GLM-5.2 Free Setup Guide — the genuinely free ways to run Z.ai GLM-5.2 (chat + free API), plus the paid Claude Code path

Z.ai's open-weights GLM-5.2 model (744B MoE, 1M-token context) is available for free via web chat and a rate-limited API through OpenRouter, with no credit card required. For developers, the free API tier offers about 50 requests per day, while the full GLM-5.2 API on Z.ai provides starter credits before switching to pay-as-you-go pricing. Running GLM-5.2 as a Claude Code model requires a paid Coding Plan starting at $18 per month.

GLM-5.2 is Z.ai's open-weights MIT flagship — 744B-MoE, a 1M-token context, and benchmarks within ~1 point of Claude Opus 4.8 on FrontierSWE. Here's how to actually put it to work, starting with the routes that cost nothing and need no credit card . Full GLM-5.2 in the browser. No key, no card, no install. Best for asking questions, drafting code, and pressure-testing the model before you wire it into anything. Two genuinely free ways to call a GLM model from code OpenAI SDK — zero rewrite : - Sign up at → create an API key openrouter.ai https://openrouter.ai - Use the free model id z-ai/glm-4.5-air:free this is the free lightweight GLM — full GLM-5.2 on OpenRouter is paid, see below python import OpenAI from "openai"; const client = new OpenAI { apiKey: process.env.OPENROUTER API KEY, baseURL: "https://openrouter.ai/api/v1", } ; const r = await client.chat.completions.create { model: "z-ai/glm-4.5-air:free", messages: { role: "user", content: "Write quicksort in TypeScript" } , } ; console.log r.choices 0 .message.content ; The free tier is rate-limited currently ~50 requests/day — fine for testing. - Go to → create an API key new accounts get free starter credits to try GLM-5.2 directly z.ai/manage-apikey/apikey-list https://z.ai/manage-apikey/apikey-list - OpenAI-compatible base URL: https://api.z.ai/api/paas/v4/ · model glm-5.2 js const client = new OpenAI { apiKey: process.env.ZAI API KEY, baseURL: "https://api.z.ai/api/paas/v4/", } ; const r = await client.chat.completions.create { model: "glm-5.2", messages: { role: "user", content: "..." } , } ; After the free credits, it's pay-as-you-go — about $0.95 / $3 per M tokens in/out . You only pay for what you use; no subscription. Straight answer: there's no free CLI for this. Running GLM-5.2 natively as your Claude Code model goes through Z.ai's GLM Coding Plan paid — Lite starts at $18/mo , ~$12.60/mo billed yearly . It's cheap, but it's not free. Once you have a Coding Plan key: 1. install Claude Code if you haven't npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code 2. point it at Z.ai's Anthropic-compatible endpoint export ANTHROPIC BASE URL=https://api.z.ai/api/anthropic export ANTHROPIC AUTH TOKEN=your-zai-key 3. run, then set the model to GLM-5.2 or GLM-5.2 1m for the full 1M context claude Or let Z.ai's helper auto-configure your tool: npx @z ai/coding-helper | GLM-5.2 | | |---|---| | Parameters | 744B MoE | | Context | 1M tokens | | License | MIT — open weights on | z-ai/glm-4.5-air:free Reality check: "free GLM-5.2" means the web chat and the free API model above — no card needed. Running GLM-5.2 as your Claude Code model is the paid Coding Plan $18/mo . Now you know exactly which door is which.