zai-coding（在编码）

Z.AI Coding Plan Setup

Overview

Configure OpenClaw to use Z.AI GLM Coding Plan models for optimal coding performance. Z.AI provides multiple GLM models optimized for development tasks with varying context windows and performance characteristics.

Prerequisites

Before configuring Z.AI Coding Plan:

1. OpenClaw installed - Verify with openclaw gateway status
2. Z.AI API Key - Available from https://z.ai/subscribe (international) or https://bigmodel.cn (China)
3. Docker environment - API key available as ZAI_API_KEY environment variable

Available Models

Configuration Steps

Step 1: Verify OpenClaw Status

openclaw gateway status

Step 2: Choose Configuration Method

Option A: Interactive Setup (Recommended)

International users:

openclaw onboard --auth-choice zai-coding-global

China region users:

openclaw onboard --auth-choice zai-coding-cn

This prompts for the API key and configures everything automatically.

Option B: Manual Configuration

Edit ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:

{
  "env": {
    "ZAI_API_KEY": "sk-your-api-key-here"
  },
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "model": {
        "primary": "zai/glm-5"
      }
    }
  }
}

Important: Model format is zai/<model-name>.

Step 3: Configure Coding-Specific Settings

For optimal coding performance:

# Enable tool streaming (better for coding workflows)
openclaw config set agents.defaults.models."zai/glm-5".params.tool_stream true --json

# Set higher context for complex projects (optional)
openclaw config set agents.defaults.maxContextTokens 150000

Step 4: Optional - Create Coding-Focused Agent

For dedicated coding agents:

openclaw agents create coding-assistant

Configure in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:

{
  "agents": {
    "coding-assistant": {
      "model": {
        "primary": "zai/glm-5"
      },
      "systemPrompt": "You are an expert software developer. Focus on writing clean, efficient, and well-documented code. Always explain your reasoning and provide best practices.",
      "tools": ["filesystem", "shell", "browser"]
    }
  }
}

Step 5: Restart and Verify

# Validate configuration
openclaw config validate

# Restart gateway
openclaw gateway restart

# Check status
openclaw status

Step 6: Test Configuration

Test with a simple coding task:

openclaw chat "Write a Python function to calculate the fibonacci sequence"

Model Selection Guide

Use the right model based on your needs:

• General coding → zai/glm-5 - Best overall performance
• Quick prototyping → zai/glm-5-turbo - Fast responses
• Complex refactoring → zai/glm-4.7 - Strong reasoning
• Code review → zai/glm-4.6 - Stable, thorough
• UI/Frontend work → zai/glm-4.6v - Vision capabilities
• Simple scripts → zai/glm-4.5-flash - Cost-effective

Region Configuration

• International: zai-coding-global endpoint → https://api.z.ai/api/coding/paas/v4
• China: zai-coding-cn endpoint → https://api.bigmodel.cn/api/coding/paas/v4

Troubleshooting

Authentication Error (1001)

API key missing or invalid:

openclaw config get env.ZAI_API_KEY

Model Not Found

Ensure correct endpoint:

# International
https://api.z.ai/api/coding/paas/v4

# China
https://api.bigmodel.cn/api/coding/paas/v4

Rate Limiting

GLM Coding Plan has usage limits based on subscription tier:

• Lite: 120 prompts per 5-hour cycle
• Pro: 600 prompts per 5-hour cycle
• Max: Higher limits

Gateway Won't Start

# Check logs
openclaw gateway logs

# Validate config
openclaw config validate

# Reset if needed
openclaw config reset

Switching Models

To change the default model:

# Set new model
openclaw config set agents.defaults.model.primary "zai/glm-4.7"

# Restart to apply
openclaw gateway restart

Integration with Channels

This configuration works with all OpenClaw channels:

• Feishu: Coding model used for all coding requests
• DingTalk: Same model configuration
• WeCom: Compatible with coding workflows
• CLI: Direct access via openclaw chat

Useful Commands

Z.AI MCP Tools Configuration

GLM Coding Plan includes powerful MCP tools for web access and code research. These tools are exclusive to Coding Plan subscribers.

Available MCP Tools

MCP Quotas by Plan

Step 7: Install Z.AI MCP Tools

After configuring the model, add the MCP tools to enhance your coding agent.

Tool 1: Web Search (web-search-prime)

Provides real-time web search capabilities.

