Skill: Free Ride - Unlimited free AI

Owner: Shaivpidadi

Summary: Manages free AI models from OpenRouter for OpenClaw. Automatically ranks models by quality, configures fallbacks for rate-limit handling, and updates opencla...

Tags: latest:1.0.4

Version history:

v1.0.4 | 2026-02-18T15:46:40.089Z | user

• Added Python packaging support with a new setup.py file to enable installation via pip.
• Updated documentation in SKILL.md for clearer, step-by-step installation and usage instructions.
• Expanded troubleshooting section and clarified prerequisites for smoother user onboarding.
• Added new watcher command documentation for advanced auto-rotation features.

v1.0.3 | 2026-02-14T18:55:41.291Z | user

• Added installation instructions for FreeRide using npx clawhub.
• No other changes detected to functionality, commands, or flags.
• Documentation now helps users install the skill more easily if it's missing.

v1.0.2 | 2026-02-05T17:53:58.059Z | user

• Initial release of the FreeRide skill for OpenClaw.
• Automatically ranks and configures free OpenRouter AI models by quality.
• Sets up automatic fallback handling for rate limits, including the OpenRouter smart router.
• Updates only the model configuration in openclaw.json, preserving other user settings.
• Includes commands for listing models, auto-configuration, switching models, updating fallbacks, checking status, and refreshing the model cache.

v1.0.0 | 2026-02-05T17:42:17.350Z | user

Initial release of FreeRide, a tool to manage free AI models for OpenClaw via OpenRouter.

• Automatically ranks and configures the best free AI models with fallback options to handle rate limits.
• Supports listing available models, auto-configuring with best-ranked and fallback models, and switching models as needed.
• Preserves non-model sections of OpenClaw configuration during updates.
• Uses a quality-based ranking system factoring in context length, capabilities, recency, and provider trust.
• Provides clear commands for refreshing model data, checking status, and troubleshooting setup issues.

Archive index:

Archive v1.0.4: 8 files, 16727 bytes

Files: main.py (26586b), README.md (8052b), requirements.txt (16b), setup.py (674b), skill.json (1074b), SKILL.md (3614b), watcher.py (11711b), _meta.json (128b)

File v1.0.4:SKILL.md

---

name: freeride description: Manages free AI models from OpenRouter for OpenClaw. Automatically ranks models by quality, configures fallbacks for rate-limit handling, and updates openclaw.json. Use when the user mentions free AI, OpenRouter, model switching, rate limits, or wants to reduce AI costs.

FreeRide - Free AI for OpenClaw

What This Skill Does

Configures OpenClaw to use free AI models from OpenRouter. Sets the best free model as primary, adds ranked fallbacks so rate limits don't interrupt the user, and preserves existing config.

Prerequisites

Before running any FreeRide command, ensure:

1. OPENROUTER_API_KEY is set. Check with echo $OPENROUTER_API_KEY. If empty, the user must get a free key at https://openrouter.ai/keys and set it:

   export OPENROUTER_API_KEY="sk-or-v1-..."
   # Or persist it:
   openclaw config set env.OPENROUTER_API_KEY "sk-or-v1-..."
   

2. The freeride CLI is installed. Check with which freeride. If not found:

   cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/free-ride
   pip install -e .
   

Primary Workflow

When the user wants free AI, run these steps in order:

# Step 1: Configure best free model + fallbacks
freeride auto

# Step 2: Restart gateway so OpenClaw picks up the changes
openclaw gateway restart

That's it. The user now has free AI with automatic fallback switching.

Verify by telling the user to send /status to check the active model.

Commands Reference

| Command | When to use it | |---------|----------------| | freeride auto | User wants free AI set up (most common) | | freeride auto -f | User wants fallbacks but wants to keep their current primary model | | freeride auto -c 10 | User wants more fallbacks (default is 5) | | freeride list | User wants to see available free models | | freeride list -n 30 | User wants to see all free models | | freeride switch <model> | User wants a specific model (e.g. freeride switch qwen3-coder) | | freeride switch <model> -f | Add specific model as fallback only | | freeride status | Check current FreeRide configuration | | freeride fallbacks | Update only the fallback models | | freeride refresh | Force refresh the cached model list |

After any command that changes config, always run openclaw gateway restart.

