free-coding-models 0.3.55 → 0.3.57

package/README.md

@@ -2,12 +2,12 @@
   <img src="https://img.shields.io/npm/v/free-coding-models?color=76b900&label=npm&logo=npm" alt="npm version">
   <img src="https://img.shields.io/node/v/free-coding-models?color=76b900&logo=node.js" alt="node version">
   <img src="https://img.shields.io/npm/l/free-coding-models?color=76b900" alt="license">
-  <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/models-238-76b900?logo=nvidia" alt="models count">
-  <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/providers-25-blue" alt="providers count">
-  <br>
-  <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/dependencies-1-76b900?logo=npm" alt="1 dependency">
-  <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/provenance-sigstore-blueviolet?logo=signstore" alt="npm provenance">
-  <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/supply_chain-verified-brightgreen" alt="supply chain verified">
+  <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/models-170+-76b900?logo=nvidia" alt="models count">
+  <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/providers-16-blue" alt="providers count">
+</p>
+
+<p align="center">
+  <img src="logo.webp" alt="free-coding-models logo" width="128">
 </p>
 
 <h1 align="center">free-coding-models</h1>
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 
 <p align="center">
   <strong>Find the fastest free coding model in seconds</strong><br>
-  <sub>Ping 238 models across 25 AI Free providers in real-time </sub><br>  <sub> Install Free API endpoints to your favorite AI coding tool: <br>📦 OpenCode, 📦 OpenCode Desktop, 📦 OpenCode WebUI, 🦞 OpenClaw, 💘 Crush, 🪿 Goose, 🛠 Aider, ⚡️ Kilo CLI, 🐉 Qwen Code, 🤲 OpenHands, ⚡ Amp, 🔮 Hermes, ▶️ Continue, 🧠 Cline, 🛠️ Xcode, π Pi, 🦘 Rovo or ♊ Gemini in one keystroke</sub>
+  <sub>Track ~170 models across ~15 vetted free or free-limited AI providers in real time</sub><br>  <sub> Install Free API endpoints to your favorite AI coding tool: <br>📦 OpenCode, 📦 OpenCode Desktop, 📦 OpenCode WebUI, 🦞 OpenClaw, 💘 Crush, 🪿 Goose, 🛠 Aider, ⚡️ Kilo CLI, 🐉 Qwen Code, 🤲 OpenHands, ⚡ Amp, 🔮 Hermes, ▶️ Continue, 🧠 Cline, 🛠️ Xcode, π Pi, 🦘 Rovo or ♊ Gemini in one keystroke</sub>
 </p>
 
 
@@ -36,7 +36,6 @@ create a free account on one of the [providers](#-list-of-free-ai-providers)
   <a href="#-why-this-tool">💡 Why</a> •
   <a href="#-quick-start">⚡ Quick Start</a> •
   <a href="#-list-of-free-ai-providers">🟢 Providers</a> •
-  <a href="#-other-free-ai-resources">🆓 Other Free AI Resources</a> •
   <a href="#-usage">🚀 Usage</a> •
   <a href="#-tui-keys">⌨️ TUI Keys</a> •
   <a href="#-features">✨ Features</a> •
@@ -44,14 +43,17 @@ create a free account on one of the [providers](#-list-of-free-ai-providers)
   <a href="#️-model-licensing--commercial-use">⚖️ Licensing</a> •
   <a href="#-telemetry">📊 Telemetry</a> •
   <a href="#️-security--trust">🛡️ Security</a> •
-  <a href="#-support">📧 Support</a> •
-  <a href="#-license">📄 License</a>
+  <a href="#-other-free-ai-resources">🆓 Other Free AI Resources</a>
 </p>
 
 <p align="center">
   <img src="demo.gif" alt="free-coding-models demo" width="100%">
 </p>
 
+<p align="center">
+  <a href="https://discord.gg/ZTNFHvvCkU"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/Discord-Join%20the%20community-5865F2?logo=discord&logoColor=white&style=for-the-badge" alt="Join our Discord"></a>
+</p>
+
 <p align="center">
   <sub>Made with ❤️ and ☕ by <a href="https://vanessadepraute.dev">Vanessa Depraute</a> (aka <a href="https://vavanessa.dev">Vava-Nessa</a>)</sub>
 </p>
@@ -60,7 +62,7 @@ create a free account on one of the [providers](#-list-of-free-ai-providers)
 
 ## 💡 Why this tool?
 
-There are **238+ free coding models** scattered across 25 providers. Which one is fastest right now? Which one is actually stable versus just lucky on the last ping?
+There are **~170 cataloged free or free-limited coding models** across ~15 vetted providers. Which one is fastest right now? Which one is actually stable versus just lucky on the last ping?
 
 This CLI pings them all in parallel, shows live latency, and calculates a **live Stability Score (0-100)**. Average latency alone is misleading if a model randomly spikes to 6 seconds; the stability score measures true reliability by combining **p95 latency** (30%), **jitter/variance** (30%), **spike rate** (20%), and **uptime** (20%). 
 