One-click install (OpenClaw):

openclaw mcp add web-search-prime --type http --url "https://api.z.ai/api/mcp/web_search_prime/mcp" --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Manual configuration - Add to ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:

{
 "mcpServers": {
 "web-search-prime": {
 "type": "http",
 "url": "https://api.z.ai/api/mcp/web_search_prime/mcp",
 "headers": {
 "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
 }
 }
 }
}

Available tool: webSearchPrime - Search web information with titles, URLs, summaries

Tool 2: Web Reader (web-reader)

Extracts complete content from any webpage.

One-click install (OpenClaw):

openclaw mcp add web-reader --type http --url "https://api.z.ai/api/mcp/web_reader/mcp" --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Manual configuration - Add to ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:

{
 "mcpServers": {
 "web-reader": {
 "type": "http",
 "url": "https://api.z.ai/api/mcp/web_reader/mcp",
 "headers": {
 "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
 }
 }
 }
}

Available tool: webReader - Fetch page title, main content, metadata, links

Tool 3: Zread (zread)

Access GitHub repositories for documentation and code analysis.

One-click install (OpenClaw):

openclaw mcp add zread --type http --url "https://api.z.ai/api/mcp/zread/mcp" --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Manual configuration - Add to ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:

{
 "mcpServers": {
 "zread": {
 "type": "http",
 "url": "https://api.z.ai/api/mcp/zread/mcp",
 "headers": {
 "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
 }
 }
 }
}

Available tools:

Complete MCP Configuration Example

Here's a complete ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json with all three MCP tools:

{
 "env": {
 "ZAI_API_KEY": "sk-your-api-key-here"
 },
 "agents": {
 "defaults": {
 "model": {
 "primary": "zai/glm-5"
 }
 }
 },
 "mcpServers": {
 "web-search-prime": {
 "type": "http",
 "url": "https://api.z.ai/api/mcp/web_search_prime/mcp",
 "headers": {
 "Authorization": "Bearer sk-your-api-key-here"
 }
 },
 "web-reader": {
 "type": "http",
 "url": "https://api.z.ai/api/mcp/web_reader/mcp",
 "headers": {
 "Authorization": "Bearer sk-your-api-key-here"
 }
 },
 "zread": {
 "type": "http",
 "url": "https://api.z.ai/api/mcp/zread/mcp",
 "headers": {
 "Authorization": "Bearer sk-your-api-key-here"
 }
 }
 }
}

Step 8: Verify MCP Tools Installation

After adding the MCP tools, restart and verify:

# Restart gateway to load MCP servers
openclaw gateway restart

# Check MCP status
openclaw mcp list

# Verify tools are available
openclaw status

Step 9: Test the MCP Tools

Test each tool to ensure proper configuration:

Test Web Search:

openclaw chat "Search for the latest Python 3.12 features"

Test Web Reader:

openclaw chat "Read and summarize the content from https://docs.python.org/3/whatsnew/3.12.html"

Test Zread:

openclaw chat "Explain the structure of the fastapi/fastapi repository on GitHub"

MCP Tools Troubleshooting

Invalid API Key

Error: Invalid access token

Solutions:

1. Verify API key is correctly copied (no extra spaces)
2. Check API key is activated at https://z.ai/manage-apikey/apikey-list
3. Ensure sufficient balance on your account
4. Verify Authorization: Bearer format is correct

Connection Timeout

Solutions:

1. Check network connection
2. Verify firewall allows HTTPS connections
3. Increase client timeout settings
4. Try again later (server may be busy)

Repository Access Failed (Zread)

Solutions:

1. Confirm repository exists and is public
2. Check repository name format: owner/repo
3. Visit https://zread.ai to verify repository is indexed

Quota Exceeded

Error: Rate limit exceeded

Solution: Wait for the next 5-hour cycle or upgrade your plan

MCP Tools Use Cases

References

• Z.AI Coding Plan: https://z.ai/subscribe
• OpenClaw Z.AI Provider: https://docs.openclaw.ai/providers/zai
• GLM Models Overview: https://docs.openclaw.ai/providers/glm
• Web Search MCP: https://docs.z.ai/devpack/mcp/search-mcp-server
• Web Reader MCP: https://docs.z.ai/devpack/mcp/reader-mcp-server
• Zread MCP: https://docs.z.ai/devpack/mcp/zread-mcp-server