English documentation · runtime 7.24.4 · SDK 2.6.7. Content is maintained with runtime development; see each guide's scope and review date.

Free-Tier API Quickstart

Status: Active Scope: current-state Last reviewed: 2026-08-28 Owner: ax-code runtime

AX Code does not provide model quota. A “free” run uses quota or credits offered by an external model provider, whose availability, limits, data terms, and model catalog can change independently of AX Code.

Shortest supported path: Groq

Groq is a default AX Code provider, its current AX Code model catalog contains tool-capable models, and Groq publishes Free Plan limits for those model IDs.

1. Create a Groq account and API key in the Groq Console.
2. Store the key in AX Code:

ax-code providers login groq

3. Confirm the models available in your installed AX Code release:

ax-code models groq

4. Open ax-code, run /connect, and choose Groq and one of the listed models. For a headless smoke test, the current bundled catalog supports:

ax-code run --model groq/openai/gpt-oss-120b "Inspect this repository without editing it and summarize its purpose."

If that exact model is not printed by ax-code models groq, use a model ID that is. The installed catalog is authoritative for the installed release.

Built-in free-tier and free-credit options

These providers are in AX Code’s default setup picker. “Built in” means AX Code supplies the protocol adapter, model metadata, credential flow, and provider endpoint; it does not mean every model or request is free.

For UnoRouter, connect with ax-code providers login unorouter, run ax-code models unorouter, and choose a model whose ID ends in :free. Do not assume the paid twin without that suffix is free. UnoRouter’s own catalog notes that not every free model supports tool calling; AX Code only surfaces the tool-capable entries in its bundled catalog.

For Google or Hugging Face, connect with the matching provider ID and then use ax-code models google or ax-code models huggingface. Check the provider’s live pricing page before choosing a model.

Add OpenRouter’s free-model router

OpenRouter documents openrouter/free as a zero-cost router that selects an available free model compatible with the request. Because that router is not in AX Code’s current curated snapshot, add a conservative local model entry to the ax-code.json at your project root (or merge it into your global AX Code config):

{
  "$schema": "https://ax-code.app/docs-assets/schema/config.schema.json",
  "provider": {
    "openrouter": {
      "models": {
        "openrouter/free": {
          "name": "OpenRouter Free Models Router",
          "tool_call": true,
          "limit": {
            "context": 32768,
            "output": 4096,
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

The limits above are conservative AX Code budgeting values, not an entitlement from OpenRouter. Then connect and verify the merged model catalog:

ax-code providers login openrouter
ax-code models openrouter
ax-code run --model openrouter/openrouter/free "Inspect this repository without editing it and identify its test command."

The repeated openrouter is intentional: the first segment is the AX Code provider ID and openrouter/free is the model ID expected by OpenRouter. Free-router availability and selection vary by request; see OpenRouter’s free-router documentation.

How to use the external free-API catalog

awesome-free-llm-apis is useful for discovering current offers, but it is not an AX Code compatibility or endorsement list:

• A provider in Supported Providers and Models has a default AX Code setup preset.
• A provider merely present in models-snapshot.json is registry-backed, not necessarily curated for the default setup flow.
• Another service can work through Custom and Gateway Providers when it exposes a compatible OpenAI or Anthropic endpoint.
• “OpenAI compatible” is necessary but not sufficient for a coding agent. The selected model also needs streaming text responses and reliable tool/function calling.
• Provider names, model IDs, free quotas, regions, and account requirements in third-party lists can become stale. Verify them against the provider’s official pricing, model, and rate-limit pages before relying on them.

At this page’s review date, the services named by that catalog map to AX Code as follows:

In particular, the github-copilot preset is not the github-models API listed by some catalogs. Do not substitute one provider ID or credential flow for the other. The zai and zhipuai general APIs start at GLM-5.3; older GLM 3, GLM 4, GLM-5, and GLM-5.2 SKUs stay filtered out.

Safe evaluation practices

• Test with a public or disposable repository first. A hosted provider or gateway receives the prompts and code context sent to its API.
• Enable workspace-write isolation, or use read-only for a review-only smoke test.
• Start with one short task and one agent. Council, arena, long sessions, and large repositories can consume many requests and quickly hit free-tier limits.
• Store credentials with ax-code providers login or an environment variable; never commit API keys to ax-code.json.
• Treat 429 and temporary unavailability as normal free-tier constraints. Wait for the provider’s retry window or choose another currently listed free model.