# ZCode

> Updated 2026-09-21 · type: tool · category: mcp-agents · status: active · rev 1

ZCode is Z.ai's Apache-2.0 agentic dev environment, an Electron app with the agent chat, file manager, terminal, git and live preview, built for GLM models.

- Open source: yes (Apache-2.0)
- Self-hostable: yes
- Pricing model: free
- Best for: A developer who wants a full agentic IDE they can run and inspect end to end, especially anyone already using GLM models, and who would rather have the whole client-plus-runtime stack open than trust a closed coding tool with their repo.
- Last verified: 2026-09-21

- **Canonical:** https://gtmstacker.com/registry/tool/zcode/
- **Source:** [github · zai-org/ZCode](https://github.com/zai-org/ZCode)
- **Tags:** mcp-agents, coding-agent, ide, self-hostable, glm
- **Repository:** https://github.com/zai-org/ZCode

## Is ZCode open source?

Yes, ZCode is open source under the Apache-2.0 license.

## How much does ZCode cost?

ZCode is free to use.

## Can I self-host ZCode?

Yes, ZCode can be self-hosted (the source is available under the Apache-2.0 license).

## Alternatives & related

- [Open Code Review](https://gtmstacker.com/registry/tool/open-code-review/)
- [HarnessRouter](https://gtmstacker.com/registry/tool/harnessrouter/)


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Apache-2.0 agentic development environment from Z.ai (Zhipu), a TypeScript Electron app that puts the agent conversation at the center and arranges everything it touches around it: a file manager, a terminal, a Git panel and a live browser preview, with desktop, browser and terminal interfaces and an Agent CLI runtime. Z.ai open-sourced the full stack, the client, backend, shared UI and Agent CLI, as a pnpm monorepo. It is built as the official harness for GLM models and does not ship support for Claude or GPT, though the license lets you add integrations.

## Provenance

- Apache-2.0, TypeScript, past ~4k stars on its first day, and the full Electron ADE stack independently verified via the repo and launch coverage (WebFetch + search 2026-09-21, github.com/zai-org/ZCode).
- Surfaced via the 2026-09-21 viral-posts brief (multiple posts: Z.ai open-sourcing its GLM coding harness, and the note that it followed concerns about repo snapshots being uploaded to the cloud).
- Curated from the GTM Stacker signal registry (2026-09-21 pass); license independently verified 2026-09-21.

## Why it matters for a GTM stack

Coding agents write more of the GTM stack every week, and most of them are closed tools you point at your repo and hope. ZCode is the opposite: the whole agentic IDE, client through runtime, is open under Apache-2.0, so you can read what it does with your code instead of trusting a black box. That openness is sharpened by the backstory, it was open-sourced after users worried the earlier tool was uploading repo snapshots to the cloud, which is exactly the kind of thing you can now audit. Two honest limits: it is GLM-first, so using it with Claude or GPT is work you take on, and it is days old as a release. If you run GLM or you value being able to inspect the agent that touches your code, it is worth a look, with the snapshot history in mind.