Use GLM-5.3 With Cline in VS Code on Windows

GLM-5.3 is Z.AI’s current hosted coding model. You can use it in Cline without a router because Cline accepts an OpenAI-compatible provider. The only easy mistake is copying Z.AI’s Anthropic URL from a Claude Code guide. Cline needs the OpenAI-compatible coding endpoint instead.

Install Cline#

Open Extensions in VS Code, search for Cline, install the extension, and open its sidebar. Native Windows is enough for this setup.

Create a Z.AI key#

Create a key in your Z.AI account. A Coding Plan key uses a points quota, while standard API access is billed by usage. Z.AI currently gives Coding Plan traffic a half-points rate during its published off-peak period, so check the plan page before estimating capacity.

Enter the provider settings#

Choose OpenAI Compatible in Cline and enter these values:

Test before editing a large project#

Open a small repository and ask Cline to explain one file. Check that it reads the file and returns a response before approving edits or commands. GLM-5.3 always reasons, but Z.AI lets supported clients set reasoning effort to low, high, or max. If Cline exposes that field, start with low for routine work and raise it for difficult debugging.

GLM-5.3 accepts text, not images. Paste an error message or point Cline to a text file instead of attaching a screenshot.

Common errors#

• A 401 or 403 usually means the key is wrong, expired, or not valid for the selected Z.AI service.
• A model-not-found error usually means the model is misspelled. Use glm-5.3.
• A route or schema error often means the Anthropic endpoint was used with the OpenAI-compatible provider.
• If Cline only proposes changes, switch from Plan mode to Act mode when you are ready to edit.

For terminal workflows, see GLM-5.3 with Claude Code and GLM with OpenCode.