Key Takeaways
- Free and open source under the MIT License
- Unofficial, third-party project β not made by, affiliated with, or endorsed by Anthropic, and it does not run Anthropic's actual Claude model
- Runs an MLX-native, Anthropic-API-compatible server so the official
claudeCLI can be pointed at a local model viaANTHROPIC_BASE_URL - Requires a Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 or newer), Python 3.12, and Anthropic's Claude Code CLI installed separately
- Supports several open-weight models sized to your Mac's unified memory, from Hermes 4 14B on 16 GB machines up to Qwen 3.5 122B on 96 GB+ machines
- A v0.1.0 release (May 2026) fixed a bug where earlier setups leaked telemetry and background traffic to Anthropic's servers even with a local base URL configured β verify you are on a current version if privacy/air-gap use is your goal
- Built and maintained by one independent developer, Matt Macosko, based in Arcata, California β no company or investor behind the project
- GitHub repository (github.com/nicedreamzapp/claude-code-local) shows 3,314 stars and 625 forks as of September 2026
π In One Sentence
claude-code-local is a free, open-source, unofficial MLX server that lets Anthropic's Claude Code CLI run against a locally-hosted open-weight model on Apple Silicon, instead of Anthropic's actual Claude model or cloud API.
π¬ In Plain Terms
It does not put Anthropic's Claude model on your computer. Instead, it makes your Mac pretend to be Anthropic's cloud so the claude command still works exactly as you know it, but a different, open-weight AI model that runs on your own hardware answers your questions β no account, no per-token bill, and no data sent to Anthropic's servers for those requests.
πNote: This review is the deep-dive companion to claude-code-local's entry in the Local LLM Software Directory β see that page for how it compares at a glance to dozens of other local AI tools.
πNote: Naming note: "claude-code-local" repurposes Anthropic's Claude Code client/CLI to talk to a different, locally-hosted open-weight model. It is not an Anthropic product, and it does not make Anthropic's Claude model run offline.
What Is claude-code-local?
claude-code-local is a local server, not a chat app or an IDE. It sits between Anthropic's official Claude Code CLI and a locally-run open-weight model, translating Claude Code's Anthropic-API-format requests into a format an MLX-hosted local model can answer, and translating the answer back. Its own GitHub description summarizes it as letting you "Run Claude Code 100% on-device with local AI on Apple Silicon" via an "MLX-native Anthropic-API server."
- Core function: an Anthropic-API-compatible local server (
proxy/server.py) that Claude Code can be pointed at instead ofapi.anthropic.com, via theANTHROPIC_BASE_URLandANTHROPIC_API_KEYenvironment variables - Inference engine: MLX, Apple's array-computing framework for Apple Silicon, via the
mlx-lmpackage β this is why the project is Mac-only and requires an M-series chip - What it is not: it does not download, run, or in any way expose Anthropic's actual Claude model. "Claude Code" in the project's name refers to Anthropic's CLI client, which this project repurposes to talk to a different, locally-hosted model
- Developer: one independent developer, Matt Macosko, based in Arcata, California, per the GitHub README's footer β the README explicitly states "one person, no team, no investors"
- Canonical repository: github.com/nicedreamzapp/claude-code-local β the original, active project; a same-named fork, jinzaizhichi/claude-code-local, exists on GitHub with zero stars and is not a separate independent project
Project History and Version Milestones
The GitHub repository was created on March 26, 2026. Development has been fast-paced but the project has kept its formal version tags to three releases so far, each bundling a significant fix or feature rather than shipping tags for every commit.
- 1v0.1.0 β May 8, 2026: Verified-offline fix and 16 GB Mac support
Why it matters: A contributor found via `lsof` that Claude Code 2.1 was still reaching `api.anthropic.com` on startup for telemetry, feature flags, marketplace auto-install, and auto-updates, even with a local `ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL` set β meaning earlier setups following the old README were not actually fully offline. This release fixed it by disabling that background traffic via four documented environment variables, and switched the default model for 16 GB Macs (which had been crashing on the previous default) to a smaller, working model. - 2v0.2.0 β August 5, 2026: Prompt-cache correctness fix
Why it matters: Fixed a bug where the shared prompt cache became corrupted after the first session on a long-running server, per the release notes causing later sessions to answer from a previous, unrelated conversation's cached state. The project's own before/after measurement on one long-lived server went from 1 correct answer out of 8 to 8 out of 8 after the fix. - 3v0.3.0 β August 22, 2026: Agent-12 benchmark launch and full-precision Qwen 3.8 27B support
Why it matters: Introduced the developer's own open-source agent benchmark suite ("Agent-12") to help users pick a model, and added full-precision (non-quantized) support for a 27B model using speculative decoding for a claimed roughly 3-4x speedup. These performance and benchmark figures are the developer's own self-reported measurements β this review could not independently verify them, so treat specific numbers as a starting point rather than a guarantee for your own hardware.
