Platform Setup: Windows with WSL2 (Recommended)

WSL2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux) gives you a real Linux environment on Windows. This is the recommended setup for Claude Code and most AI coding agents, because they assume a POSIX shell and Unix tooling.

Windows 11 / 10
  └── WSL2 (Ubuntu)  ──► Claude Code / Codex / Cline  ──► router.neosmith.ai
       │
       └── Your IDE can run either inside WSL (VS Code Remote-WSL)
           or on Windows connecting into WSL.

1. Install WSL2

In an Administrator PowerShell:

wsl --install

This installs WSL2 + Ubuntu by default. Reboot when prompted, then set a Linux username/password on first launch. Confirm version 2:

wsl -l -v        # VERSION column should show 2

2. Set up the Linux environment (inside WSL)

Open the Ubuntu terminal (Start → Ubuntu) and treat it exactly like Linux:

# Node via nvm (recommended)
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.1/install.sh | bash
source ~/.bashrc
nvm install --lts

# Claude Code CLI
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

3. Set environment variables (inside WSL)

# Add to ~/.bashrc
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://router.neosmith.ai
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-plus-yourname-xxxxxx

For OpenAI-format agents (Codex):

export OPENAI_BASE_URL=https://router.neosmith.ai/v1
export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-plus-yourname-xxxxxx

Apply and verify:

source ~/.bashrc
echo $ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL
curl -s https://router.neosmith.ai/whoami -H "Authorization: Bearer sk-plus-yourname-xxxxxx"

4. One-command Claude Code setup (inside WSL)

npx @neosmithai/cli init sk-plus-yourname-xxxxxx

5. Connect your IDE

VS Code + Remote-WSL (recommended)

Install VS Code on Windows (native).
Install the WSL extension (ms-vscode-remote.remote-wsl).
From the WSL terminal, in your project folder, run code . — VS Code opens connected to WSL.
Install the Claude Code extension in the WSL context (VS Code prompts you per-context).
The extension now reads the env vars from your WSL ~/.bashrc. Open the panel with Ctrl+Esc.

This is the cleanest setup: the agent runs in Linux, the editor UI runs on Windows. Everything “just works” with the Linux env vars.

JetBrains + WSL

JetBrains IDEs can open projects located in the WSL filesystem (\\wsl$\Ubuntu\home\...). For:

Path A (Claude Code plugin): Set the env vars in WSL and launch the JetBrains IDE from the WSL terminal, or use the JetBrains Gateway/WSL backend so the plugin inherits the WSL environment.
Path B (JetBrains AI Assistant): No env vars needed — configure https://router.neosmith.ai/v1 directly in Settings (works the same whether the IDE is Windows-native or WSL-backed). See JetBrains AI setup.

6. Keep projects in the Linux filesystem

For best performance, keep your code under the WSL home directory (~/projects/...), not under /mnt/c/.... Cross-filesystem access (/mnt/c) is significantly slower for git and file-watching.

WSL vs Native Windows — which to choose

	WSL2	Native Windows
Claude Code / Codex / Cline	✅ Best	⚠️ Works, occasional rough edges
JetBrains AI Assistant (Path B)	✅	✅ (no shell needed)
Tooling (git, npm, shell scripts)	✅ Native Linux	⚠️ Some assume POSIX
Setup effort	Slightly more (install WSL)	Less
Recommendation	Default choice	Use if WSL unavailable

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Fix
`curl` works in WSL but IDE can’t connect	Ensure the IDE is running in the WSL context (Remote-WSL), not Windows-native against WSL env vars
Env vars not seen	`source ~/.bashrc`; relaunch the IDE from the WSL terminal
Slow git / file watching	Move the project from `/mnt/c/...` to `~/...` inside WSL
`wsl --install` fails	Enable “Virtual Machine Platform” + “Windows Subsystem for Linux” in Windows Features, reboot

More: Troubleshooting

Pick your IDE or agent guide from the Home.