Learn how to set up Anthropic's powerful CLI tool (Claude Code) for free using AgentRouter. Get $150 in registration credits.
Claude Code is Anthropic's official CLI-based AI coding assistant. It can read your entire codebase, refactor files, run tests, and execute terminal commands. Normally, running it requires a paid Anthropic API key, but there is a way to run it entirely on free developer credits.
By routing your Claude Code sessions through AgentRouter a non-profit AI gateway provider you can access high-tier reasoning models like claude-opus-4-8 completely free.
Here is a simple, step-by-step setup guide to claim $150 in free API credits and integrate it with Claude Code.
Full Disclosure
This guide contains a referral link. By signing up via this link:
- You (the referee) will receive $150 in free API credits.
- I (the referer) will receive $25 in credits.
You must sign up using a GitHub account that is at least 3 years old with activities to claim the promo.
👉 Register on AgentRouter and claim your $150 credits here
No Credit Card Required
Step 1: Install Claude Code CLI
First, ensure you have Node.js (v18 or higher) installed. Then, open your terminal and run the following command to install the official Claude Code CLI globally:
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code@latest
Verify the installation by running:
code
Bash
claude --version
### Step 2: Configure the Global Settings File
Instead of dealing with temporary terminal environment variables that get wiped out when you close your window, the cleanest way to configure Claude Code is by utilizing its global settings file.
Claude Code automatically monitors this file and reloads your settings live, meaning you can swap API keys and endpoints without ever interrupting your active chat sessions.
Open the Claude settings file in your preferred text editor:
On Windows (notepad preferrably):
Enter:
%USERPROFILE%.claude\settings.json
Open and edit the content.
Paste the following configuration block into the file. Make sure to replace
your_agent_router_api_key
with the API key you generated on the AgentRouter Token Console:
code
JSON
{
"autoUpdatesChannel": "latest",
"theme": "light",
"model": "opus",
"env": {
"ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://agentrouter.org",
"ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "your_agent_router_api_key",
"ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "",
"ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL": "claude-opus-4-8",
"ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL": "claude-opus-4-8",
"ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL": "claude-opus-4-8",
"CLAUDE_CODE_SUBAGENT_MODEL": "claude-opus-4-8"
}
}
Note: The model mappings inside the "env" object tell Claude Code to route all reasoning, sub-agents, and simple checks directly through AgentRouter's claude-opus-4-8 model.
Save and close the file.
### Step 3: Launch and Verify
Now, navigate to your active coding project directory inside your terminal and launch Claude:
code
Bash
claude
Once inside the active CLI prompt, check your connection state:
code
Bash
/status
Verify that:
Anthropic base URL points to https://agentrouter.org
Model is showing opus (claude-opus-4-8)
Press Esc to exit the status menu. You are now fully connected and can begin coding your projects completely free using your $150 credit pool!
Quick Troubleshooting
Model Not Found / Auth Error: If you previously logged into an official Anthropic account, Claude Code might have cached your older session. Type /logout inside the Claude Code chat window, close your terminal, and restart it.
Credits Check: You can monitor your real-time token consumption directly inside the AgentRouter Dashboard.
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