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GLM 5.2 in Claude Code is Blowing My Mind

Nate Herk | AI Automation19 June 2026Watch on YouTube

Part of series

Ep. 7 · Glm Best Model

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Description

My FREE AI OS Course: https://www.skool.com/ai-automation-society/about?el=glm-5.2-claude&hcategory=youtube-videos&utm_campaign=free-group Full courses + unlimited support: https://www.skool.com/ai-automation-society-plus/about?el=glm-5.2-claude&hcategory=youtube-videos&utm_campaign=ais-plus Apply for my YT podcast: https://podcast.nateherk.com/apply Work with me: https://uppitai.com/ My Tools💻 FREE MONTH voice to text: https://get.glaido.com/nate Code NATEHERK for 10% off VPS (annual plan): https://www.hostinger.com/vps/claude-code-hosting I switched Claude Code over to GLM 5.2 and ran it all day. It's a 756 billion parameter open source model you can route straight into the Claude Code harness for about five times cheaper than Opus, and for most of my knowledge work it held up fine. In this one I show you what it can build, where it beats Opus and where it doesn't, and exactly how to set it up so you can switch between models per project. Here's the config I use. Drop this into your .claude/settings.local.json and swap in your own Z.ai key: "env": { "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://api.z.ai/api/anthropic", "ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "your-z-ai-api-key-here", "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "", "API_TIMEOUT_MS": "3000000", "ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL": "glm-5.2", "ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL": "glm-5.2", "ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL": "glm-5.2", "ANTHROPIC_SMALL_FAST_MODEL": "glm-5.2", "CLAUDE_CODE_SUBAGENT_MODEL": "glm-5.2" } Sponsorship Inquiries: 📧 nate@smoothmedia.co Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nateherkelman/ https://x.com/nateherk https://www.instagram.com/nateherk/ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 0:56 What GLM 5.2 Can Do 2:40 When You Actually Need Opus 3:39 Creative One-Shot Builds 5:21 Storm Research With GLM 7:36 Why Open Source Matters 8:21 Benchmarks And Pricing 9:19 Renting vs Owning Your Model 10:33 How To Set It Up 14:48 Final Thoughts

What you'll learn

  • GLM 5.2 is an open-source AI model with 756 billion parameters that can be used through Claude Code for approximately five times lower cost than Claude Opus
  • GLM 5.2 performs equally to Opus for most knowledge work, though Claude Opus remains necessary for specific complex tasks
  • You can easily set up GLM 5.2 in Claude Code by modifying configuration in .claude/settings.local.json with a Z.ai API key

Frequently asked questions

What is GLM 5.2 and how does it differ from Claude Opus?
GLM 5.2 is an open-source AI model with 756 billion parameters that costs approximately five times less than Claude Opus. For most knowledge work and project setups it performs similarly, though Opus remains better for certain complex tasks.
How do you set up GLM 5.2 in Claude Code?
You add configuration to .claude/settings.local.json with your Z.ai API key and set all model references to GLM 5.2. This allows you to switch between models per project.
When do you really need Claude Opus instead of GLM 5.2?
Opus is needed for specific complex tasks where GLM 5.2 falls short, though the video indicates GLM 5.2 suffices for many types of work.
What is the advantage of open-source AI models like GLM 5.2?
Open-source models offer cost savings and flexibility, allowing you to rent the model through providers like Z.ai rather than being fully dependent on proprietary solutions.

Topics

large language modelsai automationopen sourcemodel comparisondeveloper tools