# Show HN: Z, minimal agentic harness for engineers that just works

> Source: <https://github.com/computerex/z>
> Published: 2026-08-27 18:28:33+00:00

An agentic coding harness for the terminal. Bring your own API keys — hot-swap models mid-session with `/providers use`

. No subscriptions.

```
pip install -e .
z --install   # one-time setup wizard
z
```

Config lives in `~/.z.json`

:

```
{ "api_url": "https://api.z.ai/api/paas/v4/", "api_key": "sk-...", "model": "glm-4.7" }
```

**26 providers, one client**— Z.AI, DeepSeek, Anthropic, OpenAI, Ollama, Bedrock, Copilot OAuth, OpenRouter, all via LiteLLM.** Constant streaming**— every token, including reasoning, streams live. No spinners.** Telegram remote**—`z --telegram <token>`

and drive the agent from your phone.**Context that survives compaction**— half/quarter/lastTwo strategies, todo persistence, tool-result caching.** Claude Code semantics**— CLAUDE.md, hooks, persistent memory, cron tasks, sub-agents, MCP.** 19 built-in tools**— file ops, shell, search, web search, image analysis, background processes.

| Command | What |
|---|---|
`/providers use <name>` |
Switch models mid-session |
`/compact` |
Force context compaction |
`/cost` |
Token usage and spend |
`/todo` |
Todo panel |
`!cmd` |
Run shell command |
`Ctrl+T` |
Toggle reasoning effort |

Plugins: drop a `.py`

in `~/.z/plugins/`

.

MIT