What It Writes to Config

FreeRide updates only these keys in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:

• agents.defaults.model.primary — e.g. openrouter/qwen/qwen3-coder:free
• agents.defaults.model.fallbacks — e.g. ["openrouter/free", "nvidia/nemotron:free", ...]
• agents.defaults.models — allowlist so /model command shows the free models

Everything else (gateway, channels, plugins, env, customInstructions, named agents) is preserved.

The first fallback is always openrouter/free — OpenRouter's smart router that auto-picks the best available model based on the request.

Watcher (Optional)

For auto-rotation when rate limited, the user can run:

freeride-watcher --daemon    # Continuous monitoring
freeride-watcher --rotate    # Force rotate now
freeride-watcher --status    # Check rotation history

Troubleshooting

| Problem | Fix | |---------|-----| | freeride: command not found | cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/free-ride && pip install -e . | | OPENROUTER_API_KEY not set | User needs a key from https://openrouter.ai/keys | | Changes not taking effect | openclaw gateway restart then /new for fresh session | | Agent shows 0 tokens | Check freeride status — primary should be openrouter/<provider>/<model>:free |

File v1.0.4:README.md

🎢 FreeRide

Stop paying for AI. Start riding free.

---

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*

The Problem

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

The Solution

One command. Free AI. Forever.

freeride auto

That's it. FreeRide:

1. Finds the 30+ free models on OpenRouter
2. Ranks them by quality (context length, capabilities, speed)
3. Sets the best one as your primary
4. Configures smart fallbacks for when you hit rate limits
5. Preserves your existing OpenClaw config

Installation

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.

Quick Start

1. Get a Free OpenRouter Key

Go to openrouter.ai/keys → Create account → Generate key

No credit card. No trial. Actually free.

2. Set Your Key

export OPENROUTER_API_KEY="sk-or-v1-..."

Or add it to your OpenClaw config:

openclaw config set env.OPENROUTER_API_KEY "sk-or-v1-..."

3. Run FreeRide

freeride auto

4. Restart OpenClaw

openclaw gateway restart

5. Verify It Works

Message 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.

What You Get

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.

Commands

| 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 |

Pro Tips

# 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 restart

How It Ranks Models

FreeRide 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.

Testing with Your OpenClaw Agent

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/Discord

Useful 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 |

Watcher (Auto-Rotation)

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-cooldowns

FAQ

Is 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.

The Math

| Scenario | Monthly Cost | |----------|--------------| | GPT-4 API | $50-200+ | | Claude API | $50-200+ | | OpenClaw + FreeRide | $0 |

You're welcome.

Requirements

• OpenClaw installed (Node ≥22)
• Python 3.8+
• Free OpenRouter account (get key)

Architecture

┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────────────┐
│  You         │ ──→ │  FreeRide    │ ──→ │  OpenRouter API  │
│  "freeride   │     │              │     │  (30+ free       │
│   auto"      │     │  • Fetch     │     │   models)        │
└──────────────┘     │  • Rank      │     └──────────────────┘
                     │  • Configure │
                     └──────┬───────┘
                            │
                            ▼
                     ┌──────────────┐
                     │ ~/.openclaw/ │
                     │ openclaw.json│
                     └──────┬───────┘
                            │
                     openclaw gateway restart
                            │
                            ▼
                     ┌──────────────┐
                     │  OpenClaw    │
                     │  (free AI!)  │
                     └──────────────┘

Contributing

Found a bug? Want a feature? PRs welcome.

cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/free-ride

# Test commands
freeride list
freeride status
freeride auto --help

Related Projects

• OpenClaw - The AI coding agent
• OpenRouter - The model router
• ClawHub - Skill marketplace

License

MIT - Do whatever you want.

