> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://arka-agent-mintlify-f21cea86.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Find free models

> Discover local zero-cost runtimes and provider free-tier models, and reorder Arka's LLM fallback chain with the ARKA_MODEL_POLICY variable.

```bash theme={null}
arka free_models
arka free_models --json
arka free_models --offline
```

Results distinguish local zero-cost runtimes, live OpenRouter zero-price
models, and provider free-tier-eligible models. Free-tier availability still
depends on account, region, quotas, and provider policy; Arka never labels a
paid model free merely because it has a free quota. Use `arka hybrid status` to
see which discovered local or hosted options are actually reachable.

## Model policy

`ARKA_MODEL_POLICY` reorders the fallback chain used by `arka hybrid` and by
the shared LLM fallback engine. It does not add or remove providers; it only
changes which side of the chain runs first (or restricts it to one side).

| Value | Behavior |
| - | - |
| `local-first` (default) | Try local runtimes (Ollama, vLLM, LM Studio, Exo) before hosted providers. |
| `hosted-first` | Try hosted providers before local runtimes. |
| `local-only` | Skip hosted providers entirely. Useful for offline or private runs. |
| `hosted-only` | Skip local runtimes entirely. Useful when local models are too slow or unavailable. |

```bash theme={null}
export ARKA_MODEL_POLICY=hosted-first
arka hybrid status

# Or set it for one command only
ARKA_MODEL_POLICY=local-only arka chat "summarize this"
```

The policy runs after your existing fallback config: `LLM_AUTO_FALLBACK`,
`AI_PREFERRED_PROVIDER`, `AI_PREFERRED_MODEL`, and per-skill routing in
`llm-skill-models.json` still choose the initial candidate list. The policy
then filters and reorders that list. Unknown values fall back to `local-first`.


## Related topics

- [Configuration, env vars, and API key setup](/reference/configuration.md)
- [AI agent guide — use Arka over MCP](/guides/ai-agents.md)
- [Maximize free AI credits](/guides/free-credits.md)
- [YouTube research and downloads](/guides/youtube.md)
- [Compose 3D](/guides/compose-3d.md)


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