Two quiet announcements landed in the same window, and they point the same way. Meta is killing its free Llama API, GitHub is fully closing GitHub Models (GitHub's service for trying out AI models). Separately - nothing. Together they say something else.
Fact
The facts: Meta retires the Llama API Public Preview on July 6, 2026 - after that date, requests return a sunset response (a message that the service is shutting down) with redirect instructions. The Llama models themselves stay free to download, and Meta points developers to third-party providers running Llama. Separately, GitHub announced on July 1 that it's fully retiring GitHub Models on July 30, 2026. Primary sources: llama.developer.meta.com and github.blog.
I've seen this move from the inside: it's not a hit on open models - the weights are out there, anyone can download them. It's a hit on the convenient free door. Hosted free inference (an AI generating a response) was the way to try something without a bill and without a server. Now the trial either costs money or runs through someone else's provider.
A product hanging off a single free hosted API is a risk dressed up as savings. Keep a backup provider, or host the models yourself. Tie yourself to someone else's free plan, and you're tied to their calendar - they decide when it ends, not you.
Official primary sources
Meta - Llama API (upcoming changes / sunset)GitHub Changelog - GitHub Models retirementThe visual is generated code-art, no third-party images.