Claude Sonnet 4
Claude Sonnet 4 supports a context window of 1M tokens on Vercel AI Gateway, enabling full codebase analysis of 75,000+ lines or large document sets, while scoring 72.7% on SWE-bench Verified with hybrid extended thinking and enhanced steerability.
import { streamText } from 'ai'
const result = streamText({ model: 'anthropic/claude-sonnet-4', prompt: 'Why is the sky blue?'})What To Consider When Choosing a Provider
Zero Data Retention
AI Gateway supports Zero Data Retention for this model via direct gateway requests (BYOK is not included). To configure this, check the documentation.Authentication
AI Gateway authenticates requests using an API key or OIDC token. You do not need to manage provider credentials directly.
The context window of 1M tokens significantly increases per-request token volumes. Monitor cost per request carefully when processing full codebases or large document collections, as a single request can consume tokens equivalent to many standard calls.
When to Use Claude Sonnet 4
Best For
Full-codebase analysis and understanding:
With the context window of 1M tokens, pass an entire large repository in a single request
Agentic coding at scale:
SWE-bench 72.7% and GitHub Copilot's selection as its coding agent model speak directly to this use case
Multi-file refactoring and architectural reasoning:
The model needs to hold the whole picture simultaneously
Instruction-precise applications:
Steerability matters, the model was specifically improved to follow complex, nuanced instructions more accurately
Agent workflows at Sonnet pricing:
The 5x cost difference from Opus 4 makes Sonnet 4 the right choice when the benchmark results are comparable
Consider Alternatives When
Provider flexibility:
Check whether later model versions support 1M tokens through all providers when you don't want to pin to Anthropic
Sonnet 4.5 improvements:
OSWorld computer use performance, 30+ hour agentic task duration, and domain-specific reasoning advances
Haiku 4.5 capability match:
Lower-cost option when Haiku 4.5 covers the capability requirements
Opus-level reasoning depth:
Sonnet benchmarks don't capture the full difficulty of some problems
Conclusion
Claude Sonnet 4 pairs strong coding benchmark performance with a context window of 1M tokens that makes entire codebases processable in one shot, a combination that changes what's architecturally feasible for software engineering agents. At Sonnet pricing, it's the default choice for teams building on the Claude 4 generation until their workloads specifically require Opus or the later Sonnet improvements.
FAQ
Add the anthropic-beta: context-1m-2025-08-07 header to your request. Under providerOptions.gateway, set only to ['anthropic'] so the request routes through the Anthropic provider, which supports the feature.
The context window of 1M tokens lets you process entire codebases, long documents, or extended conversation histories in a single request. This is particularly useful for code review across multiple files, document analysis, and agentic workflows that accumulate context over many steps.
72.7% on SWE-bench Verified, matching or exceeding Claude Opus 4's 72.5% on that specific benchmark.
Sonnet 4 responds more precisely to instructions, reducing misinterpretation of complex or nuanced prompts. Anthropic highlighted steerability as an explicit design improvement for applications where exact specification of behavior matters.
Yes. Sonnet 4 is a hybrid model that supports both near-instant responses and extended thinking. Extended thinking with tool use, where the model alternates between reasoning and calling tools, is also available in beta.
Yes. The Claude 4 launch introduced one-hour prompt caching as a new API capability, compared to shorter-lived caching in previous generations. This is particularly useful for codebases or large system prompts that appear in many requests.
Claude Sonnet 4 is priced at the Sonnet tier, while Opus 4 is priced at the Opus tier. When benchmark results are comparable, the cost gap determines the choice at scale. Check the pricing panel on this page for current rates.
