> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.orbi.build/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Zai glm 5 3 flash

# Run Orbi with z.ai GLM 5.3 Flash

This is the first article in the provider series: a copyable setup for
running your first Orbi Issue with z.ai's OpenAI-compatible endpoint.

> **Referral:** 👉 [Join z.ai now](https://z.ai/subscribe?ic=HNMJADUB4J)

## What you can get for free

As of **2026-09-04**, we verified one real Orbi delivery with
`glm-5.3-flash`. That is evidence that the route works, not a promise of a
universal free quota.

The following are **not measured in this article**: the account's exact free
allowance, whether a card is required, the exhaustion/reset behavior,
rate-limit response, elapsed wall-clock time, and tokens or quota consumed by
one task. These vary by account and current z.ai policy. Do not infer them
from the model's 1M-class catalog claims or from this example.

## Prerequisites

You need a GitHub repository with Orbi installed and a z.ai API key. Create
the key in the [z.ai console](https://z.ai/manage-apikey/apikey-list). Keep it
out of Git, Issues, PRs, and journals.

The endpoint and API style used here are:

* endpoint: `https://api.z.ai/api/paas/v4`
* model: `glm-5.3-flash`
* API: `openai-completions`
* authentication: `Authorization: Bearer <key>` (Pi sends this from `apiKey`)

## Configure it

Copy the provider template, or create `.orbi/pi-providers.json` with this
complete content:

```json theme={null}
{
  "providers": {
    "z-ai": {
      "baseUrl": "https://api.z.ai/api/paas/v4",
      "api": "openai-completions",
      "apiKey": "$ZAI_API_KEY",
      "models": [
        {
          "id": "glm-5.3-flash",
          "name": "GLM 5.3 Flash",
          "contextWindow": 131072,
          "maxTokens": 32768
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

Create the local environment file. Replace the placeholder locally; never
commit the resulting file:

```bash theme={null}
mkdir -p .orbi
printf '%s\n' 'ZAI_API_KEY=replace-with-your-key' > .orbi/env
chmod 600 .orbi/env
```

Select the exact provider and model in `orbi.toml`:

```toml theme={null}
pi_providers = ".orbi/pi-providers.json"
pi_provider = "z-ai"
pi_model = "glm-5.3-flash"
```

For a manual tick, systemd is not loading `.orbi/env`. Export it first, then
run Orbi using the normal command from the getting-started guide:

```bash theme={null}
set -a
. .orbi/env
set +a
pi --print "reply with the single word: ok"
orbi --config orbi.toml
```

Run one real `pi --print` check before dispatching an Issue. The Runner also
fails fast if the JSON, selected model, endpoint, or `ZAI_API_KEY` is invalid.

## The real run

This article reuses a delivery that was already run on **2026-09-04**; no new
Issue was dispatched for this article:

* Issue [#303](https://github.com/orbi-build/orbi/issues/303)
* run ID: `57517638`
* result: commit [`b81f77a`](https://github.com/orbi-build/orbi/commit/b81f77a)
  and PR [#304](https://github.com/orbi-build/orbi/pull/304), now merged
* implementation: 45 lines, plus 159 lines of tests and synchronized Chinese
  and English documentation (209 lines total)
* session evidence: 148 records, 435 KB, 11 assistant responses, 15 tool calls
* elapsed time: **not recorded in the supplied evidence**
* quota/tokens consumed: **not measured**

A useful detail: #303 fixed a bug where an `apiKey` written as `$VAR` in
`pi_providers` did not expand. The provider used to run this example helped
fix the configuration path that lets providers like z.ai work.

To inspect a live run, follow the journal and the run ID:

```bash theme={null}
journalctl --user -u orbi@1.service -u orbi@2.service | grep 57517638
```

The PR is the delivery boundary. Orbi does not silently retry or rotate to
another provider in the same session.

## Pitfalls

### Confirm the key-expansion fix

PR #304 is merged, so the current `main` includes the #303 fix. If you are
using an older Orbi checkout, `$ZAI_API_KEY` may not work; update first rather
than putting a real key into committed JSON.

### `session_pending` does not necessarily mean stuck

Do not judge a run only by how long its phase has stayed unchanged. During
`session_pending`, the model may be working intensively. Check whether the
`.pi-session/*.jsonl` file is still growing, and use the journal's activity
lines. A genuinely stale startup is handled by Orbi's recovery path; do not
invent a retry loop.

### Reasoning metadata is deliberately omitted

The working provider template does not guess a provider-specific reasoning or
thinking-level mapping. Do not copy Gemini's `thinkingLevelMap` into this
file without verifying the current Pi and z.ai contracts.

## When the allowance runs out

The exact exhaustion message and recovery time are **not tested** here. Keep
the failed run evidence, check the current z.ai response, and switch manually
for the next run. There is no automatic fallback.

Replace the provider file and key with another tested or explicitly
not-tested template, then change both selectors to matching values. For
example, the OpenRouter template uses:

```toml theme={null}
pi_providers = ".orbi/pi-providers.json"
pi_provider = "openrouter"
pi_model = "google/gemma-4-31b-it:free"
```

Set `OPENROUTER_API_KEY`, validate the exact entry, and run one real
`pi --print` check before dispatching. That alternative's availability and
quota are **not tested** in this article.

## Share after publishing

Suggested post (use the real evidence, not a quota promise):

> We ran a real Orbi Issue with z.ai GLM 5.3 Flash: 45 lines of implementation,
> 159 lines of tests, and a PR opened hands-free. The run produced 148 session
> records. Configure it here:
> [https://orbi.build/apply](https://orbi.build/apply)

For the complete provider catalog and current status, see the
[provider guide](/providers). For the Chinese version of this article, see
[用 z.ai GLM 5.3 Flash 跑 Orbi](/zh/zai-glm-5-3-flash).


## Related topics

- [Quickstart](/quickstart.md)
- [Providers](/providers.md)
- [Ollama pro](/ollama-pro.md)
- [Operations](/operations.md)