A zero-dependency server that impersonates the Anthropic API in front of your local Ollama — so Claude Code runs free on your own hardware, with a live dashboard and a menu bar app to run the show.
What's in the box
Everything is plain Node and native apps — no frameworks, no npm install, nothing to babysit.
Free local Claude Code
Point Claude Code at FauxClaude and it runs against your Ollama model — streaming, tool use, token counting, the whole Messages API surface. Your claude.ai login and paid sessions stay untouched.
Menu bar & system tray apps
A SwiftUI menu bar llama on macOS and a WinForms tray app on Windows. Start, stop, flip modes, open the dashboard, or launch a wired-up Claude Code terminal in one click.
Live dashboard
Every request streams onto a live table — status, model routing, token counts, duration. Click a row for the full message and response.
"Saved at Claude API rates"
An all-time counter prices your local traffic at real API rates, per requested model. Watch the dollars you didn't spend pile up.
Mock mode for load testing
No Ollama? No problem. Mock mode streams deterministic responses with configurable pacing — perfect for hammering a Claude frontend with zero token cost.
Model routing
Map Claude model tiers to different local models — Opus requests to your big coder, Haiku requests to a 3B. Pull or delete Ollama models any time; no restart needed.
Quick start
Three moves on a Mac. Windows works the same via the tray app.
- Install the prerequisites — Node 18+, the Ollama app (runs in the background), and Claude Code.
- Pull a model that can drive tools — qwen2.5-coder:14b is a great start.
- Launch FauxClaude.app and click Run Claude Code in Terminal.
# get it git clone https://github.com/garthvh/fauxclaude && cd fauxclaude # install Ollama as a background app, then a model with tool support brew install --cask ollama && open -a Ollama ollama pull qwen2.5-coder:14b # build the mac app once, then launch it from the menu bar forever ./mac-app/build-app.sh && open FauxClaude.app # or skip the app and go manual node server.mjs & ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=http://127.0.0.1:11435 claude