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AI Coding Tools Free Config Generator

Generate copy-paste configuration snippets for VS Code Continue, Cline, Cursor, Claude Code, OpenCode, Ollama, and vLLM. Connect verified free LLM backends with no credit card required.

No Credit Card RequiredOpenAI API CompatibleZero Affiliate Guarantee

Claude Code — Free Model Configuration

Configure Claude Code with free backends via ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL and ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN environment variables. Works with OpenRouter, NVIDIA NIM, and SambaNova free tiers.

Claude Code free model configANTHROPIC_BASE_URL setup freeClaude Code OpenAI compatible backend free

Quick Start

Claude Code — OpenRouter Setup
# Get API Key from OpenRouter
Open: https://openrouter.ai/keys

# Anthropic's official CLI coding agent. Uses ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL and ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN environment variables to connect to any Anthropic-compatible backend.
1

Install Claude Code — npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

2

Set environment variables in your shell profile — ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc

3

Restart Claude Code and verify connection — claude --version

Environment Variables

ANTHROPIC_BASE_URLREQUIREDexport ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://openrouter.ai/api/v1
ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKENREQUIREDexport ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN=sk-or-v1-xxxxxxxxx
ANTHROPIC_API_KEYexport ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=""

Cursor — Custom API Endpoint Free Configuration

Set up Cursor with custom OpenAI-compatible API endpoints for free. Add custom models via Settings → Models → Add Custom Model using Groq, Google AI Studio, or SambaNova free tiers.

Cursor free API endpointCursor free LLM model setupCursor settings add custom model base URL free

Quick Start

Cursor — Groq Setup
# Get API Key from Groq
Open: https://console.groq.com/keys

# AI-powered code editor with built-in chat and diff editing. Supports custom OpenAI-compatible endpoints through Settings → Models → Add Model.
1

Open Cursor Settings — Ctrl+, or Cmd+,

2

Navigate to Models → Add Custom Model — Models section in Settings

3

Enter Base URL, API Key, and Model ID — Override OpenAI Base URL field

4

Save and start coding with free models — Chat panel

Environment Variables

OPENAI_BASE_URLREQUIREDhttps://api.groq.com/openai/v1
OPENAI_API_KEYREQUIREDgsk_xxxxxxxxx or sk-xxxxxxxxx
MODEL_IDREQUIREDmeta-llama/llama-3.3-70b

OpenCode — Free JSON Configuration Guide

Configure OpenCode AI coding agent via ~/.config/opencode/opencode.json with free providers. Add any OpenAI-compatible provider including Groq, SambaNova, and OpenRouter with no credit card.

OpenCode free LLM configopencode.json provider setup freeOpenCode AI coding agent configuration free

Quick Start

OpenCode — Groq Setup
# Get API Key from Groq
Open: https://console.groq.com/keys

# Open-source AI coding agent with a JSON configuration file. Configure OpenAI-compatible providers through ~/.config/opencode/opencode.json.
1

Install OpenCode — npm install -g opencode

2

Create or edit ~/.config/opencode/opencode.json — JSON config file

3

Add provider configuration with baseURL and apiKey — providers array

4

Restart OpenCode and select the model — Model selector

Environment Variables

OPENAI_BASE_URLREQUIREDhttps://api.sambanova.ai/v1
OPENAI_API_KEYREQUIREDsb-xxxxxxxxx

VS Code Continue — Free LLM Setup Guide

Configure VS Code Continue extension with free LLM backends. Edit ~/.continue/config.json to connect Groq, SambaNova, OpenRouter, or NVIDIA NIM with no credit card required.

VS Code Continue free LLM setupcontinue config.json OpenAI compatibleVS Code free AI assistant no credit card

Quick Start

VS Code — Continue — Groq Setup
# Get API Key from Groq
Open: https://console.groq.com/keys

# VS Code extension for AI-assisted coding. Configure via ~/.continue/config.json with any OpenAI-compatible or Anthropic-compatible backend.
1

Install Continue extension — VS Code Extensions → 'Continue'

2

Open Continue settings — Ctrl+, → Extensions → Continue

3

Edit ~/.continue/config.json — ~/.continue/config.json

4

Add provider config and restart VS Code — provider + model

Environment Variables

OPENAI_BASE_URLREQUIREDhttps://api.groq.com/openai/v1
OPENAI_API_KEYREQUIREDgsk_xxxxxxxxx
MODELmeta-llama/llama-3.3-70b

VS Code Cline — Free OpenAI Compatible Backend Setup

Set up VS Code Cline extension with free OpenAI-compatible backends. Configure OPENAI_BASE_URL and OPENAI_API_KEY to use free models from Groq, SambaNova, and OpenRouter.

