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July 28, 2026 00:35
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Setup Openrouter API to run free model using Claude Code CLI to run free model
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| To set up Claude Code CLI to run completely free models via OpenRouter, you must route the CLI's API requests through OpenRouter's endpoint and pass your OpenRouter API key as the auth token. This approach requires no third-party proxy or Docker containers. | |
| ✅ Prerequisites | |
| - Any Linux terminal | |
| - OpenRouter API Key: Get one at openrouter.ai/keys(opens in new tab). | |
| - Claude Code v1.0.30+: Update via npm update -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code or brew upgrade claude-code. | |
| - Node.js 26+. | |
| 1. Set Environment Variables (Persistent) | |
| Add these to your shell config (~/.zshrc, ~/.bashrc, ~/.config/fish/config.fish): | |
| # OpenRouter Anthropic-compatible endpoint | |
| export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://openrouter.ai/api/v1" | |
| # Your OpenRouter Key (Bearer token format) | |
| export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="sk-or-v1-YOUR_OPENROUTER_KEY_HERE" | |
| # Optional: Helps OpenRouter identify your app for rankings/rate limits | |
| export ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HEADERS='{"HTTP-Referer": "https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code", "X-Title": "Claude Code"}' | |
| Reload shell: source ~/.zshrc (or restart terminal). | |
| 2. Run with Model Flag | |
| claude --model "nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b:free" | |
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