Setup guide - Documented by Continue
Use GLM in Continue
Continue's docs document a built-in zAI provider in config.yaml, defaulting to Z.ai's standard API base https://api.z.ai/api/paas/v4/, with an optional apiBase override for the Coding Plan endpoint.
Last verified 3 steps5 official sources
Steps
- Step 1.
Get an API key from the Z.ai Platform (https://z.ai/manage-apikey/apikey-list).
- Step 2.
Add a zAI model to your Continue config.yaml (Continue's documented example).
YAMLname: My Config version: 0.0.1 schema: v1 models: - name: GLM-5 provider: zAI model: glm-5 apiKey: <YOUR_ZAI_API_KEY> - Step 3.
To use Z.ai's current flagship, set model to glm-5.3 (current id from Z.ai's docs). The default apiBase is https://api.z.ai/api/paas/v4/.
YAMLmodel: glm-5.3
Caveats
- Continue's Z.ai page lists glm-5, glm-4.7, glm-4-plus and glm-4.5 (with 128K context); glm-5.3 and glm-5.3-flash are current ids from Z.ai's own model pages, combined here with Continue's documented provider config.
- Continue's docs suggest setting apiBase to https://api.z.ai/api/coding/paas/v4/ for the Coding Plan, but Continue is not on Z.ai's list of supported tools and Z.ai says the GLM Coding Plan may not be used outside those tools. Use a Standard API key with the default endpoint (pay-as-you-go).
- Since 2026-10-16 Standard and Coding Plan keys are separate; a Standard key bills your account balance.
More setup guides
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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 Continue?
Continue's docs document a built-in zAI provider in config.yaml, defaulting to Z.ai's standard API base https://api.z.ai/api/paas/v4/, with an optional apiBase override for the Coding Plan endpoint.
Which GLM model ids work in Continue?
The official docs read for this guide list glm-5.3, glm-5.3-flash, glm-5 and glm-4.7. Requests go to https://api.z.ai/api/paas/v4/.
Is this an official GLM and Continue setup?
Continue documents this setup in its own docs. It was last checked against 5 official pages on October 17, 2026.
Sources
Last verified against 5 official pages.
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