Claude Code FREE UNLIMITED 2026 — No GPU/Ollama (Watch Before My Automations)

Tired of paying for Claude Code's API? In this video I show you how to run Claude Code completely free in 2026 — no GPU, no Ollama, no local model setup. Just Claude Code connected to a free model through OpenRouter. This is also the exact setup I'll be using as the base for my upcoming AI automation videos, so get this running now if you want to follow along.

🛠️ Tools & links used in this video:

Claude Code (install): https://claude.ai/install
Claude Code docs: https://docs.claude.com
VS Code: https://code.visualstudio.com
Node.js (LTS): https://nodejs.org
Git Bash: https://git-scm.com/downloads
OpenRouter (free API key): https://openrouter.ai

⚙️ Commands explained (PowerShell):

Remove-Item Env:ANTHROPIC_API_KEY -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Clears out any old Anthropic API key sitting in your environment, so it doesn't conflict with the new setup. -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue just means "don't show an error if that variable doesn't exist."

$env:ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL = "https://openrouter.ai/api"

Tells Claude Code to send all its requests to OpenRouter instead of Anthropic's servers — this is the line that actually redirects the tool.

$env:ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN = "YOUR_OPENROUTER_API_KEY"

Sets the auth token Claude Code sends with every request, so OpenRouter knows it's you. Paste your own key here.

$env:OPENROUTER_API_KEY = "YOUR_OPENROUTER_API_KEY"

Same key, set under OpenRouter's own variable name — some tooling checks for this name specifically.

$env:ANTHROPIC_MODEL = "cohere/north-mini-code:free"

Picks which model Claude Code should actually use. Swap this out anytime if a free model is slow or gets pulled.

claude

Launches Claude Code with all of the above settings applied.

Timestamps:
0:00 Intro – Run Claude Code for Free
00:20 The Free Model We're Using
00:58 Installing Claude Code
01:29 Fixing PATH on Windows
02:19 Installing VS Code, Git Bash & Node.js
03:10 Installing the Claude Code Extension
03:25 Getting a Free OpenRouter API Key
03:49 Connecting Claude Code to the Free Model
04:34 Final Test + What's Coming Next

🔔 Subscribe for the automation series coming soon!

🏷️ Hashtags:
#claudecode #aiautomation #freeaitools #openrouter #nocode #openrouter

Видео Claude Code FREE UNLIMITED 2026 — No GPU/Ollama (Watch Before My Automations) канала Gungun Pathak | AI Automation