Run Gemma 4 31B Inside Claude Code for Free — No GPU, No 20GB Download (Ollama Cloud)
The Problem with Running Gemma 4 Locally
Gemma 4 31B is a capable model. But running it locally means a 20GB download, and then it either runs slowly or not at all without a decent GPU. Trying to connect it to Claude Code adds another layer of friction.
Ollama Cloud solves both problems. The model runs on Ollama's servers — your machine just connects to it. No download. No GPU requirement. And with one command, Claude Code uses it as its model directly.
Setup: Two Steps
Step 1: Install Ollama
If you don't have Ollama installed:
curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | shOr download from ollama.com/download.
Step 2: One Command — Launch Claude Code with Gemma 4
ollama launch claude --model gemma4This pulls a small routing file (not 20GB), authenticates with Ollama Cloud on first run, and opens Claude Code with Gemma 4 31B as the active model. The actual model computation happens on Ollama's servers.
On first use, it redirects you to Ollama's login page to authorize access to cloud models. After that, it's instant.
What It Can Actually Do — Two Real Demos
Demo 1: Build a Python Terminal Dashboard from Scratch
This prompt tests the full agent loop — not just code generation, but creating a file, running it, and checking the result:
Create a Python script called dashboard.py that:
1. Generates sample SaaS metrics data (Monthly Revenue, Active Users, New Signups, Churn Rate)
2. Prints a formatted terminal dashboard showing:
- 4 metric cards with numbers and trend arrows (↑ or ↓)
- A simple ASCII bar chart for monthly revenue (6 months of data)
- A table of 5 recent transactions with Name, Plan, Amount, and Status columns
3. Use only Python standard library — no pip installs needed
Make the output visually clean with proper spacing and alignment. Run it after creating it.Claude Code writes dashboard.py, runs it, and verifies the output. Metric cards with trend arrows, a revenue bar chart, a transactions table — all from one prompt. This is the key difference between a coding agent and a chatbot: it creates the file, executes it, and reads the result.
Demo 2: Debug a Script with 3 Bugs
This tests whether the model can find non-obvious issues — not just syntax errors. The buggy script had:
=instead of==in a list comprehension filter — syntax error, stops immediatelydatetime.datetime.nowmissing parentheses — subtle, easy to miss, crashes at runtimeuser[email]instead ofuser["email"]— missing quotes, runtime crash
Gemma 4 found all three, explained what each one does, fixed them, and ran the corrected script to confirm the output was right.
What You Need to Know About the Free Tier
Ollama's free tier is measured in GPU time, not tokens. A coding session like the two demos above uses a small fraction of the allocation. The usage resets periodically — you can check your dashboard on the Ollama website.
If you're using it heavily every day, $20/month gets you significantly more headroom. But the free tier is real and usable — it's not a trial that expires in 24 hours.
One Current Limitation
Gemma 4 on Ollama Cloud has a bug with HTML generation specifically — it produces corrupted output with doubled tags. For Python, shell scripts, JSON, configuration files — no issues. Just something to know if you plan to use it for web templating.
Why This Works When Other Free Options Don't
Most attempts to run Claude Code for free (OpenRouter, other API proxies) hit the same wall: tool calling. The Claude Code agent loop requires the model to call tools — create files, run commands, read output, loop back. Most free models either don't support function calling or implement it in a way that breaks the loop.
Gemma 4 31B has native function calling support. That's why both demos worked end to end. Without it, you get a code generator. With it, you get an agent.
The Command Again
ollama launch claude --model gemma4No GPU. No 20GB download. No configuration files. No subscription required to start.
Install Ollama: ollama.com/download