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PARTLY

Partly true: Free Claude Code is a real open-source repo with about 65,000 stars that routes Claude Code to free NVIDIA and other models, but you get those other models, not Claude, and the free tiers are rate-limited trials

Facebook · Oct 2026

The claim(Portuguese, translated) "This skill ended Claude Code. Now you can use Claude totally free. The project is called Free Claude Code and has passed 64 thousand GitHub stars. It works as a bridge: Claude Code stays exactly the same, but free models from other providers answer. Install with one command on Windows, Mac or Linux, create a free key on NVIDIA's site, paste it in the panel, pick a model, click Apply, type 'fcc claude' and Claude Code opens at no cost. If a provider goes down or your limit runs out, it switches to the next model automatically. Works with 11+ agents like Codex and OpenCode and 61 providers. Comment CLAUDE and I'll send you the link."

The project is real and most of the feature list matches it. The repo is github.com/Alishahryar1/free-claude-code, created Jan 2026, with 65,489 stars and about 10,200 forks on Oct 31, 2026, so 'past 64K' is accurate. Its README lists 12 supported harnesses (Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Cline, Aider and others), 61 providers, automatic model and provider fallback, a one-line curl or PowerShell installer, NVIDIA NIM as the default free provider, and a launcher called fcc-claude. The license is AGPL-3.0. The headline is the problem. 'Use Claude totally free' is wrong: the tool keeps Claude Code's interface and tools but swaps the brain, sending your requests to models like NVIDIA's Nemotron, Kimi, Qwen or DeepSeek. Output quality is theirs, not Claude's. Anthropic's own gateway docs say it does not support routing Claude Code to non-Claude models, so you are on your own when something breaks. The NVIDIA key is a trial: build.nvidia.com use is governed by NVIDIA's API Trial Terms, aimed at evaluation rather than production, with a commonly reported limit of about 40 requests per minute that agentic coding burns quickly. Your code and prompts go to whichever provider answers. It did not 'end' Claude Code, it is not a 'skill', and the comment-for-link hook is a follower funnel for a public repo.

What holds up

  • GitHub API Oct 31, 2026: Alishahryar1/free-claude-code, 65,489 stars, 10,206 forks, created Jan 28, 2026, pushed Oct 31, 2026; LICENSE file is AGPL-3.0-only.
  • README read: 12 harnesses, 61 providers, automatic model, provider and multi-key fallback, curl or PowerShell one-line install, NVIDIA NIM default model nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b, launcher fcc-claude; states it is not affiliated with Anthropic.
  • Anthropic's Claude Code LLM gateway docs: any gateway with a supported API format works, but Anthropic does not endorse or audit third-party gateways and does not support routing Claude Code to non-Claude models.
  • NVIDIA build.nvidia.com model pages cite the NVIDIA API Trial Terms of Service; NVIDIA forum threads in 2026 report a 40 requests per minute limit with no official increase on that tier (not on an official pricing page, so treat as reported).
  • Contact sheet confirms the reel shows this exact repo, the NVIDIA key panel, the fcc-claude launch and a fallback chain demo.

What doesn’t

  • 'Use Claude for free' is false; Claude Code's interface runs on other companies' models.
  • Free NVIDIA tier is a rate-limited trial meant for evaluation, not production work.
  • Your code and prompts go to the selected third-party provider; free tiers can have looser data terms (x-ref #257).
  • Comment-for-link hook for a public repo; the installer pipes a remote script into your shell.

The catch

You keep the Claude Code app, not Claude. The free part is someone else's model on a trial key, and every file the agent reads is sent to that provider.

How to actually do it

  • If you want free coding-agent help and accept non-Claude models, get the repo at github.com/Alishahryar1/free-claude-code, read install.sh before running it, and start on a throwaway project.
  • Read NVIDIA's API Trial Terms and the terms of any provider you add before sending client or proprietary code; prefer a local model (Ollama, LM Studio) for sensitive work.
  • If you want actual Claude, use Claude Code with a Claude subscription or Anthropic API key, or through Bedrock, Google Cloud or Microsoft Foundry under your own account.
  • Benchmark the free model on a real task from your codebase before trusting it with anything that ships.

A legitimate, popular open-source bridge that makes Claude Code's harness usable with cheaper or free non-Anthropic models. Useful for experiments and budget work if you accept weaker models, trial limits and third-party data handling; it is not free Claude.

Confidence
High
Posted by
a Portuguese-language AI tips creator (about 97,000 plays on this reel); reel sent to Buddy Sat Oct 31, 2026, 7:48 AM

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