Coding workflow

Free coding API candidates for Codex and other developer tools

These candidates combine a Code capability tag with an OpenAI-compatible provider route. That is a useful first filter for developer tools, followed by a real prompt and tool-specific compatibility check.

Current shortlist4 active model candidates

Latest provider source check: 2026-07-28.

What this shortlist means

The inclusion rules are visible and intentionally narrow.

  1. 01

    Inclusion rule

    The model carries the reviewed Code capability tag.

  2. 02

    Inclusion rule

    The catalog identifies the API protocol as OpenAI compatible.

  3. 03

    Inclusion rule

    Candidates are ranked by the current editorial priority, not sponsorship.

Important limit: OpenAI-compatible chat completions do not prove support for every Codex feature or the Responses API. Verify the exact endpoint and tool behavior before relying on a route.

Matching candidates

Live catalog results with provider evidence dates and the limits you should read before signup.

Model and providerWhy it matchesEvidence and limitsNext steps
GLM-5.2
NVIDIA NIM
z-ai/glm-5.2
Code tag + OpenAI-compatible protocol
Developer access
Official sources: 2026-07-28
Not listed in the official quickstart
Up to 40 RPM; account limits may differ
Independent Canary pending
Qwen3.6 27B
GroqCloud
qwen/qwen3.6-27b
Code tag + OpenAI-compatible protocol
No-card free plan
Official sources: 2026-07-28
Not required for the Free plan
Model and organization specific
Independent Canary pending
DeepSeek R1
SiliconFlow
deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-R1
Code tag + OpenAI-compatible protocol
Starter credits / free-model policy
Official sources: 2026-07-28
Not listed as required for starter access
Model and account specific
Independent Canary pending
GPT-OSS 120B
Cerebras Inference
gpt-oss-120b
Code tag + OpenAI-compatible protocol
Payment-verified starter credits
Official sources: 2026-07-28
Verified payment method required for starter credits
Plan and model specific
Independent Canary pending