For your first CC Switch setup, change one tool and one provider. Verify where requests actually go, then test switching back. An “enabled” label alone does not confirm the model, account or billing destination.
Knowing that CC Switch manages AI tool settings is only the beginning. The practical questions are what to enter, how to verify the switch and how to recover. Treat the first change as a small migration: preserve a working baseline and check each new setting.
Prepare one provider configuration you are authorized to use
The official project is farion1231/cc-switch. Windows users can obtain an installer or portable package from its Releases page. Check the operating system and filename; a credit-selling site in a search advertisement is not the official tool.
This walkthrough uses Codex CLI as its context. Tools differ in authentication, configuration files and when changes take effect. Do not apply CLI instructions directly to the Codex desktop app.
| Prepare | What to check |
|---|---|
| A working baseline | Record the tool, provider and sign-in method. Run a small test to confirm that the starting configuration works. |
| New provider details | Obtain the Base URL, model ID and authentication method from that provider’s official documentation. |
| Test material | Use a short, non-sensitive sentence you wrote, without a real project or private files. |
| A recovery reference | Keep a configuration backup. Store credentials securely on your device, outside screenshots or public tutorials. |
“Research test” below is a custom label, not a provider or a working preset. You need access to an authorized service; installing CC Switch does not provide model credits.
Check the configuration before enabling it
- Open CC Switch and select the tool you actually use. Choose Codex for this example without changing other tools.
- To preserve existing CLI settings, follow the documented manual import at first launch and give the entry a recognizable name such as “Original configuration.” Check that it matches the service you already use.
- Add a provider using the appropriate preset or custom settings. You can name it “Research test.” Check every other field against the provider’s documentation. Do not use its homepage as an API endpoint or guess a request path.
- Save, reopen the entry and check the endpoint, model and authentication method. Then select and enable it.
- Restart Codex CLI as described in the official instructions before testing. Restart requirements differ between tools.
You do not need to enable a proxy, failover or automatic model routing for this first test. Changing several features at once makes unexpected results harder to trace.
Verify the switch with three kinds of evidence
In a new test conversation, ask the model to turn “Confirm the event venue on Friday afternoon” into one task. This tests a basic request, not model quality.
| Check | Passing evidence | Insufficient evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Configuration took effect | The tool’s effective settings or available request records match the selected provider and model. | A button changing color in CC Switch. |
| The request completed | A normal response without authentication or unknown-model errors. | The interface simply showing no warning. |
| Expected billing destination | If the provider supplies usage records, match the request time. Leave this unconfirmed if records have not updated. | The model identifying itself in natural language. |
If one check remains uncertain, keep the configuration in testing. Do not use an important task to establish whether a new setup is reliable.
Test the original configuration after switching back
For a previous provider, select the saved configuration, restart the relevant tool and repeat the same small test. For official sign-in, the README describes adding the official-login preset, restarting the CLI and following its login process. That does not restore an arbitrary third-party configuration.
If you enabled proxy takeover, also verify the request route. A familiar provider name does not establish that all routing has returned to its previous state. Revalidate any restored login information using the tool’s official process.
Start troubleshooting with the layer you changed
For authentication errors, check credentials and the service account. For an unknown model, check its ID. If basic replies work but a feature fails, check the provider’s support for that feature. These are diagnostic directions, not certain causes. Keep the exact error instead of repeatedly changing endpoints or permissions without evidence.
Your first setup is complete when you can explain which configuration is active, whether requests succeed and how to return to the previous state.
Related reading: Codex backup and restore.
Sources and verification limits
The official Chinese README was checked on September 14, 2026 for basic operations and downloads. The checklist and sample request are original teaching material. This article does not report a paid third-party API connection or a complete Windows walkthrough test, and makes no provider-specific claim about compatibility, price or reliability.