How to Use Claude Code with Opus 5.5 & Fable 5.1 for Free ( No Card Required)

Want to use Claude Code with top models like Claude Opus 5.5 and Fable 5.1, but don't want to pay for a subscription or fund an API account yet?

In this guide, I'll show you how to connect Claude Code to a third-party AI gateway that gives you 500,000 free tokens every month, with no credit card required. The setup takes about five minutes.

⚠️ Before you start: This uses a third-party service that is not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic. Free plan limits, available models, and pricing can change at any time. Read the disclaimer at the end before you use it for anything serious.

Prefer watching? Here's the full step-by-step walkthrough:

A token is a small chunk of text, often part of a word. A common rule of thumb for English:

Content creators and educators can demo Claude Code without burning a personal budget.

A computer running Windows, macOS, or Linux

A free account on the AI gateway: Radox AI

If you don't already have Claude Code installed, follow the official installation guide:

Once it's installed, open it once to make sure it launches correctly.

Developer Mode unlocks the advanced configuration options, including third-party inference. That's what lets Claude Code send requests to a provider other than the default.

API Key: <your-api-key> Endpoint: <gateway-base-url-from-your-dashboard> Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 🔐 Treat your API key like a password. Never commit it to Git, paste it in public chats, or show it on screen in recordings.

Here's a fun prompt to test the setup. It builds a complete, polished browser game in one shot:

Build a single-file HTML/CSS/JS game called "Orbit Rush". A glowing orb circles a central star. Tap or press Space to switch between an inner and outer orbit (with a smooth transition).

Meteors fly in from the edges, so dodge them and collect energy shards for points. Speed ramps up over time. Visuals matter most: dark space background with parallax stars, neon glow, a fading comet trail behind the orb, particle bursts on collecting and crashing, a subtle screen shake on game over, and a polished title screen, score HUD, and restart button.

Add small WebAudio sound effects (no external files) and save the high score in localStorage. Use canvas, 60fps, responsive to any screen size, no libraries. Make it feel like a finished game.

Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode Open the generated HTML file in your browser and play. A prompt like this is a good way to see what Opus 5.5 can do with a single request.

Every message sends context to the model, so a little care stretches your 500K much further:

Is this really free? At the time of writing, the gateway offers 500,000 tokens per month with no credit card. Free plans can change at any time, so check the current terms on the site.

Is this official from Anthropic? No. It's a third-party gateway that Claude Code connects to through its third-party inference support. It isn't affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic.

Can I use this for work projects? I wouldn't recommend it for sensitive or proprietary code. Your prompts and code pass through a third-party service. For professional work, use an official plan or the official API.

What happens when I run out of tokens? Requests will fail until your quota resets next month, or until you switch to another provider or plan.

This guide is for educational purposes. The gateway used here is a third-party service, not affiliated with Anthropic. Free plan limits, model availability, and terms can change at any time without notice. Always:

With a few minutes of setup, you can use Claude Code with Opus 5.5 and Fable 5.1 on 500K free tokens a month. That's a great way to learn AI-assisted development, prototype ideas, and try premium models before paying for anything.

If this helped, watch the full video tutorial above and subscribe to The Code Street on YouTube for more indie dev and AI coding content.

💬 Are you using Claude Code yet? Paid plan, API, or free tokens? Tell me in the comments!