Free AI API keys: where to get them (and plug them into Claude Code or Cursor)

What this is

A free, step-by-step template from Taha's reels — the exact tools, prompts and links, laid out so you can follow along and ship. Comment the keyword on the reel and it also lands in your DMs.

Hey! 👋 Here's what I promised you — with an honest update first:

The repo from the reel, free-llm-api-resources, no longer exists on GitHub. The best-known copy that replaced it had a credential-stealing workflow pushed into it earlier this month (it was removed, but we couldn't confirm how it got there). So instead of sending you to a third-party list, here are the official providers directly — same free keys, zero risk. ⚠️

1. OpenRouter — one API key for hundreds of models. The free ones end in :free (the list changes often — filter by price $0).

🔗Free models listhttps://openrouter.ai/models?max_price=0 🔗API keyshttps://openrouter.ai/settings/keys 🔗Free-model limitshttps://openrouter.ai/docs/api-reference/limits

2. NVIDIA (build.nvidia.com) — free inference endpoints for prototyping, with a free NVIDIA Developer Program account. Open a model, then Get API Key.

🔗NVIDIA buildhttps://build.nvidia.com/models 🔗Quickstarthttps://docs.api.nvidia.com/nim/docs/api-quickstart

3. Google AI Studio — a free Gemini API key in one click (Google sign-in).

🔗Get a keyhttps://aistudio.google.com/apikey 🔗Free vs paid tierhttps://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/pricing

4. Groq — bonus: very fast open models with a free tier.

🔗API keyshttps://console.groq.com/keys 🔗Rate limitshttps://console.groq.com/docs/rate-limits

Plug a key into your project or Cursor

All four speak the OpenAI format — you only change the base URL, the key and the model name:

OpenRouter: https://openrouter.ai/api/v1
NVIDIA: https://integrate.api.nvidia.com/v1
Gemini: https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1beta/openai/
Groq: https://api.groq.com/openai/v1

Plug OpenRouter into Claude Code

In your project, create .claude/settings.local.json with (OpenRouter's official setup):

{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://openrouter.ai/api",
    "ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "<your-openrouter-api-key>",
    "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "",
    "CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_GATEWAY_MODEL_DISCOVERY": "1"
  }
}

Start claude and pick your model.

🔗Full guidehttps://openrouter.ai/docs/cookbook/coding-agents/claude-code-integration

Honest notes: free tiers have request limits and can change any time. On Google's free tier, your content may be used to improve their products — don't send private or client data. OpenRouter itself says Claude Code is optimized for Anthropic models and may not work perfectly with others. And never paste your keys into a repo or a random site. 🔐

Want more? Go further in the Atlas Room Skool class

This page gives you the tools. The Skool class takes you step by step — full courses and guides to build and sell your own AI app or SaaS, in Darija, with a new lesson every week.

Join the Skool class →

New to vibe coding? See what you'll learn →

🌱STARTER

EXPO📱