includes a monthly free tier of at least 1M tokens of any model, spent before your paid balance. After that you prepay a USD balance and spend it per token, with the rate locked in when you top up. Open-source models on Gonka are priced in cents per million tokens.

See current token prices Claude API cost compared About the free tier

After the ban FAQ

Will this bring back access to Claude models?

No. Gonka Broker is an independent service serving open-source models over an Anthropic-compatible protocol. Your Claude Code CLI keeps working, but it runs on models like MiniMax M2, not on Claude. Claude Code on open models

Is this allowed?

Using Claude Code with a custom endpoint is a standard, documented setup: the CLI reads ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL by design. The key, the balance, and the models are all ours, so no Anthropic account or subscription is involved.

Do I need a VPN?

No. The API is a plain HTTPS endpoint; you sign up, create a key, and call it like any other API. The models are served on the decentralized Gonka network.

Can this account get banned too?

We don't ask for passports or ID documents. Like any prepaid service we restrict accounts for abuse, such as free-tier farming or payment fraud. Normal paid usage is what the service exists for.

How do open-source models compare to Claude?

They have a different profile: top open models are strong at coding and agentic work, and usually behind frontier Claude models on the hardest tasks. The monthly free tier of at least 1M tokens exists so you can judge on your own codebase before paying. Models we serve

How do I pay?

Top up a USD balance by card; the token rate is locked in at top-up, and input and output cost the same. The free tier is spent before your balance.

Claude Code is a product of Anthropic. Gonka Broker is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic.

Keep your agent running

Sign up, create a key, export three variables. Your first 1M+ tokens each month are free.

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