---

<p align="center"> <b>Stop paying. Start riding.</b> <br> <br> <a href="https://github.com/Shaivpidadi/FreeRide">⭐ Star us on GitHub</a> · <a href="https://openrouter.ai/keys">🔑 Get OpenRouter Key</a> · <a href="https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw">🦞 Install OpenClaw</a> </p>

File v1.0.4:_meta.json

{ "ownerId": "kn7eepf540q01kxs5gzwnvsp5s80hhje", "slug": "free-ride", "version": "1.0.4", "publishedAt": 1771429600089 }

File v1.0.4:skill.json

{ "name": "freeride", "displayName": "FreeRide - Free AI for OpenClaw", "version": "1.0.1", "description": "Unlimited free AI access for OpenClaw via OpenRouter's free models with automatic fallback switching", "author": "Shaishav Pidadi", "repository": "https://github.com/Shaivpidadi/FreeRide", "license": "MIT", "commands": [ "list", "switch", "auto", "status", "refresh", "fallbacks" ], "binaries": { "freeride": "main:main", "freeride-watcher": "watcher:main" }, "dependencies": { "requests": ">=2.31.0" }, "config": { "OPENROUTER_API_KEY": { "description": "Your OpenRouter API key (get free at openrouter.ai/keys)", "required": true, "env": true } }, "openclaw": { "compatible": true, "minVersion": "1.0.0", "configPath": "~/.openclaw/openclaw.json", "configKeys": [ "agents.defaults.model", "agents.defaults.models" ] }, "install": "npx clawhub@latest install freeride && cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/free-ride && pip install -e ." }

File v1.0.4:requirements.txt

requests>=2.31.0

Archive v1.0.3: 7 files, 14940 bytes

Files: main.py (26229b), README.md (6231b), requirements.txt (17b), skill.json (719b), SKILL.md (3088b), watcher.py (10519b), _meta.json (128b)

File v1.0.3:SKILL.md

---

name: freeride description: Manages free AI models from OpenRouter for OpenClaw. Automatically ranks models by quality, configures fallbacks for rate-limit handling, and updates openclaw.json. Use when the user mentions free AI, OpenRouter, model switching, rate limits, or wants to reduce AI costs.

FreeRide - Free AI for OpenClaw

Configures OpenClaw to use free AI models from OpenRouter with automatic fallback switching.

Installation

If FreeRide is not installed, install it automatically:

npx clawhub@latest install freeride

Quick Start

# Set API key (free at openrouter.ai/keys)
export OPENROUTER_API_KEY="sk-or-v1-..."

# Auto-configure best model + fallbacks
freeride auto

Commands

list - View available models

freeride list              # Top 15 models
freeride list -n 30        # More models
freeride list --refresh    # Force API refresh

auto - Auto-configure

freeride auto              # Best model + 5 fallbacks
freeride auto -f           # Fallbacks only (keep current primary)
freeride auto -c 10        # 10 fallbacks
freeride auto --setup-auth # Also configure auth profile

switch - Set specific model

freeride switch qwen3-coder         # Set as primary
freeride switch deepseek -f         # Add to fallbacks only
freeride switch nvidia/nemotron --no-fallbacks

status - Check configuration

freeride status

fallbacks - Update fallbacks only

freeride fallbacks         # 5 fallbacks
freeride fallbacks -c 10   # 10 fallbacks

refresh - Update model cache

freeride refresh

Behavior

Primary model: Best specific model (not router) for consistent responses.

First fallback: Always openrouter/free - OpenRouter's smart router that auto-selects based on request features (vision, tools, etc.).

Additional fallbacks: Ranked by quality score.

Config preservation: Only updates model-related sections; preserves gateway, channels, plugins, etc.

Model Ranking

Score (0-1) based on:

• Context length (40%)
• Capabilities (30%)
• Recency (20%)
• Provider trust (10%)

Flags

| Flag | Commands | Description | |------|----------|-------------| | -f | switch, auto | Fallback only, keep primary | | -c N | auto, fallbacks | Number of fallbacks | | --no-fallbacks | switch | Skip fallback configuration | | --setup-auth | switch, auto | Add OpenRouter auth profile | | -n N | list | Models to display | | -r | list | Force refresh |

Config Output

Updates ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:

{
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "model": {
        "primary": "openrouter/qwen/qwen3-coder:free",
        "fallbacks": [
          "openrouter/free:free",
          "nvidia/nemotron-3-nano-30b-a3b:free"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Troubleshooting

"OPENROUTER_API_KEY not set": Export the key or add to shell profile.

