ZCode
ZCode is the AI coding app from Z.ai, the publisher of the GLM models (Beijing Zhipu Huazhang Technology). A desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux (in beta), it runs several agents on one goal with GLM-5.3. On September 18, 2026, researcher ferstar published a teardown of the client: when logged in, it captures the workspace into `~/.zcode/v2/checkpoints/`, git history, LFS cache and reflogs included, encrypts it (AES-256 for the content, the key wrapped in RSA with a public key supplied by the server) and uploads it to Aliyun OSS. Measured on his machine: a 313 MB archive for a 345 MB workspace, 86.6% of it git content, and a fresh capture less than half an hour after he deleted it.
Strengths
- Several agents on one goal, with Z.ai GLM models built in
- Available on macOS, Windows and Linux (the latter in beta)
Limitations
- Uploads the full workspace, git history included, as long as you are logged in: 313 MB measured for a 345 MB workspace
- Archives encrypted for Z.ai alone: no way to check what left
- No app setting stops the upload; the only workaround is an OS lock that breaks rollback
Best for
- Trying the GLM models on an already public project with no secret in its history