VS Code Cline free setupCline extension free APICline OpenAI compatible backend no card free

Quick Start

VS Code — Cline — Groq Setup
# Get API Key from Groq
Open: https://console.groq.com/keys

# VS Code extension for autonomous AI coding. Uses OPENAI_BASE_URL and OPENAI_API_KEY environment variables for any OpenAI-compatible backend.
1

Install Cline extension — VS Code Extensions → 'Cline'

2

Open Cline settings — Ctrl+, → Extensions → Cline

3

Set provider to OpenAI Compatible — Provider dropdown

4

Enter Base URL and API Key — Settings panel

Environment Variables

OPENAI_BASE_URLREQUIREDhttps://api.groq.com/openai/v1
OPENAI_API_KEYREQUIREDsk-xxxxxxxxx
MODEL_IDmeta-llama/llama-3.3-70b

VS Code Roo Code — Free AI Backend Setup

Configure VS Code Roo Code with custom free API providers. Add OPENAI_BASE_URL and OPENAI_API_KEY to connect to free LLM backends from Groq and SambaNova.

VS Code Roo Code free setupRoo Code free custom API providerRoo Code AI coding agent free configuration

Quick Start

VS Code — Roo Code — Groq Setup
# Get API Key from Groq
Open: https://console.groq.com/keys

# VS Code extension for AI-powered coding with multiple model providers. Configure via ~/.roo/config.json or VS Code settings.
1

Install Roo Code extension — VS Code Extensions → 'Roo Code'

2

Open Roo Code settings — Ctrl+, → Extensions → Roo Code

3

Add custom API provider — Provider settings

4

Enter Base URL and API Key — Settings panel

Environment Variables

OPENAI_BASE_URLREQUIREDhttps://api.groq.com/openai/v1
OPENAI_API_KEYREQUIREDsk-xxxxxxxxx

Ollama — Local LLM Runner Free Setup

Run LLMs locally with Ollama — completely free. No API keys or credit cards required. Pull models like Llama 3.3, Qwen 2.5, and DeepSeek R1 for free local inference.

Ollama local LLM setup freeOllama free model downloadrun LLM locally no credit card free

Quick Start

Ollama — Custom Setup
# Get API Key from provider
# No API key required for local backends

# Local LLM runner. Ollama runs models locally with no API keys required. For remote backends, configure OLLAMA_BASE_URL.
1

Install Ollama — ollama.com/install

2

Pull a model — ollama pull llama3.3

3

Run locally — ollama run llama3.3

Environment Variables

OLLAMA_BASE_URLhttp://localhost:11434
OLLAMA_HOST0.0.0.0:11434

vLLM — Free High-Throughput Local Serving Setup

Deploy vLLM server locally for free high-throughput LLM inference. Start with vllm serve command and connect any OpenAI-compatible tool to http://localhost:8000/v1.

vLLM local server setup freevLLM serve free modellocal LLM inference vLLM configuration free

Quick Start

vLLM — Custom Setup
# Get API Key from provider
# No API key required for local backends

# High-throughput LLM serving engine. Configure vLLM server with any OpenAI-compatible model and connect any tool via the local server URL.
1

Start vLLM server — vllm serve model-name --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000

2

Use server URL in any tool — http://localhost:8000/v1

Environment Variables

VLLM_BASE_URLREQUIREDhttp://localhost:8000/v1
OPENAI_API_KEYdummy-key

Codex / Aider — Free OpenAI Compatible Setup

Configure OpenAI Codex, Aider, or Continue with custom OPENAI_BASE_URL and OPENAI_API_KEY. Connect to NVIDIA NIM, Groq, or OpenRouter free tiers.

Codex free API setupAider custom OpenAI endpoint freeCodex free model configuration

Quick Start

Codex / Aider / Continue — NVIDIA NIM Setup
# Get API Key from NVIDIA NIM
Open: https://build.nvidia.com/

# OpenAI Codex, Aider, and Continue all support OpenAI-compatible API endpoints via environment variables or configuration files. Works with any provider exposing an OpenAI-compatible API.
1

Set OPENAI_BASE_URL and OPENAI_API_KEY — Shell environment

2

Configure model in aide.conf.json or config.toml — Config file

3

Run Codex/Aider/Continue normally — CLI command

Environment Variables

OPENAI_API_KEYREQUIREDsk-xxxxxxxxx
OPENAI_BASE_URLREQUIREDhttps://integrate.api.nvidia.com/v1
OPENAI_MODELdeepseek-ai/deepseek-r1

Gemini CLI — Google AI Studio Free Setup

Configure Google's Gemini CLI tool with GEMINI_API_KEY from Google AI Studio. Access Gemini 2.0 Flash and 2.5 Flash with generous free quotas — no credit card.

