What You Get
Free Claude Code access
Run the full Claude Code CLI without a paid Anthropic subscription. Use powerful AI coding assistance for free.
Get Claude Code for Free
Use NVIDIA's free AI models as a replacement for paid Claude subscriptions. No credit card required.
✓15-minute setup | No credit card | Open source
How It Works
NVIDIA NIM + LiteLLM
NVIDIA provides free AI models. LiteLLM translates requests so Claude Code works normally with your free NVIDIA key.
What You Need
Just 3 things
- • Docker Desktop
- • Claude Code CLI
- • Free NVIDIA account
What is Claude Code?
AI that writes code
Claude Code is an AI coding assistant that can edit files, run terminal commands, and help with complex development tasks directly in your terminal.
What is NVIDIA NIM?
Free AI inference API
NVIDIA NIM provides free access to powerful open-source models like Gemma, Nemotron, and Mistral. No credit card required.
Why LiteLLM?
API translation layer
LiteLLM translates Claude Code's Anthropic API format to OpenAI format that NVIDIA NIM understands. drop_params: true handles compatibility.
Architecture
Claude Code CLI → LiteLLM Proxy → NVIDIA NIM API
Claude Code sends Anthropic-format requests. LiteLLM translates them into OpenAI format and forwards them with your NVIDIA key. Responses are translated back so Claude Code works normally.
Client
Claude Code
ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL and model slot envs
Proxy
LiteLLM
drop_params: true and model mapping
Inference
NVIDIA NIM
gemma, nemotron, mistral endpoints
Requirements
What you need before starting
- ✓Docker Desktop installed and running
- ✓Claude Code CLI installed (brew or npm)
- ✓Free NVIDIA account at build.nvidia.com
- ✓macOS 13+, Ubuntu 20.04+, or Windows 10+ with WSL
15-minute target
Install CLI, run LiteLLM Docker, add alias, then launch with claude-nim.
No paid Anthropic plan
Use NVIDIA free-tier APIs and keep your key secure through env variables.
Three model slots
Map Sonnet, Opus, and Haiku to optimized NVIDIA models for task fit.