How To Use Claude Code FREE Forever (OpenRouter Setup)

I set up Claude Code with OpenRouter's FREE AI models and started coding without paying a single dollar. In this video, I show you exactly how to use Claude Code — Anthropic's powerful AI coding agent — completely for free using OpenRouter's free models like Qwen, DeepSeek, and Nemotron. No subscription needed, no local model hosting, no GPU required. Just VS Code, a free API key, and 5 minutes of setup. If you want the power of an AI coding assistant without the $20/month Claude Pro subscription, this Claude Code + OpenRouter tutorial is for you! 👉🏻 JOIN The HELLO AI Community and Automate Your Tasks with AI 🤖 → https://www.skool.com/hello-ai-5915 ✅ Interested to Work with us? 👉🏻 upwardai.netlify.app 🗃️ Here's The Codes/Commands : https://shorturl.at/0YEuC TOOLS USED IN THIS VIDEO: 1️⃣ Claude Code: https://claude.ai 2️⃣ OpenRouter: https://openrouter.ai 3️⃣ VS Code: https://code.visualstudio.com TOPICS COVERED IN THIS VIDEO: . What is Claude Code and why it's powerful . How to set up OpenRouter with free AI models . Configuring Claude Code with environment variables . Setting a free model as your global default . How to switch between different free models . What are AI model parameters explained simply . Claude Code free vs paid — what's the difference TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Intro 00:16 - Finding Free Models on OpenRouter 00:49 - Setting up VS Code Configuration 01:30 - Connecting OpenRouter to VS Code 02:25 - Generating Your OpenRouter API Key 03:05 - Selecting a Free AI Model 04:16 - Testing the Model & Fixing Traffic Errors 05:51 - How to Set the AI Model Globally 07:35 - Model Benchmarks Comparison 08:32 - The Best Cheap Model for Programming (Minimax) 09:56 - Pro Tip: Avoiding Rate Limits & Errors 10:37 - Outro #claudecode #openrouter #free #aicoding #claudeai #vscode #aitools #freetool #codingwithAI #claudecodefree #programming #webdevelopment #aiagent #vibecoding #codingassistant #qwen #deepseek #developer #techtools #2026