Show HN: Qwen3.8-Max – Use Qwen Studio and MCP to Code Locally for Free

Qwen3.8-Max + MCP for coding on your local machine, without paying for Qwen Code. Qwen3.8-Max itself runs in the cloud through Qwen Studio — this setup just gives it access to your

What happened

Qwen3.8-Max + MCP for coding on your local machine, without paying for Qwen Code. Qwen3.8-Max itself runs in the cloud through Qwen Studio — this setup just gives it access to your local files and terminal through MCP. My take: it is slower than Codex and Claude Code, especially in thinking mode, but it does work well. MCP adds some latency too since there’s an extra layer between the model and your machine. In fast mode, it gets noticeably closer. I wouldn’t put it in the same category a

Where it came from

Reported by HN AI Agents. Full details are in the original, linked below.

What to do with it

Treat this as a briefing, not a replacement for the primary source. If the change touches your stack, verify release notes and rollout status before acting.