Claude Code for $0? Use OmniRoute

OmniRoute is a gateway you run locally. It puts one endpoint in front of a lot of model providers, many with free tiers — and Claude Code takes its base URL from config, so you point it at the gateway instead of at Anthropic. That is where the $0 comes from: not a discount, a different model answering.

The configuration below comes from OmniRoute’s README and its Claude Code configuration guide. CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC, the oc/ model IDs and the checks in step 5 are my additions, not from those documents. Where a write-up I found disagrees, I say so and why it matters.

Docs last checked on 31 October 2026. OmniRoute moves quickly, so trust your dashboard over this page.

Prerequisites

node -v            # 22.x, 24 LTS (recommended), 25.x or 26.x
claude --version   # npm i -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code (2.1.219+ for the model picker)

1. Install and start

npm install -g omniroute
omniroute

Surface	URL
Dashboard	http://localhost:20128
API endpoint	http://localhost:20128/v1

Do not assume auto works straight away. OmniRoute’s README says it “needs an eligible route”, that a fresh installation “can have no eligible keyless targets”, and that a keyless provider may reject third-party clients. Check the dashboard after installing. If no route is available, connect a provider from the Free Tiers Guide, which may mean signing up for a free account. OmniRoute itself costs nothing either way.

2. Create your gateway key

The gateway authenticates its own endpoint, so you need a key before Claude Code can talk to it.

Dashboard → Endpoints → generate. Copy it; it looks like oma_live_….

3. Configure Claude Code

Add this to ~/.claude/settings.json. ANTHROPIC_MODEL sends every request to auto, which picks from whatever you have connected:

{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "http://localhost:20128",
    "ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "oma_live_xxx",
    "ANTHROPIC_MODEL": "auto",
    "CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC": "1",
    "CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_GATEWAY_MODEL_DISCOVERY": "1"
  }
}

The last line lets Claude Code’s /model picker list gateway models, on v2.1.219 or later. Only IDs starting with claude or anthropic appear there. Claude Code reads env once, at startup — restart it.

If you would rather skip the manual edit, the guide says omniroute launch sets these values for you.

Pinning specific models, optionally

To bind Claude Code’s Opus/Sonnet/Haiku tiers to particular models, remove ANTHROPIC_MODEL and add these three. Use IDs from a provider you actually have — the free ones were prefixed oc/ when I wrote this, and pasting a glm/ or kmc/ ID from a guide will fail with a 401 because those are paid providers you have not connected:

{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL": "oc/deepseek-v4-flash-free",
    "ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL": "oc/deepseek-v4-flash-free",
    "ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL": "oc/deepseek-v4-flash-free"
  }
}

Model IDs move. Take the exact strings from your dashboard’s model list, not from here.

No /v1 on the base URL

4. Verify the endpoint

curl http://localhost:20128/v1/models \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer oma_live_xxx"

A JSON list means the endpoint and the key are both good. It is also where you read the real model IDs for the optional block above.

5. Prove it is actually routing

That only proves the gateway is up. It does not prove Claude Code is using it, and the failure mode above is silent. Two checks that cannot lie:

1. Run /status in Claude Code. The API base URL should read localhost:20128, not api.anthropic.com.
2. Stop the gateway — Ctrl-C in the omniroute terminal — and send a prompt. Claude Code should fail to connect. Start it again; the prompt works.

If the second check answers normally with the gateway down, you are still on Anthropic’s API and still being billed.

If something breaks

Symptom	Cause
Works, but still billed	/v1 left on the base URL, or Claude Code not restarted
auto finds no route	No eligible provider yet — connect one from the Free Tiers Guide
400 Ambiguous model	Use a prefixed ID, e.g. cc/claude-opus-4-8
401 on a specific model	That provider is not connected — pick one from /v1/models
401 from the gateway	Key missing or not the one from Dashboard → Endpoints
Connection refused	omniroute is not running, or something took port 20128

Free is a price, not a policy