What Can You Do With claude-code-local?
The project's feature set centers on making Claude Code work against a local model with minimal friction, plus several additional local-first modes built on the same underlying server. Here is what each part actually does, per the project's own GitHub README.
- Claude Code, redirected locally β the core use case: keep using the
claudeCLI exactly as normal, but have it answer from a model running on your own Mac instead of Anthropic's cloud - "Keep going" fallback β a shell command that lets you continue an existing Claude Code conversation with a different model (a free OpenRouter cloud model, or a local one) when you hit Anthropic's own usage limit, without losing the conversation
- Native Engine mode β a lighter-weight agent built into the project itself, offered as a faster alternative to routing every request through the full Claude Code client
- Browser Agent mode β an optional mode where the locally-run model can drive a real browser window, documented separately in the project's browser-agent guide
- Voice mode β an optional hands-free mode for talking to the local model and hearing a spoken response, documented in the project's voice-mode guide
- Phone control β an optional mode for sending commands to the Mac-hosted server from a phone, documented in the project's phone-control guide
- Traffic isolation β sets four of Claude Code's own documented environment variables to disable non-essential background network calls (telemetry, autoupdate, marketplace auto-install, background tasks), verifiable yourself via
lsof -p $(pgrep -f claude)
Usage Examples: Three Ways to Use claude-code-local
These are concrete workflows built from the project's documented features above β not hypothetical use cases.
Install claude-code-local
claude-code-local installs from source via a shell script β there is no downloadable app or package manager release. It requires a Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 or newer), Python 3.12, and Anthropic's official Claude Code CLI already installed.
Source | Link |
|---|---|
| Official repository (source code, MIT) | github.com/nicedreamzapp/claude-code-local |
| One-command installer | curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nicedreamzapp/claude-code-local/main/install.sh | bash |
| Manual install (clone + setup script) | git clone https://github.com/nicedreamzapp/claude-code-local && cd claude-code-local && bash setup.sh |
| Required dependency: Claude Code CLI | npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code (Anthropic's own official package) |
| Ready-to-use MLX model builds | huggingface.co/divinetribe |
The one-command installer pipes a remote script directly into bash; the project's README offers a manual alternative ("prefer to do it by hand?") for anyone who wants to read setup.sh before running it. Either path requires Apple Silicon β there is no Intel Mac, Windows, or Linux build, since the project depends on Apple's MLX framework.
Pricing and Licensing: Is It Really Free?
Yes β claude-code-local itself is free and open source, under the MIT License, confirmed via the repository's license badge and LICENSE file. There is no subscription, account, or usage limit imposed by the project itself.
- The server, installer, and launchers are free and MIT-licensed, with no paid tier
- Local models run at no per-token cost, using your own Mac's hardware and electricity
- The project still requires Anthropic's official Claude Code CLI, which is free to install; whether you separately maintain an Anthropic subscription is up to you and orthogonal to using this project
- An optional "keep going" cloud fallback can use free-tier OpenRouter models with your own free API key β this is opt-in and not required for the core local workflow
Hardware Requirements and Model Choices
Hardware requirements scale directly with which model you choose to run, since claude-code-local has no fixed minimum of its own beyond Apple Silicon and macOS. The project's own setup script recommends a model tier based on your Mac's total unified memory.
Unified memory | Recommended model |
|---|---|
| 16 GB (e.g. MacBook Air, base models) | Hermes 4 14B |
| 32β48 GB (Pro tier) | Gemma 4 12B |
| 64β95 GB (Max tier) | Gemma 4 31B |
| 96 GB and up (Max/Ultra tier) | Qwen 3.5 122B, with room for Llama 3.3 70B and others alongside it |
The project also documents several additional model options beyond the default per-tier recommendation, including Qwen 3.8 27B at full precision and a self-described "abliterated" (refusal-reduced) build of a 30B model called Muse-Glimmer. A note on abliterated models: the project's own README flags that these have their built-in safety refusals turned down and states plainly that "each model's own license still applies" and to "use them responsibly" β this is a real capability difference from a standard instruction-tuned model, and the responsibility for how you use one sits with you. Benchmark and speed figures for specific models throughout the README (including the Agent-12 leaderboard) are the developer's own self-reported measurements, not independently verified by PromptQuorum.
