# 🚀 Free Claude Code + Aerolink Setup Guide by subh.expp 🎬

Hey family! Welcome back to **subh.expp**. If you want to use the powerful **Claude Opus 4.8** inside your terminal for *free* (or super cheap) using the **Aerolink** gateway, you are in the right place! 

Follow this quick guide to set everything up in less than 2 minutes. 👇

---

## 🔑 Step 1: Get Your Aerolink API Key
1. Go to the official website: **[aerolink.lat](<https://aerolink.lat>)** 🌐
2. Sign up and verify your account using their **Telegram Bot** (this links your phone number and activates your account).
3. Go to the **API Keys** section, click **Create Key**, and copy your secret key (it looks like `aero_live_...`). 🗝️

---

## 🤖 Step 2: Feed This Prompt to Your AI Assistant
Copy the prompt below and paste it into **any AI Coding Assistant** (like Gemini, Cursor, Cline, or Copilot) running on your computer. It will automatically install Claude Code and configure the settings for you!

```text
Hey! Please set up Claude Code on my system to use the Aerolink API gateway. 

Here are the details:
- Base URL: <https://capi.aerolink.lat/>
- Model: claude-opus-4-8
- Key: <PASTE_YOUR_AEROLINK_KEY_HERE>

Please write this configuration directly to my ~/.claude/settings.json file in the correct format:
{
  "theme": "light",
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "<https://capi.aerolink.lat/>",
    "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "<PASTE_YOUR_AEROLINK_KEY_HERE>",
    "ANTHROPIC_MODEL": "claude-opus-4-8",
    "CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC": "1"
  },
  "model": "sonnet[1m]",
  "apiKeyHelper": "echo '<PASTE_YOUR_AEROLINK_KEY_HERE>'"
}

If Claude Code is not installed on my system, please install it globally using `npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code` first.

💻 Step 3: Run Claude Code!

Once the AI assistant completes the setup:

Open your terminal. 🖥️
Run the following command:
```
claude
```
Boom! You are now chatting with Claude Opus 4.8 directly in your terminal. 🔥

Created with ❤️ for the subh.expp community.

⚡ Gateway Switcher — Switch Between Free Claude Code APIs Instantly

🎬 Add-on guide by subh.expp — Use this alongside the main Claude Code setup guide!

Tired of being stuck on one gateway? This tool lets you switch between 5+ free Claude Code API gateways with one click — no more editing JSON files manually! 🔥

🌐 Supported Gateways

Gateway	Models Available	How to Get Key
🚀 Agent Router	Claude Opus 4.8, GPT-5, DeepSeek V3.1	agentrouter.org/console/token
✈️ Aerolink	Claude Opus 4.6, Claude Sonnet	aerolink.lat → Telegram verify
🧠 FreeModel AI	Claude Opus, Claude Sonnet	freemodel.dev
🌐 OpenRouter	100+ models (Claude, GPT, Llama, etc.)	openrouter.ai/keys
⚙️ Custom	Any Anthropic-compatible endpoint	Your own server

📦 Step 1: Install the Gateway Switcher

Copy-paste this into your terminal: 👇

# Clone or download the gateway-switcher folder
# Then run these commands:
cd gateway-switcher
npm install

That's it — one dependency (Express.js), installs in 3 seconds. ⚡

🚀 Step 2: Start the Switcher

npm run dev

You'll see:

  ⚡ Gateway Switcher running at:
  → <http://localhost:3847>

  📁 Config path: ~/.claude/settings.json

Now open http://localhost:3847 in your browser! 🌐

🎯 Step 3: Switch Gateways (One-Click!)

🃏 Click any gateway card (Agent Router, Aerolink, FreeModel, OpenRouter, etc.)
🔑 Paste your API key in the input field on the card
🔌 Hit "Test Connection" to verify it works
🚀 Hit "Apply to Claude Code" — it writes directly to ~/.claude/settings.json!
🔄 Restart Claude Code in your terminal:
```
claude
```
✅ Done! You're now on the new gateway! 🎉

💡 Pro tip: Your API keys are saved in your browser — you won't have to re-enter them when switching back and forth!

🤖 Automated Setup Prompt

Want to set this all up automatically? Copy this prompt into any AI coding assistant: 👇

Hey! Please set up the Claude Code Gateway Switcher on my system.

Steps:
1. Create a folder called "gateway-switcher" in my current project directory
2. Create these files:

package.json:
{
