goose/documentation/docs/getting-started/using-goose-free.md

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3	Using Goose for Free

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Using Goose for Free

Goose is a free and open source developer AI agent that you can start using right away, but not all supported LLM Providers provide a free tier.

Below, we outline a couple of free options and how to get started with them.

Google Gemini

Google Gemini provides a free tier. To start using the Gemini API with Goose, you need an API Key from Google AI studio.

To set up Google Gemini with Goose, follow these steps:

1. Run: ```sh goose configure ``` 2. Select `Configure Providers` from the menu. 3. Follow the prompts to choose `Google Gemini` as the provider. 4. Enter your API key when prompted. 5. Enter the Gemini model of your choice.

```
┌   goose-configure
│
◇ What would you like to configure?
│ Configure Providers
│
◇ Which model provider should we use?
│ Google Gemini
│
◇ Provider Google Gemini requires GOOGLE_API_KEY, please enter a value
│▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
│    
◇ Enter a model from that provider:
│ gemini-2.0-flash-exp
│
◇ Hello! You're all set and ready to go, feel free to ask me anything!
│
└ Configuration saved successfully
```

**To update your LLM provider and API key:**

1. Click on the three dots in the top-right corner.
2. Select `Provider Settings` from the menu.
2. Choose `Google Gemini` as provider from the list.
3. Click Edit, enter your API key, and click `Set as Active`.

DeepSeek-R1

:::warning In our testing, we have found the Google Gemini performs better that DeepSeek models, likely because Goose relies heavily on tool calling and DeepSeek does not support it natively yet. When using DeepSeek, we currently recommend the 70B model size, which requires a powerful device to run smoothly. :::

Ollama provides open source LLMs, such as DeepSeek-r1, that you can install and run locally. Note that the native DeepSeek-r1 model doesn't support tool calling, however, we have a custom model you can use with Goose.

1. Download and install Ollama from ollama.com.
2. In a terminal window, run the following command to install the custom DeepSeek-r1 model:

ollama run michaelneale/deepseek-r1-goose

3. In a separate terminal window, configure with Goose:

```sh
goose configure
```

4. Choose to `Configure Providers`

```
┌   goose-configure 
│
◆  What would you like to configure?
│  ● Configure Providers (Change provider or update credentials)
│  ○ Toggle Extensions 
│  ○ Add Extension 
└  
```

5. Choose `Ollama` as the model provider

```
┌   goose-configure 
│
◇  What would you like to configure?
│  Configure Providers 
│
◆  Which model provider should we use?
│  ○ Anthropic 
│  ○ Databricks 
│  ○ Google Gemini 
│  ○ Groq 
│  ● Ollama (Local open source models)
│  ○ OpenAI 
│  ○ OpenRouter 
└  
```

6. Enter the installed deepseek-r1 model from above

```
┌   goose-configure 
│
◇  What would you like to configure?
│  Configure Providers 
│
◇  Which model provider should we use?
│  Ollama 
│
◇  Enter a model from that provider:
│  michaelneale/deepseek-r1-goose
│
◇  Welcome! You're all set to explore and utilize my capabilities. Let's get started on solving your problems together!
│
└  Configuration saved successfully
```

3. Click `...` in the top-right corner. 4. Navigate to `Settings` -> `Browse Models` -> and select `Ollama` from the list. 5. Enter `michaelneale/deepseek-r1-goose` for the model name.

Limitations

These free options are a great way to get started with Goose and explore its capabilities. However, if you need more advanced features or higher usage limits, you can upgrade to a paid plan with your LLM provider.

---

If you have any questions or need help with a specific provider, feel free to reach out to us on Discord or on the Goose repo.