# 1.1 Introduction

## What is CC Switch

CC Switch is a cross-platform desktop application designed for developers who use AI tools. It helps you centrally manage configurations for **Claude Code**, **Claude Desktop**, **Codex**, **Gemini CLI**, **OpenCode**, **OpenClaw**, and **Hermes**.

## What Problems Does It Solve

In your daily development workflow, you may encounter these pain points:

- **Tedious multi-provider switching**: Using different API providers (official, proxy services) requires manually editing configuration files
- **Scattered configurations**: Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex, Gemini, OpenCode, OpenClaw, and Hermes each have independent configuration files in different formats
- **No usage monitoring**: No visibility into how many API calls were made or how much they cost
- **Service instability**: When a single provider goes down, your entire workflow is interrupted

CC Switch solves these problems through a unified interface.

## Core Features

### Provider Management
- One-click switching between multiple API provider configurations
- Preset templates for quickly adding common providers
- Universal provider feature for sharing configurations across apps
- Claude Desktop third-party providers, direct mode, and model mapping
- Usage query and balance display
- Endpoint speed testing

### Extensions
- **MCP Servers**: Manage Model Context Protocol servers to extend AI capabilities
- **Prompts**: Manage system prompt presets for quick scenario switching
- **Skills**: Install and manage skill extensions

### Proxy & High Availability
- Local proxy service for request logging and usage statistics
- Automatic failover that switches to a backup provider when the primary one fails
- Circuit breaker mechanism to prevent repeated retries against failing providers
- Detailed token usage tracking and cost estimation

## Supported Applications

| Application | Description |
|-------------|-------------|
| **Claude Code** | Anthropic's official AI coding assistant |
| **Claude Desktop** | Claude desktop app with official sign-in and third-party 3P profiles |
| **Codex** | OpenAI's code generation tool |
| **Gemini CLI** | Google's AI command-line tool |
| **OpenCode** | Open-source AI coding terminal tool |
| **OpenClaw** | Open-source AI assistant (multi-provider gateway) |
| **Hermes** | Hermes Agent provider, MCP, Skills, and Memory management |

## Supported Platforms

- **Windows** 10 and above
- **macOS** 12 (Monterey) and above
- **Linux** Ubuntu 22.04+ / Debian 11+ / Fedora 34+ (x64 / ARM64)

## Technical Architecture

CC Switch is built with a modern technology stack:

- **Frontend**: React 18 + TypeScript + Tailwind CSS
- **Backend**: Tauri 2 + Rust
- **Data Storage**: SQLite (providers, MCP, Prompts) + JSON (device settings)

This architecture ensures:
- Consistent cross-platform experience
- Native-level performance
- Secure local data storage