Setup guide - Documented by GLM
Use GLM in Cline
Z.ai documents using GLM in Cline through the OpenAI Compatible provider with base URL https://api.z.ai/api/coding/paas/v4 and a custom model id such as glm-5.3 or glm-5.3-flash.
Last verified 5 steps3 official sources
Steps
- Step 1.
Install Cline: in VS Code open the Extensions Marketplace, search for cline, and install the Cline extension.
- Step 2.
Choose Use your own API Key and set API Provider to OpenAI Compatible.
- Step 3.
Base URL: enter the Coding Plan endpoint.
Snippethttps://api.z.ai/api/coding/paas/v4 - Step 4.
API Key: enter your Z.AI API Key. Model: select Use custom (Custom Model) and enter the GLM model code, such as glm-5.3 or glm-5.3-flash.
- Step 5.
Other settings: GLM-5.3 is text-only, so uncheck Support Images (GLM-5.3-FLASH is multimodal, so Support Images can be checked). Set Context Window Size to 1000000. Adjust temperature as needed.
Caveats
- Z.ai's Cline page still uses glm-5.2 as the example model (context 1000000, other models 200000); the How to Switch Models page gives glm-5.3 and glm-5.3-flash with Context Window Size 1000000.
- Cline's own docs were not checked for a native Z AI provider; steps follow Z.ai's OpenAI Compatible instructions.
- GLM Coding Plan is limited to Z.ai's officially supported tools (Cline is listed). Coding Plan and Standard keys are separate since 2026-10-16.
More setup guides
Same tool, other providers
Related reading
- Anthropic's GLM-5.3 Cyber Report: The Numbers, the Backlash, and What Developers Should Take From ItAnthropic's GLM-5.3 cyber report: exploit numbers against Claude Mythos Preview, how its safeguards were stripped, the backlash, and the read for developers.
- GLM-5.3 Free and Cheap: Every Route and Price (October 2026)GLM-5.3 has no free hosted tier. Cheapest on October 9: Wafer via OpenRouter at $0.049/$3.39, Flash from $0.075/$0.25. Z.ai's promos ended October 7.
- Prime Agent: A Self-Improving Coding Harness Where Everything Is PythonPrime Agent is Prime Intellect's open-source coding harness with one tool, a persistent IPython kernel. How it works, its benchmarks, and Claude Code compared.
- Cloudflare Runs Kimi and GLM at Scale: FP8 KV Caches, INT4 Weights, and a Cache Safety NetCloudflare runs Kimi K2.6 and GLM 5.2 on Workers AI with FP8 KV caches, INT4 weights and a KV cache integrity check. What each technique buys on GPU fleets.
- Colibri: Run GLM 5.2 on a 32GB Laptop With Disk StreamingA solo developer built a 1,300-line C inference engine that runs the 744B GLM 5.2 model on consumer hardware by streaming routed experts from disk.
- GLM 5.2 Matches Human Bookkeeper Accuracy on UK VAT Returns - With Some CaveatsGLM 5.2 UK VAT return benchmark: how the model handled 59 transactions with near-human bookkeeper accuracy, where it erred, and why HN focused on liability.
FAQ
How do I use GLM in Cline?
Z.ai documents using GLM in Cline through the OpenAI Compatible provider with base URL https://api.z.ai/api/coding/paas/v4 and a custom model id such as glm-5.3 or glm-5.3-flash.
Which GLM model ids work in Cline?
The official docs read for this guide list glm-5.3 and glm-5.3-flash. Requests go to https://api.z.ai/api/coding/paas/v4.
Is this an official GLM and Cline setup?
GLM documents this setup in its own docs. It was last checked against 3 official pages on October 17, 2026.
Sources
Last verified against 3 official pages.
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