@@ -74,113 +76,30 @@ It then writes the model you pick directly into your coding tool's config — so
 
 Create a free account on one provider below to get started:
 
-**238 coding models** across 25 providers, ranked by free tier generosity.
+**~170 coding models** across ~15 active providers, ranked by practical free-tier usefulness.
 
 | # | Provider | Models | Tier range | Free tier | Env var |
 |---|----------|--------|-----------|-----------|--------|
-| 1 | [NVIDIA NIM](https://build.nvidia.com) | 46 | S+ → C | ~40 RPM (no credit card) | `NVIDIA_API_KEY` |
+| 1 | [NVIDIA NIM](https://build.nvidia.com) | 42 | S+ → C | ~40 RPM (no credit card) | `NVIDIA_API_KEY` |
 | 2 | [Groq](https://console.groq.com/keys) | 8 | S → B | 30 RPM, 1K‑14.4K req/day (no credit card) | `GROQ_API_KEY` |
 | 3 | [Cerebras](https://cloud.cerebras.ai) | 4 | S+ → B | 30 RPM, 1M tokens/day (no credit card) | `CEREBRAS_API_KEY` |
-| 4 | [Google AI Studio](https://aistudio.google.com/apikey) | 6 | B+ → C | 15‑60 RPM, 250‑1.5K req/day (no credit card) | `GOOGLE_API_KEY` |
-| 5 | [Cloudflare Workers AI](https://dash.cloudflare.com) | 15 | S → B | 10K neurons/day, 300 RPM (no credit card) | `CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN` + `CLOUDFLARE_ACCOUNT_ID` |
-| 6 | [OpenRouter](https://openrouter.ai/keys) | 25 | S+ → C | 50 req/day free, 1K/day with $10 spend | `OPENROUTER_API_KEY` |
-| 7 | [DeepInfra](https://deepinfra.com/login) | 4 | A- → B+ | 200 concurrent requests (no credit card) | `DEEPINFRA_API_KEY` |
-| 8 | [Hugging Face](https://huggingface.com/settings/tokens) | 2 | S → B | ~$0.10/month free credits | `HUGGINGFACE_API_KEY` |
-| 9 | [Perplexity API](https://www.perplexity.ai/settings/api) | 4 | A+ → B | ~50 RPM (tiered by spend) | `PERPLEXITY_API_KEY` |
-| 10 | [SambaNova](https://sambanova.ai/developers) | 13 | S+ → B | Dev tier generous quota (no credit card) | `SAMBANOVA_API_KEY` |
-| 11 | [Fireworks AI](https://fireworks.ai) | 4 | S → B+ | $1 free credits, 10 RPM without payment | `FIREWORKS_API_KEY` |
-| 12 | [Hyperbolic](https://app.hyperbolic.ai/settings) | 13 | S+ → A- | $1 free credits (permanent) | `HYPERBOLIC_API_KEY` |
-| 13 | [OVHcloud AI Endpoints](https://endpoints.ai.cloud.ovh.net) | 8 | S → B | 2 req/min/IP free, 400 RPM with key | `OVH_AI_ENDPOINTS_ACCESS_TOKEN` |
-| 14 | [Replicate](https://replicate.com/account/api-tokens) | 2 | A- → B | 6 req/min free, 3K RPM with payment | `REPLICATE_API_TOKEN` |
-| 15 | [Codestral](https://codestral.mistral.ai) | 1 | B+ | 30 RPM, 2K req/day (no credit card) | `CODESTRAL_API_KEY` |
-| 16 | [ZAI](https://z.ai) | 7 | S+ → S | Generous free quota (concurrency limited) | `ZAI_API_KEY` |
-| 17 | [Scaleway](https://console.scaleway.com/iam/api-keys) | 10 | S+ → B+ | 1M free tokens (permanent) | `SCALEWAY_API_KEY` |
-| 18 | [Alibaba DashScope](https://modelstudio.console.alibabacloud.com) | 11 | S+ → A | 1M free tokens/model (90 days) | `DASHSCOPE_API_KEY` |
-| 19 | [SiliconFlow](https://cloud.siliconflow.cn/account/ak) | 6 | S+ → A | 100 req/day + $1 free credits | `SILICONFLOW_API_KEY` |
-| 20 | [Rovo Dev CLI](https://www.atlassian.com/rovo) | 5 | S+ | 5M tokens/day (beta) | CLI tool 🦘 |
-| 21 | [Gemini CLI](https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli) | 3 | S+ → A+ | 1,000 req/day (no credit card) | CLI tool ♊ |
-| 22 | [Chutes AI](https://chutes.ai) | 4 | S → A | Free community GPU (no credit card) | `CHUTES_API_KEY` |
-| 23 | [OpenCode Zen](https://opencode.ai/zen) | 7 | S+ → A+ | Free with OpenCode account | Zen models ✨ |
-| 24 | [Together AI](https://api.together.ai/settings/api-keys) | 19 | S+ → A- | ❌ No free tier — requires $5 purchase | `TOGETHER_API_KEY` |
-| 25 | [iFlow ⚠️](https://platform.iflow.cn) | 11 | S+ → A+ | Shutting down April 17, 2026 | `IFLOW_API_KEY` |
+| 4 | [Google AI Studio](https://aistudio.google.com/apikey) | 6 | S+ → A | Gemini free quotas vary by model/region | `GOOGLE_API_KEY` |
+| 5 | [GitHub Models](https://models.github.ai) | 15 | S+ → C | Quota depends on GitHub/Copilot tier | `GITHUB_TOKEN` |
+| 6 | [Mistral La Plateforme](https://console.mistral.ai/api-keys) | 7 | S+ → A | Experiment plan, free evaluation tier | `MISTRAL_API_KEY` |
+| 7 | [Cloudflare Workers AI](https://dash.cloudflare.com) | 15 | S+ → B | 10K neurons/day, 300 RPM (no credit card) | `CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN` + `CLOUDFLARE_ACCOUNT_ID` |
+| 8 | [OpenRouter](https://openrouter.ai/keys) | 31 | S+ → C | 50 req/day free, 1K/day with $10 spend | `OPENROUTER_API_KEY` |
+| 9 | [SambaNova](https://cloud.sambanova.ai/apis) | 6 | S+ → A- | Small developer quota, useful for light usage | `SAMBANOVA_API_KEY` |
+| 10 | [OVHcloud AI Endpoints](https://endpoints.ai.cloud.ovh.net) | 10 | S → B | 2 req/min/IP free, 400 RPM with key | `OVH_AI_ENDPOINTS_ACCESS_TOKEN` |
+| 11 | [Codestral](https://console.mistral.ai/api-keys) | 1 | B+ | 30 RPM, 2K req/day | `MISTRAL_API_KEY` |
+| 12 | [ZAI](https://z.ai) | 2 | S | Free Flash models only | `ZAI_API_KEY` |
+| 13 | [Scaleway](https://console.scaleway.com/iam/api-keys) | 10 | S+ → B | 1M free tokens | `SCALEWAY_API_KEY` |
+| 14 | [Alibaba DashScope](https://modelstudio.console.alibabacloud.com) | 9 | S+ → A | 1M free tokens/model, Singapore, 90 days | `DASHSCOPE_API_KEY` |
+| 15 | [Gemini CLI](https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli) | 6 | S+ → A | 1,000 req/day with personal Google account | CLI tool ♊ |
+| 16 | [OpenCode Zen](https://opencode.ai/zen) | 8 | S+ → A | Free with OpenCode account | Zen models ✨ |
 