  "name": "gateway-switcher",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "type": "module",
  "scripts": { "dev": "node server.js" },
  "dependencies": { "express": "^5.1.0" }
}

3. Create server.js — an Express server on port 3847 that:
   - Serves static files from a "public" folder
   - GET /api/config → reads ~/.claude/settings.json and returns it as JSON
   - POST /api/config → writes the request body to ~/.claude/settings.json
   - GET /api/test → tests a connection to a given provider URL + API key

4. Create public/index.html, public/style.css, public/app.js — a dark-mode web UI with:
   - Cards for these gateways: Agent Router (agentrouter.org), Aerolink (capi.aerolink.lat), FreeModel AI (cc.freemodel.dev), OpenRouter (openrouter.ai/api), and a Custom option
   - Each card has an API key input field
   - "Apply to Claude Code" button that POSTs the config to the server
   - "Test Connection" button that calls GET /api/test
   - Shows a preview of the generated settings.json
   - Premium dark UI with gradients, animations, and JetBrains Mono code font

5. Run npm install
6. Start the server with npm run dev
7. Open <http://localhost:3847> in my browser

🔧 How It Works (Under the Hood)

┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│   Browser (localhost:3847)      │
│   ┌───────────────────────┐     │
│   │ Click "Apply" button  │     │
│   └──────────┬────────────┘     │
│              │ POST /api/config │
│              ▼                  │
│   ┌───────────────────────┐     │
│   │   Express Server      │     │
│   │   (server.js)         │     │
│   └──────────┬────────────┘     │
│              │ fs.writeFileSync │
│              ▼                  │
│   ┌───────────────────────┐     │
│   │ ~/.claude/settings.json│    │
│   └───────────────────────┘     │
│              │                  │
│              ▼                  │
│   ┌───────────────────────┐     │
│   │  Claude Code reads it │     │
│   │  on next startup      │     │
│   └───────────────────────┘     │
└─────────────────────────────────┘

🎓 Quick Config Reference

Each gateway needs a different settings.json. Here's what each one looks like:

🚀 Agent Router

{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "sk-YOUR_AGENT_ROUTER_KEY",
    "ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "sk-YOUR_AGENT_ROUTER_KEY",
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "<https://agentrouter.org/>",
    "CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC": "1"
  },
  "apiKeyHelper": "echo 'sk-YOUR_AGENT_ROUTER_KEY'"
}

✈️ Aerolink

{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "aero_live_YOUR_KEY",
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "<https://capi.aerolink.lat/>",
    "CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC": "1"
  },
  "apiKeyHelper": "echo 'aero_live_YOUR_KEY'"
}

🧠 FreeModel AI

{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "fe_oa_YOUR_KEY",
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "<https://cc.freemodel.dev/>",
    "CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC": "1"
  },
  "apiKeyHelper": "echo 'fe_oa_YOUR_KEY'"
}

🌐 OpenRouter

{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "sk-or-v1-YOUR_KEY",
    "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "<https://openrouter.ai/api/>",
    "CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC": "1"
  },
  "apiKeyHelper": "echo 'sk-or-v1-YOUR_KEY'"
}

❓ FAQ

Q: Do I need to restart Claude Code after switching? A: Yes! Just close the current claude session and run claude again. It re-reads settings.json on startup. 🔄

Q: Can I use this to switch mid-conversation? A: No — you need to exit and re-launch claude for the new gateway to take effect.

Q: My gateway shows "Test Failed" — what do I do? A: Double-check your API key is correct, and that you've verified your account on that gateway's website. Some gateways require Telegram or email verification first. 🔑

Q: Can I add more gateways? A: Yes! Open public/app.js and add a new entry to the PROVIDERS array. The UI updates automatically. ⚙️

Made with ⚡ by subh.expp — Switch gateways, not vibes.