Who Should Use claude-code-local?
Whether this project fits depends on whether you specifically want to keep the Claude Code CLI workflow while swapping in a local model, and whether you have the Apple Silicon hardware it requires.
claude-code-local vs. Other Local Coding-Assistant Setups
claude-code-local is one of several ways to get AI coding assistance running against a local model instead of a cloud API. Here is how it sits next to other options in that space β see the Local LLM Software Directory for the full catalog.
- oMLX β a general-purpose Apple Silicon MLX inference server with SSD-backed model caching; unlike claude-code-local, it is not built specifically around Claude Code's API format, but it is the closest comparison for anyone choosing an MLX-based local backend on a Mac. See the oMLX review.
- Aider β a terminal-based, model-agnostic AI pair-programming tool that works with local models via any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, git-integrated by design; a good comparison if you want a coding CLI built local-first from the start rather than a shim in front of Anthropic's client. See the Aider review.
- Cline β an open-source, VS Code-based autonomous coding agent that also supports local models through OpenAI-compatible endpoints; a good comparison if you prefer an IDE-embedded agent over a terminal-first workflow. See the Cline review.
Common Mistakes When Evaluating claude-code-local
Most confusion about this project comes from its name implying an official Anthropic offering, or from assuming any version is automatically fully offline.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is claude-code-local?
claude-code-local (github.com/nicedreamzapp/claude-code-local) is a free, open-source, unofficial MLX server for Apple Silicon Macs that lets Anthropic's Claude Code CLI connect to a locally-run open-weight model instead of Anthropic's cloud API.
Is claude-code-local made by Anthropic?
No. It is an independent, third-party, community-built project. It is not made by Anthropic and not officially affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic in any way.
Does claude-code-local run Anthropic's actual Claude model offline?
No. It does not download, host, or run Anthropic's Claude model at all. It runs a different, locally-hosted open-weight model (such as Gemma, Qwen, Llama, or DeepSeek) and makes it answer through a server that speaks the same API format the Claude Code client expects.
Is claude-code-local free?
Yes. It is open source under the MIT License with no paid tier. You still need Anthropic's free Claude Code CLI installed as a dependency, but the project itself charges nothing.
What hardware does claude-code-local require?
A Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) and Python 3.12, since the project runs local inference through Apple's MLX framework. There is no Windows, Linux, or Intel Mac support. It works on a 16 GB Mac, per the project's own testing, with larger unified-memory Macs able to run larger, more capable models.
Does claude-code-local keep my code fully offline?
It can, but only from v0.1.0 onward. An earlier bug meant Claude Code itself reached Anthropic's servers for telemetry and background tasks even with a local base URL configured; v0.1.0 (May 2026) fixed this by disabling that traffic. Verify your own setup with lsof -p $(pgrep -f claude) rather than assuming.
How do I install claude-code-local?
The documented one-command installer is curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nicedreamzapp/claude-code-local/main/install.sh | bash. A manual alternative β cloning the repository and running bash setup.sh after reading it β is also documented for anyone who prefers not to pipe a remote script into bash directly.
Which models can claude-code-local run?
The project documents several open-weight models sized by your Mac's unified memory, from Hermes 4 14B (16 GB) up to Qwen 3.5 122B (96 GB and up), plus additional options like Gemma 4, Llama 3.3 70B, and a full-precision Qwen 3.8 27B build. Model choice and quality vary by which one you pick and your hardware.
Who develops claude-code-local?
It is built and maintained by one independent developer, Matt Macosko, based in Arcata, California. The project's own README states it explicitly: "one person, no team, no investors."
When was claude-code-local first released?
The GitHub repository was created on March 26, 2026. The first formal version tag, v0.1.0, followed on May 8, 2026, with v0.2.0 (August 5, 2026) and v0.3.0 (August 22, 2026) since β see the official Releases page for anything shipped after this review's publish date.