 > 💡 One key is enough. Add more at any time with **`P`** inside the TUI.
 
----
-
-## 🆓 Other Free AI Resources
-
-**Curated free resources outside the CLI** — IDE extensions, coding agents, GitHub lists, and trial credits.
-
-### 📚 Awesome Lists (curated by the community)
-
-| Resource | What it is |
-|----------|------------|
-| [cheahjs/free-llm-api-resources](https://github.com/cheahjs/free-llm-api-resources) (18.4k ⭐) | Comprehensive list of free LLM API providers with rate limits |
-| [mnfst/awesome-free-llm-apis](https://github.com/mnfst/awesome-free-llm-apis) (2.1k ⭐) | Permanent free LLM API tiers organized by provider |
-| [inmve/free-ai-coding](https://github.com/inmve/free-ai-coding) (648 ⭐) | Pro-grade AI coding tools side-by-side — limits, models, CC requirements |
-| [amardeeplakshkar/awesome-free-llm-apis](https://github.com/amardeeplakshkar/awesome-free-llm-apis) | Additional free LLM API resources |
-
-### 🖥️ AI-Powered IDEs with Free Tiers
-
-| IDE | Free tier | Credit card |
-|-----|-----------|-------------|
-| [Qwen Code](https://github.com/QwenLM/qwen-code) | 2,000 requests/day | No |
-| [Rovo Dev CLI](https://www.atlassian.com/rovo) | 5M tokens/day (beta) | No |
-| [Gemini CLI](https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli) | 100–250 requests/day | No |
-| [Jules](https://jules.google/) | 15 tasks/day | No |
-| [AWS Kiro](https://kiro.dev/) | 50 credits/month | No |
-| [Trae](https://trae.ai/) | 10 fast + 50 slow requests/month | No |
-| [Codeium](https://codeium.com/) | Unlimited forever, basic models | No |
-| [JetBrains AI Assistant](https://www.jetbrains.com/ai/) | Unlimited completions + local models | No |
-| [Continue.dev](https://www.continue.dev/) | Free VS Code/JetBrains extension, local models via Ollama | No |
-| [Warp](https://warp.dev/) | 150 credits/month (first 2 months), then 75/month | No |
-| [Amazon Q Developer](https://aws.amazon.com/q/developer/) | 50 agentic requests/month | Required |
-| [Windsurf](https://windsurf.com/) | 25 prompt credits/month | Required |
-| [Kilo Code](https://kilocode.ai/) | Up to $25 signup credits (one-time) | Required |
-| [Tabnine](https://www.tabnine.com/) | Basic completions + chat (limited) | Required |
-| [SuperMaven](https://supermaven.com/) | Basic suggestions, 1M token context | Required |
-
-### 🔑 API Providers with Permanent Free Tiers
-
-| Provider | Free limits | Notable models |
-|----------|-------------|----------------|
-| [OpenRouter](https://openrouter.ai/keys) | 50 req/day, 1K/day with $10 purchase | Qwen3-Coder, Llama 3.3 70B, Gemma 3 |
-| [Google AI Studio](https://aistudio.google.com/apikey) | 5–500 req/day (varies by model) | Gemini 2.5 Flash, Gemma 3 |
-| [NVIDIA NIM](https://build.nvidia.com) | 40 RPM | Llama 3.3 70B, Mistral Large, Qwen3 235B |
-| [Groq](https://console.groq.com/keys) | 1K–14.4K req/day (model-dependent) | Llama 3.3 70B, Llama 4 Scout, Kimi K2 |
-| [Cerebras](https://cloud.cerebras.ai/) | 30 RPM, 1M tokens/day | Qwen3-235B, Llama 3.1 70B, GPT-OSS 120B |
-| [Cohere](https://cohere.com/) | 20 RPM, 1K/month | Command R+, Aya Expanse 32B |
-| [Mistral La Plateforme](https://console.mistral.ai/) | 1 req/s, 1B tokens/month | Mistral Large 3, Small 3.1 |
-| [Cloudflare Workers AI](https://dash.cloudflare.com) | 10K neurons/day | Llama 3.3 70B, QwQ 32B, 47+ models |
-| [GitHub Models](https://github.com/marketplace/models) | Depends on Copilot tier | GPT-4o, DeepSeek-R1, Llama 3.3 |
-| [SiliconFlow](https://cloud.siliconflow.cn/account/ak) | 1K RPM, 50K TPM | Qwen3-8B, DeepSeek-R1, GLM-4.1V |
-| [HuggingFace](https://huggingface.com/settings/tokens) | ~$0.10/month credits | Llama 3.3 70B, Qwen2.5 72B |
-
-### 💰 Providers with Trial Credits
-
-| Provider | Credits | Duration |
-|----------|---------|----------|
-| [Hyperbolic](https://app.hyperbolic.ai/) | $1 free | Permanent |
-| [Fireworks](https://fireworks.ai/) | $1 | Permanent |
-| [Nebius](https://tokenfactory.nebius.com/) | $1 | Permanent |
-| [SambaNova Cloud](https://cloud.sambanova.ai/) | $5 | 3 months |
-| [AI21](https://studio.ai21.com/) | $10 | 3 months |
-| [Upstage](https://console.upstage.ai/) | $10 | 3 months |
-| [NLP Cloud](https://nlpcloud.com/home) | $15 | Permanent |
-| [Alibaba DashScope](https://bailian.console.alibabacloud.com/) | 1M tokens/model | 90 days |
-| [Scaleway](https://console.scaleway.com/generative-api/models) | 1M tokens | Permanent |
-| [Modal](https://modal.com) | $5/month | Monthly |
-| [Inference.net](https://inference.net) | $1 (+ $25 on survey) | Permanent |
-| [Novita](https://novita.ai/) | $0.5 | 1 year |
-
-### 🎓 Free with Education/Developer Programs
-
-| Program | What you get |
-|---------|--------------|
-| [GitHub Student Pack](https://education.github.com/pack) | Free Copilot Pro for students (verify with .edu email) |
-| [GitHub Copilot Free](https://code.visualstudio.com/blogs/2024/12/18/free-github-copilot) | 50 chat + 2,000 completions/month in VS Code |
-| [Copilot Pro for teachers/maintainers](https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/how-tos/manage-your-account/get-free-access-to-copilot-pro) | Free Copilot Pro for open source maintainers & educators |
+> 🧹 Audit cleanup: `iFlow` was removed because it shut down on April 17, 2026. `Together AI`, `Perplexity API`, `DeepInfra`, `Replicate`, `Fireworks`, `Hyperbolic`, `Hugging Face`, `SiliconFlow`, `Chutes AI`, and `Rovo` were removed from the active free catalog because they are paid, trial-credit only, too tiny to be useful, unclear as a stable free API, or tool-specific rather than a generally usable free provider.
 
