---
slug: "czottmann-pi-zai-api"
source_type: "readme"
source_url: "https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/czottmann/pi-zai-api@main/README.md"
repo: "https://github.com/czottmann/pi-zai-api"
source_file: "README.md"
branch: "main"
---
# @czottmann/pi-zai-api

Z.AI API provider extension for [pi](https://pi.dev). It registers the [Z.AI](https://z.ai/) GLM models under a `zai-api` provider that points at the general Z.AI API endpoint.

## Why this exists

pi already ships a built-in `zai` provider, but it points at the Coding Plan endpoint (`https://api.z.ai/api/coding/paas/v4`), which needs a Z.AI coding subscription. If you have a regular pay-as-you-go Z.AI API key, that endpoint won't work for you.

This extension registers the same GLM models under a separate `zai-api` provider that uses the general API endpoint (`https://api.z.ai/api/paas/v4`) instead, authenticated with `ZAI_API_KEY`. The built-in `zai` provider is left untouched.

## Install

From npm:

```bash
pi install npm:@czottmann/pi-zai-api
```

From a local checkout:

```bash
cd path/to/pi-zai-api
npm install
pi install "$PWD"
```

## Set up auth

Use pi's API-key flow:

```bash
pi
/login
# Choose "Use an API key", then "ZAI" (same as with the built-in `zai` provider).
```

Or set an environment variable before starting pi:

```bash
export ZAI_API_KEY=your-key-here
```

Get a key from the [Z.AI Dashboard](https://z.ai/manage-apikey/apikey-list). It must be set as API keys in `/login`, not as a subscription.

## Use

List registered models:

```bash
pi --list-models | grep zai-api
```

Start pi with the provider:

```bash
pi --provider zai-api
```

In interactive mode, `/zai-api-models` lists the models registered by the extension.

## How it works

On startup, the extension reads pi's own built-in `zai` model definitions via `getModels("zai")` from `@earendil-works/pi-ai`, drops their per-model base URL, and re-registers them under the `zai-api` provider with the general API base URL and `ZAI_API_KEY`.

Everything else is carried over from pi's catalog verbatim: context window, max output tokens, reasoning support, input types, and the z.ai-specific compatibility flags (thinking format, tool streaming). Because the list is mirrored at runtime, it tracks pi's built-in `zai` models as you update pi: new GLM models pi adds show up here too, with the corrected endpoint.

pi resolves `@earendil-works/pi-ai` to its own bundled copy when it loads the extension, so the mirrored list always matches the pi version you're running.

## Development

```bash
npm run check
npm run build
pi -e . --provider zai-api
```

### A note on local dev and the mirrored list

When you load the extension from a local checkout (`pi -e .` or `pi install "$PWD"`), Node resolves `@earendil-works/pi-ai` to the copy in this project's `node_modules`, not to the one inside your pi install. If that dev copy is older than your pi, the mirrored model list reflects the dev copy and can miss models your pi actually ships.

The published package bundles no dependencies, so a real install always mirrors the pi you're running. To check the published behavior locally, install a packed build:

```bash
npm pack
mkdir -p /tmp/zai-test && tar -xzf czottmann-pi-zai-api-*.tgz -C /tmp/zai-test --strip-components=1
pi install /tmp/zai-test
```

## Publishing

GitHub Actions publishes the package to npm when a GitHub Release is published. The release tag must match `package.json` exactly, with or without a leading `v` (`v1.0.0` and `1.0.0` both work for version `1.0.0`).

The workflow uses npm Trusted Publishing, so it does not need an npm token secret. Configure this package on npm with this repository and workflow file (`.github/workflows/publish.yml`). The workflow builds the package, runs `npm run check`, and publishes with npm provenance.

## Author

Carlo Zottmann, <carlo@zottmann.dev>

- Website: https://actions.work
- GitHub: https://github.com/czottmann
- Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/zottmann.dev
- Mastodon: https://norden.social/@czottmann