FreeRide gives you unlimited free AI in OpenClaw by automatically managing OpenRouter's free models.
You: *hits rate limit*
FreeRide: "I got you." *switches to next best model*
You: *keeps coding*
You're using OpenClaw. You love it. But:
- 💸 API costs add up fast
- 🚫 Free models have rate limits
- 😤 Manually switching models is annoying
- 🤷 You don't know which free model is actually good
One command. Free AI. Forever.
freeride autoThat's it. FreeRide:
- Finds the 30+ free models on OpenRouter
- Ranks them by quality (context length, capabilities, speed)
- Sets the best one as your primary
- Configures smart fallbacks for when you hit rate limits
- Preserves your existing OpenClaw config
npx clawhub@latest install freeride
cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/free-ride
pip install -e .That's it. freeride and freeride-watcher are now available as global commands.
Go to openrouter.ai/keys → Create account → Generate key
No credit card. No trial. Actually free.
export OPENROUTER_API_KEY="sk-or-v1-..."Or add it to your OpenClaw config:
openclaw config set env.OPENROUTER_API_KEY "sk-or-v1-..."freeride autoopenclaw gateway restartMessage your agent on WhatsApp/Telegram/Discord or the dashboard:
You: /status
Agent: (shows the free model name + token count)
Done. You're now running on free AI with automatic fallbacks.
Primary Model: openrouter/nvidia/nemotron-3-nano-30b-a3b:free (256K context)
Fallbacks:
1. openrouter/free ← Smart router (auto-picks best available)
2. qwen/qwen3-coder:free ← Great for coding
3. stepfun/step-3.5:free ← Fast responses
4. deepseek/deepseek:free ← Strong reasoning
5. mistral/mistral:free ← Reliable fallback
When you hit a rate limit, OpenClaw automatically tries the next model. You keep working. No interruptions.
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
freeride auto |
Auto-configure best model + fallbacks |
freeride list |
See all 30+ free models ranked |
freeride switch <model> |
Use a specific model |
freeride status |
Check your current setup |
freeride fallbacks |
Update fallbacks only |
freeride refresh |
Force refresh model cache |
# Already have a model you like? Just add fallbacks:
freeride auto -f
# Want more fallbacks for maximum uptime?
freeride auto -c 10
# Coding? Switch to the best coding model:
freeride switch qwen3-coder
# See what's available:
freeride list -n 30
# Always restart OpenClaw after changes:
openclaw gateway restartFreeRide scores each model (0-1) based on:
| Factor | Weight | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Context Length | 40% | Longer = handle bigger codebases |
| Capabilities | 30% | Vision, tools, structured output |
| Recency | 20% | Newer models = better performance |
| Provider Trust | 10% | Google, Meta, NVIDIA, etc. |
The smart fallback openrouter/free is always first - it auto-selects based on what your request needs.
After running freeride auto and openclaw gateway restart:
# Check OpenClaw sees the models
openclaw models list
# Validate config
openclaw doctor --fix
# Open the dashboard and chat
openclaw dashboard
# Or message your agent on WhatsApp/Telegram/DiscordUseful agent commands to verify:
| Command | What it tells you |
|---|---|
/status |
Current model + token usage |
/model |
Available models (your free models should be listed) |
/new |
Start fresh session with the new model |
FreeRide includes a watcher daemon that monitors for rate limits and automatically rotates models:
# Run once (check + rotate if needed)
freeride-watcher
# Run as daemon (continuous monitoring)
freeride-watcher --daemon
# Force rotate to next model
freeride-watcher --rotate
# Check watcher status
freeride-watcher --status
# Clear rate limit cooldowns
freeride-watcher --clear-cooldownsIs this actually free?
Yes. OpenRouter provides free tiers for many models. You just need an account (no credit card).
What about rate limits?
That's the whole point. FreeRide configures multiple fallbacks. When one model rate-limits you, OpenClaw automatically switches to the next.
Will it mess up my OpenClaw config?
No. FreeRide only touches agents.defaults.model and agents.defaults.models. Your gateway, channels, plugins, workspace, customInstructions - all preserved.
Which models are free?
Run freeride list to see current availability. It changes, which is why FreeRide exists.
Do I need to restart OpenClaw after changes?
Yes. Run openclaw gateway restart after any FreeRide command that changes your config.
| Scenario | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|
| GPT-4 API | $50-200+ |
| Claude API | $50-200+ |
| OpenClaw + FreeRide | $0 |
You're welcome.
┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────────┐
│ You │ ──→ │ FreeRide │ ──→ │ OpenRouter API │
│ "freeride │ │ │ │ (30+ free │
│ auto" │ │ • Fetch │ │ models) │
└──────────────┘ │ • Rank │ └──────────────────┘
│ • Configure │
└──────┬───────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────┐
│ ~/.openclaw/ │
│ openclaw.json│
└──────┬───────┘
│
openclaw gateway restart
│
▼
┌──────────────┐
│ OpenClaw │
│ (free AI!) │
└──────────────┘
Found a bug? Want a feature? PRs welcome.
cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/free-ride
# Test commands
freeride list
freeride status
freeride auto --help- OpenClaw - The AI coding agent
- OpenRouter - The model router
- ClawHub - Skill marketplace
MIT - Do whatever you want.
Stop paying. Start riding.
⭐ Star us on GitHub
·
🔑 Get OpenRouter Key
·
🦞 Install OpenClaw