---
title: "Free API for Claude Code and Cline: Compatible Providers"
slug: "free-api-for-claude-code-cline"
description: "Free API endpoints compatible with Claude Code, Cline, and terminal coding agents: AgentRouter, OpenRouter free models, Groq, and Gemini. Setup steps and limits."
published: "2026-11-12"
updated: "2026-11-13"
verifiedAt: "2026-11-13"
canonical: "https://aifree.dev/learn/free-api-for-claude-code-cline"
---

# Free API for Claude Code and Cline: Compatible Providers

> Free API endpoints compatible with Claude Code, Cline, and terminal coding agents: AgentRouter, OpenRouter free models, Groq, and Gemini. Setup steps and limits.

- Time: 10 minutes
- You need: Claude Code CLI or Cline extension in VS Code; Free API key from AgentRouter, OpenRouter, Groq, or Google AI Studio
- Last checked: 2026-11-13

## The short answer

5 offers in this guide are live today, 5 of them with no card required. Start with AgentRouter Free Credits: Free AI coding credits: $25 per daily check-in and $50 per invite.

1. [AgentRouter Free Credits](https://aifree.dev/offer/agentrouter-free-credits.md): Free AI coding credits: $25 per daily check-in and $50 per invite (verified 2026-11-06)
2. [OpenRouter Free AI Models](https://aifree.dev/offer/openrouter-free-models.md): Free :free chat, embedding and rerank models at $0 through OpenRouter's API (verified 2026-11-06)
3. [Groq Free Tier](https://aifree.dev/offer/groq-free-tier.md): Free rate-limited Groq API access to hosted open models, no card (verified 2026-10-12)
4. [Google Gemini Developer API Free Tier](https://aifree.dev/offer/google-gemini-developer-api-free-tier.md): Free Gemini API tier with rate-limited access to Flash models and Gemini 2.5 Pro (verified 2026-11-06)
5. [Token Harbor Free Allowance](https://aifree.dev/offer/token-harbor-free.md): Free weekly allowance of DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, MiMo V2.6 Flash, and TH-Rudder (verified 2026-10-12)

Yes, you can run coding agents like Claude Code and Cline using free API providers without paying subscription fees. Verified options include AgentRouter check-in credits, OpenRouter zero-cost model variants, Groq hosted open models, and Google AI Studio Gemini API keys.

## Free API providers compatible with coding agents

Autonomous coding agents require API endpoints capable of processing multi-turn tool calling, structured file edits, and large repository contexts. While commercial frontier models can quickly run up substantial bills during multi-step coding sessions, several verified providers supply free API access suitable for evaluating or augmenting agent workflows.

The leading free API sources verified in our catalog include:

- **AgentRouter free credits:** AgentRouter is purpose-built for coding assistants like Claude Code, Codex, and Cline. Users earn $25 of credit per daily check-in simply by signing in through GitHub or LinuxDO, allowing real testing on frontier models without an upfront card. See [AgentRouter free credits](https://aifree.dev/offer/agentrouter-free-credits).
- **OpenRouter free models:** OpenRouter serves dozens of free model endpoints labeled with `:free`. They include Gemma 4, NVIDIA Nemotron and MiniMax M3.1 Flash, reachable through one OpenAI-compatible API; the offer page lists the current rate limits. See [OpenRouter Free AI Models](https://aifree.dev/offer/openrouter-free-models).
- **Google Gemini Developer API:** Google AI Studio offers developer API keys with extensive free token allowances for Gemini Flash models and Gemini 2.5 Pro. Cline features native Gemini integration, making setup seamless. See [Google Gemini Developer API Free Tier](https://aifree.dev/offer/google-gemini-developer-api-free-tier).
- **Groq Free Tier:** Groq delivers hosted open-source models with industry-leading inference speeds. Its OpenAI-compatible endpoint supports agents that need quick responses for code search, summarization, and lightweight refactoring. See [Groq Free Tier](https://aifree.dev/offer/groq-free-tier).
- **Token Harbor Free Allowance:** Token Harbor grants a weekly rolling allowance covering DeepSeek V4.1 Flash and MiMo V2.6 Flash with zero card required, accessible via its OpenAI-compatible endpoint. See [Token Harbor Free Allowance](https://aifree.dev/offer/token-harbor-free).

## How to configure Claude Code with custom free endpoints

Claude Code is Anthropic's agentic command-line tool. While natively configured for Anthropic Console accounts, you can redirect its underlying network calls to compatible API proxies such as AgentRouter or custom endpoints as outlined in the [Anthropic Claude Code documentation](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/overview).

To route Claude Code through a custom provider:

1. Obtain your API key and base URL from your chosen provider (for example, AgentRouter).
2. Set `ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL` to the Anthropic-compatible base URL the provider publishes and `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` (or `ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN`) to its key, as described in the Claude Code [settings documentation](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/settings). An OpenAI-only endpoint does not work here; check that the provider lists Claude Code support.
3. Launch Claude Code by running `claude` in your project root directory.
4. Verify that the agent successfully initiates and reads repository files without authentication errors.

