How to run Claude Code locally on a Mac, free and offline
Claude Code can run on a local model on your own Mac. No API key, no cloud model, no usage limit. I built the open source piece that makes it work, called Claude Code Local, and this is the practical guide to setting it up. Here's the demo if you'd rather watch first: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9vtBSl_j_o What it is Claude Code reads an environment variable called ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL , and…
Claude Code can run locally on a Mac without needing an API key or using a cloud model. This open-source project called Claude Code Local creates a small Python server that allows Claude Code to interact with models running on the user's Mac chip using Apple's MLX. Claude Code communicates directly with the local server, bypassing the usual middle translator that many other setups require.
The server also adapts the model's tool call format to be compatible with Claude Code's own tool calls, reuses the prompt cache to avoid re-reading everything during long sessions, and handles different model formats based on the available memory.
The installation process is straightforward. Users can run a single command to install the tool, which automatically downloads the chosen model based on the Mac's RAM. The installer handles the setup of the server, adding a command-line interface to start the local server. Users can then launch Claude Code and connect it to the local server using a specific base URL and API key.
The local model's performance depends on the Mac's memory. For instance, a Mac with 8 GB of memory can run the Qwen 3.5 2B, 8-bit model, while those with 32 to 63 GB of memory can handle the larger Gemma 4 12B model. On smaller Macs, requests should be kept to one clear step at a time to maintain efficiency.
The project is MIT licensed and v1.0.0 has just been released. It can be used alongside Claude Code, switching between local models or free cloud models from OpenRouter when needed. The installation does not affect the user's Claude account or usage limits. The setup also ensures that Claude Code's background calls to Anthropic are disabled, making it a fully private and offline solution.
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