Run Claude Code Free with Nex-N2: Plug a Free API Into the Claude Code Harness

Key Takeaways

• The core idea: a free "brain" in the Claude Code harness. The open-source free-claude-code project lets you plug any API into Claude Code — the same pattern as wiring Ollama into Claude Code — so you keep the harness but pay nothing for the model.
• Nex-N2 is the free model used. In the video it's described as agentic, multimodal (text + images), built for coding, tool use, deep research and long-horizon workflows, with a 262K context window and free access on OpenRouter. (Note: Goldie calls N2 "Claude 3.5 architecture," while creator Fahd Mirza describes it as a ~400B Qwen 3.5 MoE — treat the architecture claim as unconfirmed.)
• Voice + skills layer. Goldie wires a voice control on top so a single spoken sentence builds an app, and notes you can teach free-claude-code skills just like Claude Code (e.g. a video-generation skill).
• Not just Claude Code. The same free N2 model can be used directly via OpenRouter, or plugged into Hermes agent, Kilo Code, or Pi — since June 8 it's reportedly been used most with Claude Code and Hermes.
• Honest caveats (from the creator). "Free" isn't unlimited — it gets rate/token-limited and may stop mid-build; and it is not as capable as paying for a frontier model directly. Good for testing ideas and lightweight builds, not a frontier replacement.

Commands & Code Mentioned

# Conceptual flow shown in the video (no exact CLI was displayed):
# 1. Get the free Nex-N2 (Next N2 Pro) model on OpenRouter — 262K context, free tier
# 2. Use the open-source `free-claude-code` project to plug that API into the Claude Code harness
#    (same pattern as connecting Ollama to Claude Code)
# 3. Optionally add the voice layer, then speak a prompt: e.g. "create a to-do list app"
# 4. Or use the same model directly in Hermes agent / Kilo Code / Pi via the OpenRouter endpoint

The video is a screen walkthrough rather than a terminal tutorial; the steps above summarise the wiring it demonstrates.