 ---
 
@@ -244,6 +163,10 @@ free-coding-models --origin nvidia --tier S
 # "I want the local web dashboard"
 free-coding-models --web
 
+# "I want one local endpoint that fails over between free models"
+free-coding-models --daemon-bg
+free-coding-models --daemon-status
+
 # "Start with an elite-focused preset, then adjust filters live"
 free-coding-models --premium
 
@@ -256,6 +179,57 @@ free-coding-models --openclaw --origin groq
 
 When launching the web dashboard, `free-coding-models` prefers `http://localhost:3333`. If that port is already used by another app, it now auto-picks the next free local port and prints the exact URL to open.
 
+### Smart Model Router
+
+The **FCM Router** is a local OpenAI-compatible daemon that keeps running after the TUI closes. Point your coding tool at one localhost endpoint and let FCM route each request to the best available model in your active set.
+
+```bash
+# Start the router in the background
+free-coding-models --daemon-bg
+
+# Check the active port, set, model count, uptime, and request totals
+free-coding-models --daemon-status
+
+# Stop it cleanly
+free-coding-models --daemon-stop
+
+# Auto-discover and live-probe models into a named set
+free-coding-models --sync-set
+free-coding-models --sync-set my-coding-set
+```
+
+Configure tools with:
+
+| Field | Value |
+|-------|-------|
+| Base URL | `http://localhost:19280/v1` |
+| Model | `fcm` |
+| API key | `fcm-local` |
+
+The daemon auto-creates a `fast-coding` set from your configured providers on first start. It stores router settings in `~/.free-coding-models.json`, writes lifecycle logs to `~/.free-coding-models-daemon.log`, and tracks token metadata in `~/.free-coding-models-tokens.json`.
+
+Router endpoints:
+
+| Endpoint | Purpose |
+|----------|---------|
+| `POST /v1/chat/completions` | Route through the active set |
+| `POST /v1/sets/:name/chat/completions` | Route through a named set |
+| `GET /v1/models` | Return virtual models (`fcm`, `fcm:set-name`) |
+| `GET /health` | Daemon status JSON |
+| `GET /stats` | Routing, health, request log, and token stats |
+| `GET /stream/events` | Live SSE events for dashboard updates |
+| `POST /daemon/probe-mode` | Set probe mode with `{ "probeMode": "eco" | "balanced" | "aggressive" }` |
+
+Routing behavior:
+
+- Priority order works immediately on cold start, then probes refine health scores over time.
+- Transient failures (`429`, `500`, `502`, `503`, timeouts) fail over to the next model.
+- Authentication problems (`401`, `403`, missing keys) are marked separately so bad credentials do not poison the circuit breaker; after one provider returns an auth error, the router skips the rest of that provider for the current request.
+- Upstream HTML maintenance pages and malformed successful JSON are treated as retryable provider failures instead of being forwarded to your coding tool.
+- Quota and rate-limit failures include retry headers in the final router `503` payload when providers expose them.
+- If a coding tool disconnects mid-request, the daemon aborts the upstream request without counting it as a provider failure.
+- Streaming requests retry before the first byte; after partial output starts, the daemon records the failure and lets the current stream finish as safely as possible.
+
 ### Tool launcher flags
 
 | Flag | Launches |
@@ -286,8 +260,8 @@ Press **`Z`** in the TUI to cycle between tools without restarting.
 **🦘 Rovo Dev CLI**
 - Provider: [Atlassian Rovo](https://www.atlassian.com/rovo)
 - Install: [Installation Guide](https://support.atlassian.com/rovo/docs/install-and-run-rovo-dev-cli-on-your-device/)
-- Free tier: 5M tokens/day (beta, requires Atlassian account)
-- Model: Claude Sonnet 4 (72.7% SWE-bench)
+- Free tier: conditional Atlassian/Rovo allowance, not a general free API provider
+- Catalog status: not included in the active free-provider table because access depends on Rovo availability for your account/site
 - Launch: `free-coding-models --rovo` or press `Z` until Rovo mode
 - Features: Jira/Confluence integration, MCP server support
 
