Claude Code is a productivity monster until your API credits dry up right in the middle of a deployment. But what if you could keep the harness-the ability to read files, spawn sub-agents, and search your repo-while routing the actual compute through a free model?

Today, we’re breaking down the exact setup for the OpenRouter Claude Code Hack. I’ll show you how to swap your Anthropic auth token for an OpenRouter API key and run capable, free models like Stealth OX Alpha directly inside your IDE or Terminal.

But this isn't just a tutorial; it's a reality check. We ran this setup through 5 brutal stress tests, from coding landing pages to generating YouTube analytics reports, and the results were a mixed bag of impressive engineering and 6-hour retry loops.

We’ll talk about:

The Setup Guide: Step-by-step instructions on modifying your .claude/settings.json file to override the default Anthropic API.
The "Sub-Agent" Trap: Why you must replace every single model slot (main, fast, and sub-agent) with your free model to avoid accidental API charges.
The Stress Tests: How Stealth OX Alpha handled a 6-hour landing page build, a complex database task, and a 166-thread Skool community analysis.
The "Upstream Idle Timeout": The main failure point of free models and why you have to break tasks into bite-sized chunks to prevent infinite retry loops.
The Privacy Warning: Why you should never send proprietary client data, passwords, or sensitive business metrics through anonymous "Stealth" models.

Keywords: Claude Code, OpenRouter, Free AI Models, Stealth OX Alpha, AI Development, IDE Agents, Vibe Coding, Cost Optimization, API Routing, Cursor, Windsurf, Automations.

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#94 Robin: Infinite Credits - How to Route Claude Code Through Free OpenRouter Models

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#94 Robin: Infinite Credits - How to Route Claude Code Through Free OpenRouter Models