How I Used Claude Code for Free in VS Code & CLI

📰 Medium · Programming

Use Claude Code for free in VS Code and CLI with a 10-minute setup using alternative models

intermediate Published 12 Jun 2026

Action Steps

Install the Claude Code VS Code extension
Set up the Claude Code CLI
Configure alternative models for use with Claude Code
Test the setup with a sample project
Integrate the setup into your existing development workflow

Who Needs to Know This

Developers and programmers can benefit from using Claude Code to improve their coding efficiency and accuracy, and this setup can be shared among team members to enhance collaboration

Key Insight

💡 Alternative models can be used with Claude Code to provide a free solution for coding assistance