@@ -295,7 +269,7 @@ Press **`Z`** in the TUI to cycle between tools without restarting.
 - Provider: [Google Gemini](https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli)
 - Install: `npm install -g @google/gemini-cli`
 - Free tier: 1,000 requests/day (personal Google account, no credit card)
-- Models: Gemini 3 Pro (76.2% SWE-bench), Gemini 2.5 Pro, Gemini 2.5 Flash
+- Models: Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview, Gemini 3 Flash Preview, Gemini 2.5 Pro, Gemini 2.5 Flash
 - Launch: `free-coding-models --gemini` or press `Z` until Gemini mode
 - Features: OpenAI-compatible API support, MCP server support, Google Search grounding
 
@@ -309,12 +283,12 @@ Press **`Z`** in the TUI to cycle between tools without restarting.
 |-------|------|-----------|---------|
 | Big Pickle | S+ | 72.0% | 200k |
 | MiniMax M2.5 Free | S+ | 80.2% | 200k |
-| MiMo V2 Pro Free | S+ | 78.0% | 1M |
-| MiMo V2 Omni Free | S | 64.0% | 128k |
-| MiMo V2 Flash Free | S+ | 73.4% | 256k |
-| Nemotron 3 Super Free | A+ | 52.0% | 128k |
-| GPT 5 Nano | S | 65.0% | 128k |
-| Trinity Large Preview Free | S | 62.0% | 128k |
+| Nemotron 3 Super Free | A+ | 52.0% | 1M |
+| GPT 5 Nano | S | 65.0% | 400k |
+| HY3 Preview Free | A+ | - | 128k |
+| Ling 2.6 Flash Free | S | - | 128k |
+| Trinity Large Preview Free | S | - | 128k |
+| Trinity Mini Preview Free | A | - | 128k |
 
 To use Zen models: sign up at [opencode.ai/auth](https://opencode.ai/auth) and enter your Zen API key via `P` (Settings). Zen models appear in the main table and auto-switch to OpenCode CLI on launch.
 
@@ -383,7 +357,7 @@ When a tool mode is active (via `Z`), models incompatible with that tool are hig
 
 ## ✨ Features
 
-- **Parallel pings** — all 238 models tested simultaneously via native `fetch`
+- **Parallel pings** — all ~165 API/Zen-callable models tested simultaneously via native `fetch` (~170 total cataloged models including CLI-only Gemini rows)
 - **Adaptive monitoring** — 2s burst for 60s → 10s normal → 30s idle
 - **Stability score** — composite 0–100 (p95 latency, jitter, spike rate, uptime)
 - **Smart ranking** — top 3 highlighted 🥇🥈🥉
@@ -391,6 +365,7 @@ When a tool mode is active (via `Z`), models incompatible with that tool are hig
 - **Configured-only default** — only shows providers you have keys for
 - **Keyless latency** — models ping even without an API key (show 🔑 NO KEY)
 - **Smart Recommend** — questionnaire picks the best model for your task type
+- **Smart Model Router** — local OpenAI-compatible daemon with model sets, failover, circuit breakers, health probes, and token stats
 - **⚡️ Command Palette** — `Ctrl+P` opens a searchable action launcher for filters, sorting, overlays, and quick toggles
 - **Install Endpoints** — push a full provider catalog into any tool's config (from Settings `P` or ⚡️ Command Palette)
 - **Missing tool bootstrap** — detect absent CLIs, offer one-click install, then continue the selected launch automatically
@@ -421,7 +396,7 @@ We welcome contributions — issues, PRs, new provider integrations.
 
 ## ⚖️ Model Licensing & Commercial Use
 
-**Short answer:** All 238 models allow **commercial use of generated output (including code)**. You own what the models generate for you.
+**Short answer:** The ~170 cataloged models are API/CLI-served models where generated-output ownership is generally granted by the provider/model terms. Always verify current provider terms for high-stakes commercial use.
 
 ### Output Ownership
 
@@ -431,23 +406,23 @@ For every model in this tool, **you own the generated output** — code, text, o
 
 | License | Models | Commercial Output |
 |---------|--------|:-----------------:|
-| **Apache 2.0** | Qwen3/Qwen3.5/Qwen2.5 Coder, GPT-OSS 120B/20B, Devstral Small 2, Gemma 4, MiMo V2 Flash | ✅ Unrestricted |
-| **MIT** | GLM 4.5/4.6/4.7/5, MiniMax M2.1, Devstral 2 | ✅ Unrestricted |
-| **Modified MIT** | Kimi K2/K2.5 (>100M MAU → display "Kimi K2" branding) | ✅ With attribution at scale |
+| **Apache 2.0** | Qwen3/Qwen3.5/Qwen2.5 Coder, GPT-OSS 120B/20B, Devstral 2, Gemma 4 | ✅ Unrestricted |
+| **MIT / permissive model terms** | GLM Flash, MiniMax M2.x, Devstral 2 | ✅ Provider/model terms apply |
+| **Modified MIT** | Kimi K2/K2.6 (>100M MAU → display "Kimi K2" branding) | ✅ With attribution at scale |
 | **Llama Community License** | Llama 3.3 70B, Llama 4 Scout/Maverick | ✅ Attribution required. >700M MAU → separate Meta license |
-| **DeepSeek License** | DeepSeek V3/V3.1/V3.2, R1 | ✅ Use restrictions on model (no military, no harm) — output is yours |
+| **DeepSeek License** | DeepSeek V3/V3.1/V3.2/V4 family | ✅ Use restrictions on model (no military, no harm) — output is yours |
 | **NVIDIA Nemotron License** | Nemotron Super/Ultra/Nano | ✅ Updated Mar 2026, now near-Apache 2.0 permissive |
 | **MiniMax Model License** | MiniMax M2, M2.5 | ✅ Royalty-free, non-exclusive. Prohibited uses policy applies to model |
-| **Proprietary (API)** | Claude (Rovo), Gemini (CLI), Perplexity Sonar, Mistral Large, Codestral | ✅ You own outputs per provider ToS |
-| **OpenCode Zen** | Big Pickle, MiMo V2 Pro/Flash/Omni Free, GPT 5 Nano, MiniMax M2.5 Free, Nemotron 3 Super Free | ✅ Per OpenCode Zen ToS |
+| **Proprietary / hosted API terms** | Gemini, GitHub Models, Mistral/Codestral, OpenRouter-hosted models | ✅ Provider ToS applies |
+| **OpenCode Zen** | Big Pickle, GPT 5 Nano, MiniMax M2.5 Free, Nemotron 3 Super Free, HY3/Ling/Trinity previews | ✅ Per OpenCode Zen ToS |
 
