Stop Paying for Claude Code! Use it for FREE

Quick Overview

Users can run Anthropic's Claude Code locally for free by installing Ollama and then using the command to download compatible open-source models like gpt-oss:20b, which bypasses the high cost associated with directly using paid Claude API models.

Key Points: The primary method to use Claude Code for free involves running it locally via Ollama, which serves as a local, Anthropic-compatible API. Users must first download Ollama from ollama.com and then install Claude Code using the curl command: (01:47). After installation, the user selects a local model via (02:11) or (01:57), with being demonstrated as a viable option (01:15). The video contrasts the free local setup with the high cost of the official Claude API, showing that Opus 4.6 costs $5/MTok for base input tokens (02:50). Claude Code successfully generated and edited an file for an 'AI Agency' website after confirming the model selection (02:42). The current local configuration for the Anthropic base URL is set to within the file (04:15). The creator advises viewers to watch a follow-up video for a guide on running Claude Code with more advanced models (04:33).

Context: This tutorial explains how developers can leverage Anthropic's Claude Code, an agentic coding tool, without incurring the high costs of its official API by configuring it to use open-source Large Language Models (LLMs) running locally via the Ollama framework. The video demonstrates the necessary installation steps for both Ollama and Claude Code, and shows how to select and run a local model to perform coding tasks directly within the IDE environment.

Detailed Analysis

The video demonstrates how to use Claude Code for free by running it locally using Ollama, which emulates the required Anthropic API locally. The process begins by downloading and installing Ollama from its website (00:06). Next, Claude Code itself is installed using a curl command in the terminal: (01:47), which successfully installs version 2.1.32 (01:53). Following installation, the user interacts with Ollama to pull a model; specifically, is run, downloading the 13GB model (01:15). The high cost of using the official Claude Opus 4.6 model via API (starting at $5/MTok for input tokens) is shown for contrast (02:50). To begin using Claude Code locally, the command (02:04) prompts the user to select a local model from the list, such as (02:22). Upon launching, Claude Code starts using the local model (02:27) to fulfill a request: 'create a one page website, with basic information about AI Agency' (02:39). The tool searches for patterns, opens changes in Visual Studio Code, and prompts for confirmation to edit (02:42). After accepting the edits, the HTML file is generated with basic styling and content for the AI Agency website (02:58). Finally, the video shows how to check the configuration file, (04:12), confirming that the points to , which directs Claude Code to the local Ollama instance.