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Run Claude Code
completely free

No $20/month subscription. No paid plan. Get it running in under 2 minutes on Mac or Windows using a free GitHub repo and a free API key.

Mac & Windows
~2 minute setup
$0 forever
BIM AutomationRevit ToolsWorkflow Intelligence

Engineered by Navneet Singh

Free Guide · Claude Code Setup

What you're actually getting

The honest version, up front. No hype.

Honest Disclaimer

This gives you the Claude Code interface and tooling running for free. The underlying AI is a free third-party model (via OpenRouter — e.g. DeepSeek, Qwen), not the real Claude. Great for coding tasks. It is not the same Claude you chat with on claude.ai.

The free-claude-code repo by Alishahryar1 works as a local proxy server. It intercepts Claude Code's API calls and reroutes them to a free model of your choice.

You get the full Claude Code experience — terminal interface, file editing, code execution — powered by a free model.

Full terminal UI

The complete Claude Code shell — file editing and code execution included.

Local proxy

Runs on your machine, reroutes API calls to a free model — nothing leaves your control.

Free models

Pick from OpenRouter's free tier — DeepSeek R1, Qwen and more.

Setup

Install guide

Pick your platform and follow the steps in order. Every command has a copy button.

1

Open Terminal

Press Cmd + Space, type Terminal, hit Enter.

2

Run the install command

Paste this in your terminal and press Enter:

terminal — bash
curl -fsSL "https://github.com/Alishahryar1/free-claude-code/blob/main/scripts/install.sh?raw=1" | bash

Wait for it to finish. You'll see a list of packages installing — this is normal.

3

Fix the PATH (important — don't skip)

After install, the commands won't work yet because your terminal doesn't know where they are. Run this fix:

terminal — bash
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc && source ~/.zshrc
If you skip this step, you'll get zsh: command not found: fcc-server every time you try to run it.
4

Start the proxy server

Run this command — keep this terminal tab open the whole time you're using Claude Code:

terminal — bash
fcc-server

Once it starts, open your browser and go to:

browser url
http://127.0.0.1:8082/admin

If that doesn't work, try http://localhost:8082/admin

5

Get your free OpenRouter API key

Go to openrouter.ai/keys — sign up free with Google, click Create Key, copy it.

Back in the admin panel, scroll down to OpenRouter API Key, paste your key, click Validate then Apply.

6

Select a free model

In the admin panel, click Model Config in the left sidebar. In the Default Model field, paste:

model id
open_router/deepseek/deepseek-r1-0528:free

Click Validate then Apply.

7

Launch Claude Code 🎉

Open a new terminal tab (Cmd + T) — don't close the fcc-server tab. Then run:

terminal — bash
fcc-claude

Select "Yes, I trust this folder" and press Enter. Claude Code is now live.

1

Open PowerShell

Press Win + S, type PowerShell, right-click and select Run as Administrator.

2

Run the install command

Paste this in PowerShell and press Enter:

powershell
irm "https://github.com/Alishahryar1/free-claude-code/blob/main/scripts/install.ps1?raw=1" | iex

If you get a security error, first run this to allow scripts, then retry the command above:

powershell
Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser
3

Start the proxy server

Once installation is complete, run:

powershell
fcc-server

Then open your browser and go to:

browser url
http://127.0.0.1:8082/admin
4

Get your free OpenRouter API key

Go to openrouter.ai/keys — sign up free with Google, create a key, copy it.

In the admin panel, scroll to OpenRouter API Key, paste it, click Validate then Apply.

5

Select a free model

Click Model Config in the sidebar. In Default Model, paste:

model id
open_router/deepseek/deepseek-r1-0528:free

Click Validate then Apply.

6

Launch Claude Code 🎉

Open a new PowerShell window — keep fcc-server running in the first one. Then run:

powershell
fcc-claude

Select "Yes, I trust this folder". Claude Code is now running free.

Be honest with yourself

Two columns. No surprises later.

You get this

The Claude Code interface — completely free. The terminal UI, file editing, code execution, all of it.

A working coding agent shell powered by a capable free model that handles most coding tasks well.

You don't get this

Actual Claude (Anthropic's model) — no. The AI underneath is a free third-party model like DeepSeek or Qwen via OpenRouter.

This is not the same Claude you chat with on claude.ai — that requires an Anthropic subscription.

Ready to set it up?

The full repo is on GitHub. Star it, follow the guide above, and you're running Claude Code for free in under 2 minutes.

↗ Open the free-claude-code repo