 ### Key Points
 
 1. **Generated code is yours** — no model claims ownership of your output
-2. **Apache 2.0 / MIT models** (Qwen, GLM, GPT-OSS, MiMo, Devstral Small) are the most permissive — no strings attached
+2. **Apache 2.0 / permissive model families** (Qwen, GLM Flash, GPT-OSS, Devstral, Gemma) are the lowest-friction options
 3. **Llama** requires "Built with Llama" attribution; >700M MAU needs a Meta license
 4. **DeepSeek / MiniMax** have use-restriction policies (no military use) that govern the model, not your generated code
-5. **API-served models** (Claude, Gemini, Perplexity) grant full output ownership under their terms of service
+5. **API-served models** (Gemini, GitHub Models, OpenRouter, Mistral, etc.) grant output ownership under their current terms of service
 
 > ⚠️ **Disclaimer:** This is a summary, not legal advice. License terms can change. Always verify the current license on the model's official page before making legal decisions.
 
@@ -470,6 +445,12 @@ Telemetry is enabled by default and can be disabled with any of the following:
 
 ## 🛡️ Security & Trust
 
+<p align="center">
+  <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/dependencies-1-76b900?logo=npm" alt="1 dependency">
+  <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/provenance-sigstore-blueviolet?logo=signstore" alt="npm provenance">
+  <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/supply_chain-verified-brightgreen" alt="supply chain verified">
+</p>
+
 ### Supply Chain
 
 | Signal | Status |
@@ -502,18 +483,6 @@ Telemetry is enabled by default and can be disabled with any of the following:
 
 ---
 
-## 📧 Support
-
-[GitHub Issues](https://github.com/vava-nessa/free-coding-models/issues) · [Discord](https://discord.gg/ZTNFHvvCkU)
-
----
-
-## 📄 License
-
-MIT © [vava](https://github.com/vava-nessa)
-
----
-
 ## Star History
 
 <a href="https://www.star-history.com/?repos=vava-nessa%2Ffree-coding-models&type=timeline&logscale=&legend=top-left">
@@ -526,25 +495,110 @@ MIT © [vava](https://github.com/vava-nessa)
 
 
 
-<p align="center">
-  <strong>Contributors</strong><br>
-  <a href="https://github.com/vava-nessa"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/5466264?v=4&s=60" width="60" height="60" style="border-radius:50%" alt="vava-nessa"></a>
-  <a href="https://github.com/erwinh22"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/6641858?v=4&s=60" width="60" height="60" style="border-radius:50%" alt="erwinh22"></a>
-  <a href="https://github.com/whit3rabbit"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/12357518?v=4&s=60" width="60" height="60" style="border-radius:50%" alt="whit3rabbit"></a>
-  <a href="https://github.com/skylaweber"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/172871734?v=4&s=60" width="60" height="60" style="border-radius:50%" alt="skylaweber"></a>
-  <a href="https://github.com/PhucTruong-ctrl"><img src="https://github.com/PhucTruong-ctrl.png?s=60" width="60" height="60" style="border-radius:50%" alt="PhucTruong-ctrl"></a>
-  <br>
-  <sub>
-    <a href="https://github.com/vava-nessa">vava-nessa</a> &middot;
-    <a href="https://github.com/erwinh22">erwinh22</a> &middot;
-    <a href="https://github.com/whit3rabbit">whit3rabbit</a> &middot;
-    <a href="https://github.com/skylaweber">skylaweber</a> &middot;
-    <a href="https://github.com/PhucTruong-ctrl">PhucTruong-ctrl</a>
-  </sub>
-</p>
+## Special thanks to contributors
+
+<table align="center">
+  <tr>
+    <td align="center" width="120"><a href="https://github.com/vava-nessa"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/5466264?v=4&s=80" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:50%" alt="vava-nessa"></a></td>
+    <td align="center" width="120"><a href="https://github.com/erwinh22"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/6641858?v=4&s=80" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:50%" alt="erwinh22"></a></td>
+    <td align="center" width="120"><a href="https://github.com/whit3rabbit"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/12357518?v=4&s=80" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:50%" alt="whit3rabbit"></a></td>
+    <td align="center" width="120"><a href="https://github.com/skylaweber"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/172871734?v=4&s=80" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:50%" alt="skylaweber"></a></td>
+    <td align="center" width="120"><a href="https://github.com/PhucTruong-ctrl"><img src="https://github.com/PhucTruong-ctrl.png?s=80" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:50%" alt="PhucTruong-ctrl"></a></td>
+    <td align="center" width="120"><a href="https://github.com/chindris-mihai-alexandru"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/12643176?v=4&s=80" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:50%" alt="chindris-mihai-alexandru"></a></td>
+    <td align="center" width="120"><a href="https://github.com/serajbaltu"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/90699173?v=4&s=80" width="80" height="80" style="border-radius:50%" alt="serajbaltu"></a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td align="center"><a href="https://github.com/vava-nessa"><sub><b>vava-nessa</b></sub></a></td>
+    <td align="center"><a href="https://github.com/erwinh22"><sub><b>erwinh22</b></sub></a></td>
+    <td align="center"><a href="https://github.com/whit3rabbit"><sub><b>whit3rabbit</b></sub></a></td>
+    <td align="center"><a href="https://github.com/skylaweber"><sub><b>skylaweber</b></sub></a></td>
+    <td align="center"><a href="https://github.com/PhucTruong-ctrl"><sub><b>PhucTruong-ctrl</b></sub></a></td>
+    <td align="center"><a href="https://github.com/chindris-mihai-alexandru"><sub><b>chindris-mihai-alexandru</b></sub></a></td>
+    <td align="center"><a href="https://github.com/serajbaltu"><sub><b>serajbaltu</b></sub></a></td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+
+---
 
