Zed Editor Free API: Add FreeTheAI as an OpenAI Compatible Provider

Zed adds FreeTheAI as an OpenAI compatible LLM provider for the agent panel.

Website Source code API reference

Before you start

Create a free account and an API key. Create an account
Check in once a day to unlock the free models. Daily check-in
Pick a model ID from the models page. Browse models

Settings

Provider: OpenAI (compatible)
API URL: https://api.freetheai.org/v1
Model ID: fta/zai/glm-5.3
API key: your FreeTheAI key (ftai_..., 53 characters)

Steps

Open Agent Settings
Press Ctrl+Shift+P (Cmd+Shift+P on Mac) and run agent: open settings.
Add the provider
Under LLM Providers press Add Provider, choose OpenAI, and enter the provider name, API URL, model ID, context window (for example 128000), and your key. Save.

Or use settings.json

The same provider in Zed's settings.json. Zed then reads the key from the FREETHEAI_API_KEY environment variable, or from the key you saved in Agent Settings.

json

{
  "language_models": {
    "openai_compatible": {
      "FreeTheAI": {
        "api_url": "https://api.freetheai.org/v1",
        "available_models": [
          { "name": "fta/zai/glm-5.3", "display_name": "GLM 5.3", "max_tokens": 128000 }
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

How this guide was checked: Checked against Zed's docs (OpenAI-compatible endpoints) on 2026-09-29.

Troubleshooting

Where is Add Provider in Zed?

In the agent panel settings (agent: open settings), in the LLM Providers section.

Common errors

401: the key is wrong or incomplete. Paste the whole key.
403: check in for today, or confirm your email.
404: the model ID or URL is wrong.
429: daily limit reached, or too many requests at once.

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