Z.AI is the API platform for GLM models. It provides REST APIs for GLM and uses API keys for authentication. Create your API key in the Z.AI console. Genesis uses the zai provider with a Z.AI API key.

• Provider: zai
• Auth: ZAI_API_KEY
• API: Z.AI Chat Completions (Bearer auth)

Getting started

Auto-detect endpoint

**Best for:** most users. Genesis detects the matching Z.AI endpoint from the key and applies the correct base URL automatically.

Run onboarding

    ```bash
    genesis onboard --auth-choice zai-api-key
    ```

Set a default model

    ```json5
    {
      env: { ZAI_API_KEY: "sk-..." },
      agents: { defaults: { model: { primary: "zai/glm-5.1" } } },
    }
    ```

Verify the model is available

    ```bash
    genesis models list --provider zai
    ```

Explicit regional endpoint

**Best for:** users who want to force a specific Coding Plan or general API surface.

Pick the right onboarding choice

    ```bash
    # Coding Plan Global (recommended for Coding Plan users)
    genesis onboard --auth-choice zai-coding-global

    # Coding Plan CN (China region)
    genesis onboard --auth-choice zai-coding-cn

    # General API
    genesis onboard --auth-choice zai-global

    # General API CN (China region)
    genesis onboard --auth-choice zai-cn
    ```

Set a default model

    ```json5
    {
      env: { ZAI_API_KEY: "sk-..." },
      agents: { defaults: { model: { primary: "zai/glm-5.1" } } },
    }
    ```

Verify the model is available

    ```bash
    genesis models list --provider zai
    ```

Built-in catalog

Genesis currently seeds the bundled zai provider with:

Advanced configuration

Forward-resolving unknown GLM-5 models

Unknown `glm-5*` ids still forward-resolve on the bundled provider path by
synthesizing provider-owned metadata from the `glm-4.7` template when the id
matches the current GLM-5 family shape.

Tool-call streaming

`tool_stream` is enabled by default for Z.AI tool-call streaming. To disable it:

```json5
{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      models: {
        "zai/<model>": {
          params: { tool_stream: false },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}
```

Image understanding

The bundled Z.AI plugin registers image understanding.

| Property      | Value       |
| ------------- | ----------- |
| Model         | `glm-4.6v`  |

Image understanding is auto-resolved from the configured Z.AI auth — no
additional config is needed.

Auth details

- Z.AI uses Bearer auth with your API key.
- The `zai-api-key` onboarding choice auto-detects the matching Z.AI endpoint from the key prefix.
- Use the explicit regional choices (`zai-coding-global`, `zai-coding-cn`, `zai-global`, `zai-cn`) when you want to force a specific API surface.

Related

• GLM model family Model family overview for GLM.

• Model selection Choosing providers, model refs, and failover behavior.