+## 🆓 Other Free AI Resources
 
+**Curated resources outside the active CLI catalog** — IDE extensions, coding agents, GitHub lists, and providers that are useful but not clean enough for the core free-provider table.
 
-<p align="center">
-  <sub>Anonymous usage data collected to improve the tool. No personal information ever.</sub>
-</p>
+### 📚 Awesome Lists (curated by the community)
+
+| Resource | What it is |
+|----------|------------|
+| [cheahjs/free-llm-api-resources](https://github.com/cheahjs/free-llm-api-resources) (18.4k ⭐) | Comprehensive list of free LLM API providers with rate limits |
+| [mnfst/awesome-free-llm-apis](https://github.com/mnfst/awesome-free-llm-apis) (2.1k ⭐) | Permanent free LLM API tiers organized by provider |
+| [inmve/free-ai-coding](https://github.com/inmve/free-ai-coding) (648 ⭐) | Pro-grade AI coding tools side-by-side — limits, models, CC requirements |
+| [amardeeplakshkar/awesome-free-llm-apis](https://github.com/amardeeplakshkar/awesome-free-llm-apis) | Additional free LLM API resources |
+
+### 🖥️ AI-Powered IDEs with Free Tiers
+
+| IDE | Free tier | Credit card |
+|-----|-----------|-------------|
+| [Qwen Code](https://github.com/QwenLM/qwen-code) | 2,000 requests/day | No |
+| [Rovo Dev CLI](https://www.atlassian.com/rovo) | Conditional Atlassian/Rovo allowance | No |
+| [Gemini CLI](https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli) | 1,000 requests/day | No |
+| [Jules](https://jules.google/) | 15 tasks/day | No |
+| [AWS Kiro](https://kiro.dev/) | 50 credits/month | No |
+| [Trae](https://trae.ai/) | 10 fast + 50 slow requests/month | No |
+| [Codeium](https://codeium.com/) | Unlimited forever, basic models | No |
+| [JetBrains AI Assistant](https://www.jetbrains.com/ai/) | Unlimited completions + local models | No |
+| [Continue.dev](https://www.continue.dev/) | Free VS Code/JetBrains extension, local models via Ollama | No |
+| [Warp](https://warp.dev/) | 150 credits/month (first 2 months), then 75/month | No |
+| [Amazon Q Developer](https://aws.amazon.com/q/developer/) | 50 agentic requests/month | Required |
+| [Windsurf](https://windsurf.com/) | 25 prompt credits/month | Required |
+| [Kilo Code](https://kilocode.ai/) | Up to $25 signup credits (one-time) | Required |
+| [Tabnine](https://www.tabnine.com/) | Basic completions + chat (limited) | Required |
+| [SuperMaven](https://supermaven.com/) | Basic suggestions, 1M token context | Required |
+
+### 🔑 API Providers with Permanent Free Tiers
+
+| Provider | Free limits | Notable models |
+|----------|-------------|----------------|
+| [OpenRouter](https://openrouter.ai/keys) | 50 req/day, 1K/day with $10 purchase | Qwen3-Coder, Tencent HY3, Laguna, Gemma 4 |
+| [Google AI Studio](https://aistudio.google.com/apikey) | Varies by Gemini model and region | Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview, Gemini 2.5 Flash |
+| [NVIDIA NIM](https://build.nvidia.com) | ~40 RPM | MiniMax M2.7, GLM 5.1, Kimi K2.6 |
+| [GitHub Models](https://models.github.ai) | Depends on GitHub/Copilot tier | GPT-4.1, DeepSeek V3, Llama 4 |
+| [Groq](https://console.groq.com/keys) | 1K–14.4K req/day (model-dependent) | Llama 3.3 70B, Llama 4 Scout, GPT-OSS |
+| [Cerebras](https://cloud.cerebras.ai/) | 30 RPM, 1M tokens/day | Qwen3-235B, Llama 3.1 70B, GPT-OSS 120B |
+| [Cohere](https://cohere.com/) | 20 RPM, 1K/month | Command R+, Aya Expanse 32B |
+| [Mistral La Plateforme](https://console.mistral.ai/) | 1 req/s, 1B tokens/month | Mistral Large, Devstral, Magistral |
+| [Cloudflare Workers AI](https://dash.cloudflare.com) | 10K neurons/day | Llama 3.3 70B, QwQ 32B, 47+ models |
+| [OVHcloud AI Endpoints](https://endpoints.ai.cloud.ovh.net) | 2 req/min/IP sandbox | GPT-OSS, Qwen3, Mistral |
+
+### 🧪 Good Candidates Kept Outside the Core Catalog
+
+| Provider | Why it is not core |
+|----------|--------------------|
+| [Vercel AI Gateway](https://vercel.com/docs/ai-gateway) | Useful gateway with included credits, but it is a router/billing layer, not a provider of permanently free models. |
+| [Cohere](https://cohere.com/) | Real evaluation key, but the allowance is small and the catalog is not coding-first enough for the default TUI. |
+| [Ollama Cloud](https://ollama.com/pricing) | Interesting for light cloud usage, but it is closer to hosted Ollama capacity than a classic OpenAI-compatible free provider. |
+
+### 💰 Providers with Trial Credits
+
+| Provider | Credits | Duration |
+|----------|---------|----------|
+| [Hyperbolic](https://app.hyperbolic.ai/) | $1 | Trial/promo |
+| [Fireworks](https://fireworks.ai/) | $1 | Trial/promo |
+| [Nebius](https://tokenfactory.nebius.com/) | $1 | Permanent |
+| [SambaNova Cloud](https://cloud.sambanova.ai/) | $5 | 3 months |
+| [AI21](https://studio.ai21.com/) | $10 | 3 months |
+| [Upstage](https://console.upstage.ai/) | $10 | 3 months |
+| [NLP Cloud](https://nlpcloud.com/home) | $15 | Permanent |
+| [Alibaba DashScope](https://bailian.console.alibabacloud.com/) | 1M tokens/model | 90 days |
+| [Scaleway](https://console.scaleway.com/generative-api/models) | 1M tokens | Permanent |
+| [Modal](https://modal.com) | $5/month | Monthly |
+| [Inference.net](https://inference.net) | $1 (+ $25 on survey) | Permanent |
+| [Novita](https://novita.ai/) | $0.5 | 1 year |
+
+These trial-credit providers are deliberately not treated as core providers unless their free allowance is practical for recurring coding use. A $0.10/month or $1 one-time credit is useful for experimentation, not for this CLI's default promise.
+
+### 🎓 Free with Education/Developer Programs
+
+| Program | What you get |
+|---------|--------------|
+| [GitHub Student Pack](https://education.github.com/pack) | Free Copilot Pro for students (verify with .edu email) |
+| [GitHub Copilot Free](https://code.visualstudio.com/blogs/2024/12/18/free-github-copilot) | 50 chat + 2,000 completions/month in VS Code |
+| [Copilot Pro for teachers/maintainers](https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/how-tos/manage-your-account/get-free-access-to-copilot-pro) | Free Copilot Pro for open source maintainers & educators |

