- Joined
- Jun 28, 2024
- Messages
- 121
Hey everyone,
I've been seeing a lot of discussion about the costs of running personal AI agents. While some models can be expensive, I've managed to set up OpenClaw to run for virtually $0 using a few clever tricks.
Here are the three main ways to achieve this:
1. GitHub Copilot Integration: If you already have a Copilot Pro subscription ($10/mo), you can route OpenClaw through the Copilot API. Currently, using models like
2. NVIDIA NIM: NVIDIA offers free developer credits for their Inference Microservices. You can get high-speed access to models like Llama 3 or Mistral without paying a dime until your credits run out.
3. Local Models (Ollama): If you have a decent machine (like an M1/M2 Mac), running models locally via Ollama is the ultimate $0 path (minus electricity). OpenClaw supports Ollama out of the box.
Automating my monitoring and research with this setup has been a game-changer for my ROI.
Curious to know—what are you guys currently paying for your AI API usage, and have you tried any
I've been seeing a lot of discussion about the costs of running personal AI agents. While some models can be expensive, I've managed to set up OpenClaw to run for virtually $0 using a few clever tricks.
Here are the three main ways to achieve this:
1. GitHub Copilot Integration: If you already have a Copilot Pro subscription ($10/mo), you can route OpenClaw through the Copilot API. Currently, using models like
gpt-5-mini or grok-code-fast-1 often results in zero additional usage credits being consumed.2. NVIDIA NIM: NVIDIA offers free developer credits for their Inference Microservices. You can get high-speed access to models like Llama 3 or Mistral without paying a dime until your credits run out.
3. Local Models (Ollama): If you have a decent machine (like an M1/M2 Mac), running models locally via Ollama is the ultimate $0 path (minus electricity). OpenClaw supports Ollama out of the box.
Automating my monitoring and research with this setup has been a game-changer for my ROI.
Curious to know—what are you guys currently paying for your AI API usage, and have you tried any


