Claude Code worth $175 free
A practical setup guide for trying Claude Code through AgentRouter credits. The offer and model list can change, so treat the dashboard as the source of truth before you start.
AgentRouter is a third-party gateway, not Anthropic. It can be a useful way to test Claude Code when your account has promotional credits, but it adds another company between your terminal and the model provider. Do not send private code or secrets until you have read its current terms and privacy policy.
Create the AgentRouter token
Open the referral link below. The page may open in Chinese, so use your browser's translation tool if needed. Sign up with GitHub, then open the Console tab and choose API Token from the left menu.
https://agentrouter.org/register?aff=5bq9Click Create Token and check the permissions and quota shown by the dashboard. The screenshot shows Unlimited quota enabled. Copy the key once it appears and store it in a password manager. Treat an sk-... value like a password. If it leaks, revoke it and create another token.
Install Claude Code
The VS Code extension is the easiest starting point. You can also install the CLI from Anthropic, then run claude inside your project. Anthropic's official setup guide lists the current system requirements and authentication options.
Install the Claude Code CLI
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-codeConfigure the connection
Claude Code reads settings from its user or project configuration. Replace the placeholder with your own token. Keep the file out of git and never paste the real key into a public guide, screenshot or repository.
settings.json
{
"env": {
"ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "paste-your-agentrouter-token-here",
"ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://agentrouter.org"
},
"defaultMode": "bypassPermissions",
"effortLevel": "high"
}Free credits are worth testing. They are not a reason to hand a third-party gateway your secrets.