package/bin/free-coding-models.js

@@ -4,6 +4,11 @@
  * @description Live terminal availability checker for coding LLM models with OpenCode & OpenClaw integration.
  */
 
+// 📖 --dev mode: must set FCM_DEV before any module imports resolve daemon paths
+if (process.argv.includes('--dev')) {
+  process.env.FCM_DEV = '1'
+}
+
 import chalk from 'chalk';
 import { parseArgs, TIER_LETTER_MAP } from '../src/utils.js';
 import { loadConfig } from '../src/config.js';
@@ -15,6 +20,10 @@ import { runApp } from '../src/app.js';
 
 // Global error handlers to ensure terminal is restored if something crashes catastrophically
 process.on('uncaughtException', (err) => {
+  if (process.argv.some(arg => arg === '--daemon')) {
+    console.error(err);
+    return;
+  }
   process.stdout.write(ALT_LEAVE);
   console.error(chalk.red('\n[Fatal Error] An unhandled exception occurred.'));
   console.error(err);
@@ -23,6 +32,10 @@ process.on('uncaughtException', (err) => {
 });
 
 process.on('unhandledRejection', (reason, promise) => {
+  if (process.argv.some(arg => arg === '--daemon')) {
+    console.error(reason);
+    return;
+  }
   process.stdout.write(ALT_LEAVE);
   console.error(chalk.red('\n[Fatal Error] An unhandled promise rejection occurred.'));
   console.error(reason);
@@ -40,6 +53,39 @@ async function main() {
     process.exit(0);
   }
 
+  // 📖 Router daemon lifecycle flags run before the TUI so automation and
+  // 📖 editor integrations can manage the local OpenAI-compatible endpoint.
+  if (cliArgs.daemonMode || cliArgs.daemonBackgroundMode || cliArgs.daemonStopMode || cliArgs.daemonStatusMode) {
+    const {
+      getRouterDaemonStatus,
+      runRouterDaemon,
+      startRouterDaemonBackground,
+      stopRouterDaemon,
+    } = await import('../src/router-daemon.js');
+
+    if (cliArgs.daemonMode) {
+      await runRouterDaemon();
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const result = cliArgs.daemonBackgroundMode
+      ? await startRouterDaemonBackground()
+      : cliArgs.daemonStopMode
+        ? await stopRouterDaemon()
+        : await getRouterDaemonStatus();
+
+    console.log(JSON.stringify(result, null, 2));
+    process.exit(result.ok ? 0 : 1);
+  }
+
+  // 📖 --sync-set [name] — auto-discover, probe, and populate a router set
+  if (cliArgs.syncSetMode) {
+    const { syncSet } = await import('../src/sync-set.js');
+    const result = await syncSet({ name: cliArgs.syncSetName || 'auto' });
+    console.log(JSON.stringify(result, null, 2));
+    process.exit(result.ok ? 0 : 1);
+  }
+
   // Validate --tier early, before entering alternate screen
   if (cliArgs.tierFilter && !TIER_LETTER_MAP[cliArgs.tierFilter]) {
     console.error(chalk.red(`  Unknown tier "${cliArgs.tierFilter}". Valid tiers: S, A, B, C`));

package/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "free-coding-models",
-  "version": "0.3.55",
+  "version": "0.3.57",
   "description": "Find the fastest coding LLM models in seconds — ping free models from multiple providers, pick the best one for OpenCode, Cursor, or any AI coding assistant.",
   "keywords": [
     "nvidia",
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@
   "dependencies": {
     "chalk": "^5.6.2"
   },
-  "packageManager": "pnpm@10.24.0",
+  "packageManager": "pnpm@10.33.2",
   "engines": {
     "node": ">=18.0.0"
   },