A step-by-step guide to running Claude Code for free using AgentRouter and IAMHC APIs

A developer published a step-by-step guide to running Claude Code for free using alternative API endpoints from AgentRouter and IAMHC. The guide covers installation, configuration, and troubleshooting on multiple platforms, bypassing the need for a Claude Pro subscription or official Anthropic API keys.

A comprehensive, step-by-step guide to installing, configuring, and running Claude Code on PC, Linux, macOS, and Termux using alternative API endpoints. Overview https://gist.github.com/starred.atom overview Step 1: Register an Account https://gist.github.com/starred.atom step-1-register-an-account Step 2: Install Claude Code https://gist.github.com/starred.atom step-2-install-claude-code Step 3: Configuration https://gist.github.com/starred.atom step-3-configuration Step 4: Running Claude Code https://gist.github.com/starred.atom step-4-running-claude-code Troubleshooting & Version Pinning https://gist.github.com/starred.atom troubleshooting--version-pinning Claude Code normally requires an active Claude Pro subscription or official Anthropic API keys. By routing requests through compatible third-party API proxy services, you can run Claude Code for free or at a significantly lower cost using alternative routing endpoints. | Feature | Provider A: AgentRouter | Provider B: IAMHC | |---|---|---| Referral Link | Yes | IAMHC Link https://api.iamhc.cn/ Featured Models claude-opus-4-8 DeepSeek-V4-Pro , glm-5.2 , Qwen3-Coder-Next-FP8 , etc. Free Balance / Quota Base URL https://agentrouter.org https://api.iamhc.cn/v1 - Choose one of the providers from the list below and open the link: AgentRouter with referral - Get +$50 USD bonus : https://bit.ly/3Tf0TJj https://bit.ly/3Tf0TJj IAMHC no referral : https://api.iamhc.cn/ https://api.iamhc.cn/ - Sign up / Register an account using your GitHub account or Email. - Navigate to the API Key or Token menu. - Generate a new API Key and copy it. Install Node.js on your system if you haven't already. Then run the appropriate command to install Claude Code: It is recommended to use version 2.1.112 for optimal compatibility: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code@2.1.112 You can install the latest version: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code Open the Claude Code settings file using a text editor e.g., nano : nano ~/.claude/settings.json Replace the contents of the file with one of the configuration templates below, depending on the provider you selected in Step 1. { "env": { "ANTHROPIC AUTH TOKEN": "YOUR API KEY", "ANTHROPIC BASE URL": "https://agentrouter.org", "ANTHROPIC MODEL": "claude-opus-4-8", "CLAUDE CODE DISABLE NONESSENTIAL TRAFFIC": "1" }, "permissions": { "allow": , "deny": }, "skipWorkflowUsageWarning": true } { "env": { "ANTHROPIC AUTH TOKEN": "YOUR API KEY", "ANTHROPIC BASE URL": "https://api.iamhc.cn/v1", "ANTHROPIC MODEL": "DeepSeek-V4-Pro", "CLAUDE CODE DISABLE NONESSENTIAL TRAFFIC": "1" }, "permissions": { "allow": , "deny": }, "skipWorkflowUsageWarning": true } Important - Replace YOUR API KEY with the API Key/Token you generated from the respective provider. Available models for Provider A AgentRouter : claude-opus-4-8 Default in template claude-opus-4-7 claude-opus-4-6 glm-5.2 gpt-5.5 - You can replace ANTHROPIC MODEL in Template A with any of the exact model IDs listed above. Available models for Provider B IAMHC : DeepSeek-V4-Pro Default in template DeepSeek-V4-Flash glm-5.2 glm-5.1 glm-4.7 Qwen3-Coder-Next-FP8 Kimi-K2.6 MiniMax-M3 MiniMax-M2.7 kat-coder-pro-v2 - You can replace ANTHROPIC MODEL in Template B with any of the exact model IDs listed above. - Setting CLAUDE CODE DISABLE NONESSENTIAL TRAFFIC to "1" helps reduce unnecessary network traffic and telemetry. - Press CTRL + X to exit. - Press Y to confirm changes. - Press ENTER to save the file. Simply run: claude If the configuration is correct, the Claude Code terminal interface will start up successfully If you recently updated Claude Code and encounter errors or compatibility issues with the custom API endpoints, revert/pin to the recommended version using: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code@2.1.112 Double check that ANTHROPIC BASE URL contains the correct protocol https:// and that your API key is correctly copied without leading or trailing spaces.