VSCode + Claude Code
Free Setup Using NVIDIA NIM — Step by Step Guide for Beginners
✓ 100% Free ✓ No Credit Card ✓ Cloud Speed ✓ Beginner Friendly
What You Need First — Install These Before Starting
Tool Download Purpose
[Link] [Link] Required to run Claude Code
Git [Link] Clone the proxy from GitHub
Python 3.11+ [Link] Runs the free proxy server
VSCode [Link] Your code editor
Part 1 — Get Your Free NVIDIA API Key
1 Create a Free NVIDIA Account
Go to [Link] → Click Sign Up → Create your account. No credit card required.
2 Generate Your API Key
After login, go to this URL:
[Link]/settings/api-keys
Click Create API Key → Copy it. It looks like this:
nvapi-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
■ This key is shown only once. Save it before closing the page.
Part 2 — Install Claude Code
3 Install Claude Code via NPM
Open PowerShell or Command Prompt and run:
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
Part 3 — Set Up the Free Proxy
4 Install uv + Python 3.14
Run these 3 commands one by one in PowerShell:
powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm [Link] | iex"
uv self update
uv python install 3.14
5 Clone the Proxy Repository from GitHub
This downloads the free proxy to your computer:
git clone [Link]
cd free-claude-code
6 Configure Your .env File
Inside the free-claude-code folder → find .[Link] → copy it → rename to .env → open in Notepad and paste:
NVIDIA_NIM_API_KEY="nvapi-your-key-here"
MODEL_OPUS="nvidia_nim/moonshotai/kimi-k2-thinking"
MODEL_SONNET="nvidia_nim/mistralai/devstral-2-123b-instruct-2512"
MODEL_HAIKU="nvidia_nim/moonshotai/kimi-k2.5"
MODEL="nvidia_nim/moonshotai/kimi-k2.5"
NIM_ENABLE_THINKING=false
■ Replace 'nvapi-your-key-here' with your actual NVIDIA API key, then save the file.
Part 4 — Install Claude Code Extension in VSCode
7 Install the Claude Code Extension
1 Open VSCode
2 Press Ctrl + Shift + X to open Extensions panel
3 Type "Claude Code" in the search box
4 Click Install and wait for it to finish
Part 5 — Launch Everything
8 Start the Proxy — Open Terminal 1
Open PowerShell or CMD outside VSCode and run:
cd free-claude-code
uv run python [Link]
■ You should see: 'Server running on [Link] — keep this window open the whole time you work.
9 Launch Claude Code Inside VSCode — Terminal 2
Open your project folder in VSCode → Press Ctrl + ` (backtick) to open integrated terminal → Run all 3 lines:
$env:ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="[Link]
$env:ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="freecc"
claude
■ All 3 lines must be run in the SAME terminal window, one after another. Do NOT close Terminal 1.
Every Day — Quick Launch Cheatsheet
Terminal 1 — Start Proxy First Terminal 2 — Launch Claude Code in VSCode
cd free-claude-code $env:ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="[Link]
uv run python [Link] $env:ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="freecc"
claude
Troubleshooting — Common Errors
Error Fix
Auth conflict / subscription prompt Run 'claude logout' in terminal first, then redo Step 9
401 Unauthorized Close all terminals. Start fresh from Step 8. Proxy must be running before you
launch claude.
Port 8082 already in use Run: netstat -ano | findstr :8082 then taskkill /PID [number] /F
On Mac or Linux Replace $env:VARIABLE='value' with: export VARIABLE='value'
Slow response Type /model haiku inside Claude Code for faster replies
Sky Studio • VSCode + Claude Code Free Guide • 2026 • [Link]/Alishahryar1/free-claude-code