Exploring AI Coding Tools

I wanted to experiment with AI-assisted coding without immediately committing to a paid API subscription.

Today, I set up Claude Code, connected it to a GitHub project, and configured NVIDIA NIM as the model provider.

The Setup

I installed the coding environment, opened a project, and selected the Nemotron 3 Ultra model through NVIDIA NIM.

The goal was to get a working coding assistant that could inspect my project and help with development tasks.

What I'm Testing

The setup is not fully verified yet. Although the API key is configured and the model is selected, I still need to confirm that an actual coding request works successfully.

My first test will be simple: ask the agent to explain the project's structure without modifying any files.

What I Learned

Configuring an AI coding workflow involves more than installing a tool. The provider, API key, model availability, and compatibility between components all need to work together.

I'm exploring this setup to understand what's possible with free, rate-limited AI access before relying on it for real development work.

This is the beginning of the experiment, not the final result.