Config not updating: Check file permissions on ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json.

Changes not taking effect: Restart OpenClaw.

File v1.0.3:README.md

🎢 FreeRide

Stop paying for AI. Start riding free.

---

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*

The Problem

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

Installation

npx clawhub@latest install free-ride

Or clone manually:

git clone https://github.com/Shaivpidadi/FreeRide.git
cd FreeRide
pip install -r requirements.txt

The Solution

One command. Free AI. Forever.

freeride auto

That's it. FreeRide:

1. Finds the 30+ free models on OpenRouter
2. Ranks them by quality (context length, capabilities, speed)
3. Sets the best one as your primary
4. Configures smart fallbacks for when you hit rate limits
5. Preserves your existing OpenClaw config

Quick Start

1. Get a Free OpenRouter Key

Go to openrouter.ai/keys → Create account → Generate key

No credit card. No trial. Actually free.

2. Set Your Key

export OPENROUTER_API_KEY="sk-or-v1-..."

3. Run FreeRide

freeride auto

4. Restart OpenClaw

Done. You're now running on free AI with automatic fallbacks.

What You Get

Primary Model: 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.

Commands

| 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 |

Pro Tips

# 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

How It Ranks Models

FreeRide 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.

FAQ

Is 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 the model settings. Your gateway, channels, plugins, workspace - all preserved.

Which models are free?

Run freeride list to see current availability. It changes, which is why FreeRide exists.

The Math

| Scenario | Monthly Cost | |----------|--------------| | GPT-4 API | $50-200+ | | Claude API | $50-200+ | | OpenClaw + FreeRide | $0 |

You're welcome.

Requirements

• OpenClaw installed
• Python 3.8+
• requests library (pip install requests)
• Free OpenRouter account

Architecture

┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────────────┐
│  You         │ ──→ │  FreeRide    │ ──→ │  OpenRouter API  │
│  "freeride   │     │              │     │  (30+ free       │
│   auto"      │     │  • Fetch     │     │   models)        │
└──────────────┘     │  • Rank      │     └──────────────────┘
                     │  • Configure │
                     └──────┬───────┘
                            │
                            ▼
                     ┌──────────────┐
                     │ ~/.openclaw/ │
                     │ openclaw.json│
                     └──────┬───────┘
                            │
                            ▼
                     ┌──────────────┐
                     │  OpenClaw    │
                     │  (free AI!)  │
                     └──────────────┘

Contributing

Found a bug? Want a feature? PRs welcome.

# Run tests
python main.py list
python main.py status
python main.py auto --help

Related Projects

• OpenClaw - The AI coding agent
• OpenRouter - The model router
• ClaHub - Skill marketplace

License

MIT - Do whatever you want.

---

<p align="center"> <b>Stop paying. Start riding.</b> <br> <br> <a href="https://github.com/Shaivpidadi/FreeRide">⭐ Star us on GitHub</a> · <a href="https://openrouter.ai/keys">🔑 Get OpenRouter Key</a> · <a href="https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw">🦞 Install OpenClaw</a> </p>

File v1.0.3:_meta.json

{ "ownerId": "kn7eepf540q01kxs5gzwnvsp5s80hhje", "slug": "free-ride", "version": "1.0.3", "publishedAt": 1771095341291 }

File v1.0.3:skill.json

{ "name": "freeride", "displayName": "FreeRide - Free AI for OpenClaw", "version": "1.0.0", "description": "Unlimited free AI access for OpenClaw via OpenRouter's free models with automatic fallback switching", "author": "OpenClaw Community", "license": "MIT", "commands": [ "list", "switch", "auto", "status", "refresh", "fallbacks" ], "dependencies": { "requests": ">=2.31.0" }, "config": { "OPENROUTER_API_KEY": { "description": "Your OpenRouter API key (get free at openrouter.ai)", "required": true, "env": true } }, "openclaw": { "compatible": true, "minVersion": "1.0.0", "configPath": "~/.openclaw/openclaw.json" } }

File v1.0.3:requirements.txt

requests>=2.31.0