## How to configure Cline with free providers

Cline is an open-source autonomous coding agent that runs inside VS Code or JetBrains IDEs. Cline provides native drop-down settings for multiple API architectures, as documented in the [Cline OpenRouter documentation](https://docs.cline.bot/provider-config/openrouter) and [Cline OpenAI-compatible documentation](https://docs.cline.bot/provider-config/openai-compatible).

Follow these steps to configure Cline with a free API:

1. Install the Cline extension from the VS Code Marketplace and open the Cline panel.
2. Click the gear icon in the top header to enter settings.
3. In the **API Provider** dropdown, select your provider:
   - For OpenRouter: Choose **OpenRouter**, paste your free API key, and select a model ID ending in `:free`.
   - For Google Gemini: Choose **Google Gemini**, paste your key from Google AI Studio, and pick a model the free tier covers (listed on the offer page).
   - For OpenAI-compatible routers (such as Groq or Token Harbor): Select **OpenAI Compatible**, input the provider's base URL, paste your API key, and specify the target model name.
4. Set your maximum context tokens according to the provider's free ceiling to prevent truncation errors.
5. Save the configuration and initiate a test coding task in your workspace.

## Limits and best practices for free agent APIs

Running coding agents on free API keys differs significantly from simple chat interactions because agents consume tokens rapidly across iterative tool calls:

- **Iterative request volume:** An agent investigating a bug may read five files, execute two shell commands, and generate three diffs in a single session. This translates to dozens of consecutive API requests, which can rapidly exhaust tight per-minute rate limits.
- **Context expansion:** As conversation turns accumulate, every request resends the whole conversation, so input tokens grow with each turn. Using models with large context windows (like Gemini 2.5 Flash) helps maintain coherence, but you must monitor provider rate throttles.
- **Task scoping:** Break complex development tasks into focused, modular sub-tasks. Rather than asking the agent to refactor an entire application, prompt it to modify one function or write a unit test.
- **Provider failover:** Maintain keys for at least two providers (such as OpenRouter and Gemini). If one endpoint encounters temporary rate limits, you can switch providers immediately and continue development.

## Related guides and tools

- **OpenCode free models:** If you prefer using OpenCode CLI or desktop with built-in stealth models, see [free models in OpenCode](https://aifree.dev/learn/free-models-opencode).
- **Cline setup guide:** For an introduction to Cline's interface and workflow, read [how to use an AI coding agent for free](https://aifree.dev/learn/free-ai-coding-agent).
- **Coding agent directory:** Discover all verified options on the [free AI coding tools directory](https://aifree.dev/free-ai-coding-tools) and compare options in [free Claude Code alternatives](https://aifree.dev/compare/free-claude-code-alternatives).

## Offers in this guide

| Offer | Free part | Who can claim | Card | Ends | Checked |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [AgentRouter Free Credits](https://aifree.dev/offer/agentrouter-free-credits.md) | $25 | Anyone | No card | No end date | 2026-11-06 |
| [OpenRouter Free AI Models](https://aifree.dev/offer/openrouter-free-models.md) | 50 requests/day | Anyone | No card | No end date | 2026-11-06 |
| [Groq Free Tier](https://aifree.dev/offer/groq-free-tier.md) | Free tier | Anyone | No card | No end date | 2026-10-12 |
| [Google Gemini Developer API Free Tier](https://aifree.dev/offer/google-gemini-developer-api-free-tier.md) | Free tier | Anyone | No card | No end date | 2026-11-06 |
| [Token Harbor Free Allowance](https://aifree.dev/offer/token-harbor-free.md) | Free tier | Anyone | No card | No end date | 2026-10-12 |

## Frequently asked questions

### Does Claude Code have a permanent free plan?

No, Anthropic does not provide a permanent free tier for Claude Code. To use it without direct Anthropic charges, developers rely on new account console credits or compatible routers like AgentRouter.

### Which free API provider works best with Cline?

OpenRouter and Google AI Studio are the most reliable options. OpenRouter offers diverse :free models with easy setup, while Google AI Studio provides high-quality Gemini 2.5 Flash access.

### Will free API keys require a credit card during signup?

No, the providers featured in this guide—including AgentRouter, OpenRouter, Groq, and Google AI Studio—allow developers to create free accounts without entering credit card details.

### Why do coding agents hit rate limits faster than standard chat?

Agents make continuous sequential API calls for file inspection, linting, tool execution, and code generation. A single task can generate dozens of requests within a few minutes.

### Can I route multiple coding agents through the same free API key?

Yes, standard API keys from OpenRouter or Google AI Studio can be shared across different tools like Cline, OpenCode, and terminal agents, subject to the provider overall usage caps.

## Sources

- https://code.claude.com/docs/en/overview
- https://docs.cline.bot/getting-started/installing-cline
- https://docs.cline.bot/provider-config/openrouter
- https://docs.cline.bot/provider-config/openai-compatible
- https://docs.cline.bot/provider-config/google-gemini
- https://agentrouter.org
- https://openrouter.ai/models?variant=free

HTML page: https://aifree.dev/learn/free-api-for-claude-code-cline