How to Use Claude Code for Free (2026): Free Claude Code GitHub Setup | Best Million Startups<br>Subscribe

AI NewsHow to Use Claude Code for Free (2026): Free Claude Code GitHub Setup<br>Step-by-step guide to install free-claude-code from GitHub and run Claude Code without a Pro plan. Mac, Windows, and Linux setup with free NVIDIA NIM or OpenRouter providers, VS Code config, and troubleshooting.<br>PUBLISHED AUG 1, 2026 | 16 MIN · BY BREVN

You opened Claude Code. You hit the paywall. You closed the tab. You opened Reddit. Someone mentioned a GitHub repo with 40,000 stars and the words "free Claude Code" in the title.

That repo is real. It is also not what most people think it is.

This is not a leaked Anthropic key. It is not a cracked installer. It is free-claude-code, an open-source local proxy (often called FCC) that lets you run the Claude Code CLI, Codex, and Pi through providers you control. Free tiers from NVIDIA NIM, OpenRouter, local Ollama, and dozens of others.

The catch? You still need to install something, configure something, and accept that "free" usually means "free provider quota," not "unlimited Opus forever."

This guide walks through the full setup: install, provider config, first fcc-claude session, VS Code wiring, and the login prompt fix nobody warns you about until it is 11 PM and you are staring at an Anthropic sign-in screen.

Quick answer: To use Claude Code for free in 2026, install free-claude-code from GitHub, start fcc-server, add a free API key (NVIDIA NIM is the easiest starting point), then run fcc-claude. The software is free and MIT-licensed. Claude Code itself normally requires a Claude Pro plan; FCC routes requests to your chosen model provider instead. This is not an official Anthropic product. Read the repo README before you run any install script.

In this guide

What is Free Claude Code on GitHub?

Is Claude Code actually free with FCC?

What you need before installing

Install on Mac and Linux

Install on Windows

Configure a free provider (NVIDIA NIM)

Run your first Claude Code session

Use Claude Code in VS Code for free

Fix the login prompt

Other free providers worth trying

Free Claude Code vs official Claude Code

Troubleshooting common errors

Frequently asked questions

What is Free Claude Code on GitHub?

free-claude-code is a Python-based local proxy maintained by Alishahryar1. It sits between your coding agent and the model provider you pick.

Think of it like a universal adapter. Claude Code expects Anthropic's API. FCC translates that traffic to whatever backend you configure: NVIDIA, OpenRouter, Gemini, Groq, your own Ollama instance, and 31 providers total at the time of writing.

What you get out of the box:

FeatureWhat it doesfcc-claudeLaunches Claude Code pointed at your local proxyfcc-codexSame idea for OpenAI Codexfcc-piSame for Pi, without touching your existing Pi configAdmin UIBrowser dashboard at http://127.0.0.1:8082/adminModel routingSend Opus, Sonnet, Haiku, and Fable tiers to different modelsIDE supportVS Code and JetBrains ACP env var recipes in the repo

If you have been following our Claude Opus 5 for coding guide or comparing models in ChatGPT vs Claude 2026, FCC is the "I want the Claude Code workflow without the Claude Pro invoice" path. Different tradeoffs. Same terminal vibes.

Official Anthropic docs for the real product live at code.claude.com. Keep that bookmark. You will need it to understand what FCC is replacing, not duplicating.

Is Claude Code actually free with FCC?

Short answer: the FCC installer is free. Using Claude Code through it is free only as far as your chosen provider allows.

Long answer, because this is where most "free Claude Code" tutorials lie by omission:

LayerCostFCC softwareFree (MIT license)Claude Code CLI installFree to downloadAnthropic Pro subscriptionNot required when using FCCModel providerDepends on your pick (NVIDIA NIM free tier, OpenRouter free models, local Ollama, etc.)Your timeNon-zero. Budget an hour for first setup

Anthropic's own docs state that Claude Code requires Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise on the standard path. FCC bypasses that billing gate by pointing Claude Code at localhost instead of Anthropic's servers.

That is powerful. It is also a gray area. Anthropic's terms may not love third-party proxies. Providers have their own acceptable-use rules. If you are building a business on top of this stack, read both. If you are a solo dev experimenting on a side project, most people accept the tradeoff. We are not lawyers. We are the people who write setup guides so you know what you are clicking.

For founders counting every dollar, pair this with our Micro SaaS launch playbook. Tool cost only matters when it buys back shipping time.

What you need before installing

You do not need Claude Pro. You do need:

A Mac, Windows, or Linux machine with admin access for the installer

A terminal (or PowerShell on Windows)

A free API key from at least one provider (we start with NVIDIA NIM...