Gemini CLI free setupGEMINI_API_KEY Google AI Studio freeGemini CLI configuration guide free

Quick Start

Gemini CLI — Google AI Studio Setup
# Get API Key from Google AI Studio
Open: https://aistudio.google.com/apikey

# Google's official Gemini CLI tool. Uses GEMINI_API_KEY environment variable to authenticate with Google AI Studio.
1

Install Gemini CLI — npm install -g @google/gemini-cli

2

Set GEMINI_API_KEY in your shell profile — ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc

3

Restart Gemini CLI and verify connection — gemini --version

Environment Variables

GEMINI_API_KEYREQUIREDAIzaSyxxxxxxxxx

Python OpenAI SDK — Free API Configuration

Drop-in Python OpenAI SDK setup with custom baseURL for free tiers. Connect to Groq, SambaNova, Google AI Studio, or OpenRouter with zero code changes.

Python OpenAI SDK free APIcustom baseURL Python LLM freePython client free model setup

Quick Start

Python OpenAI SDK — Groq Setup
# Get API Key from Groq
Open: https://console.groq.com/keys

# Drop-in Python SDK configuration with custom baseURL. Works with any OpenAI-compatible provider without code changes.

Environment Variables

OPENAI_BASE_URLREQUIREDhttps://api.groq.com/openai/v1
OPENAI_API_KEYREQUIREDgsk_xxxxxxxxx

Node.js OpenAI SDK — Free Backend Configuration

Drop-in Node.js OpenAI SDK setup with custom baseURL for free tiers. Connect to Groq, SambaNova, or OpenRouter with zero code changes.

Node.js OpenAI SDK free APIcustom baseURL Node LLM freeNode.js client free model setup

Quick Start

Node.js OpenAI SDK — Groq Setup
# Get API Key from Groq
Open: https://console.groq.com/keys

# Drop-in Node.js OpenAI SDK configuration with custom baseURL. Works with any OpenAI-compatible provider without code changes.

Environment Variables

OPENAI_BASE_URLREQUIREDhttps://api.groq.com/openai/v1
OPENAI_API_KEYREQUIREDsk-xxxxxxxxx

Verified Free Backend Providers

All providers below support OpenAI-compatible API endpoints. No credit card required for any of them.

Google AI Studio

No Card

Google's official AI studio. Gemini 2.0 Flash and 2.5 Flash with generous free quotas.

gemini-2.0-flashgemini-2.5-flashgemma-2-9b
15 RPM, 1M tokens/day

Groq

No Card

Ultra-low latency LPU inference. Fastest free tier at 330+ tok/s on Llama 3.3 70B.

meta-llama/llama-3.3-70bmeta-llama/llama-3.1-8bqwen/qwen2.5-coder-32b
30 RPM, 14,400 req/day

SambaNova Systems

No Card

Reconfigurable Dataflow Unit (RDU) inference. Sub-second latency with daily free quota.

meta-llama/llama-3.3-70bdeepseek-ai/deepseek-r1qwen/qwen2.5-72b
~20 RPM, 200 RPD daily quota

NVIDIA NIM

No Card

Enterprise-grade GPU-accelerated inference microservices with free promotional credits.

meta-llama/llama-3.3-70bnvidia/nemotron-nanomistralai/mistral-large
1,000 promotional API credits

OpenRouter

No Card

Multi-provider routing layer aggregating free model endpoints. :free models available.

meta-llama/llama-3.3-70b:freeqwen/qwen2.5-coder-32b:freedeepseek-ai/deepseek-r1:free
3 RPM for :free models

Mistral AI

No Card

European open-source LLM platform with MoE architecture. Free tier requires phone verification.

mistralai/mistral-nemo-12bmistralai/codestral-22bmistralai/mistral-large-latest
1 RPS (60 RPM), phone verification required

GitHub Models

No Card

Free AI models via GitHub Models with GitHub account. GPT-4o mini, Llama 3, Phi-4 available.

gpt-4o-minimeta-llama/llama-3-8bmicrosoft/phi-4
GitHub account required; Copilot limits apply

Cerebras

No Card

Wafer-scale AI inference on custom CS-3 systems. Fastest free tier at 2,100+ tok/s on Llama 3.3 70B.

meta-llama/llama-3.3-70bmeta-llama/llama-3.1-8b
30 RPM, 1M tokens/day

Interactive Config Generator