Text Agent Model for Tool Collaboration and Long-Chain Execution
GLM-5-Turbo is a text model optimized by Zhipu for OpenClaw workflows, focusing not only on answering questions, but also on understanding complex goals, breaking down steps, and connecting tool results. It is suitable for agent collaboration in software development, information organization, and ongoing tasks, providing long context, structured output, and streaming response capabilities to help applications organize multi-turn discussions into trackable task workflows.
Choose an available protocol for this model. OpenAI SDK uses a Base URL ending in /v1; Anthropic SDK uses the root URL. See each guide for protocol-specific parameters, tools and response formats.
Specifications and API Features
First, clarify this model's input and standard invocation method.
Model to call
glm-5-turbo
Input and output
Text message input; assistant text output
Standard API
POST /v1/chat/completions;submit model and messages
The application passes relevant history and the current question in messages
Model features
Optimized for OpenClaw instruction following, tool integration, and ongoing tasks
Native model features are for model selection; this platform's input limits, available parameters, and billing are subject to this model's API and pricing. Chat Completions uses stream for continuous output, and the client is responsible for saving message history.
Core Capabilities
Learn what glm-5-turbo can bring to your work.
Break complex instructions into execution steps
GLM-5-Turbo is optimized for multi-layer constraints and long-chain instructions, and can be used to identify goals, arrange steps, and organize agent responsibilities. For tasks that simultaneously include delivery formats, dependency conditions, and completion criteria, it is more suitable to have it form a plan first, then continue based on the results returned from each step.
Continue progressing around tool results
Tool calling is a key optimization focus of this model. Applications can declare functions and parameter structures, allowing the model to choose how to call them and then return execution results to the model. It is suited to workflows that require alternating querying, analysis, and organization, and JSON output also makes it easier to hand task conclusions to business systems for processing.
Focus on timing and continuity in long-running tasks
The model has enhanced its understanding of timing requirements and execution continuity for scheduled triggers, continuous execution, and tasks with long logical chains. You can specify deadline conditions, stage statuses, and follow-up actions in tasks, allowing the model to continue work based on this information; scheduling, state preservation, and tool execution are still handled by the application or session service.
Applicable Scenarios
Start with specific tasks to find where the model can be effective.
Development task breakdown and repair collaboration
Provide requirement descriptions, code text, error logs, and acceptance criteria, and let the model break down troubleshooting steps and propose modification plans based on the inspection results returned by tools. Deliverables can include patch suggestions, test checklists, and change descriptions; actual compilation, testing, and code writing must be completed by configured tools.
Multi-batch data analysis and report organization
Convert materials into text, attach analysis criteria, field requirements, and report structure, and let the model summarize information by topic and generate summaries or JSON records. Long context makes it convenient to include more background materials, while multi-turn interaction is suitable for supplementing data batch by batch and revising conclusions, ultimately producing reports and items pending confirmation.
Connect continuous tasks to the actual runtime environment
OpenClaw is officially optimized for instruction following, tool calling, and long-running task understanding. After integration, the runtime environment manages scheduling, progress, and tool permissions, while the model arranges subsequent steps based on actual results; understanding timing requirements should not be treated as independently running scheduled tasks.
How to choose this model
Choose based on task complexity, input materials, and expected results.
Compared with GLM-5, prioritize agent tasks
GLM-5-Turbo has a clear focus on OpenClaw scenarios, including tool calling, complex instructions, and sustained long-chain execution. The official report shows scenario improvements over GLM-5 in ZClawBench, but this does not mean it is better for all question-answering tasks. If the application relies on multi-step tool collaboration, prioritize comparing completion quality and interruption recovery performance using real tasks.
Preserve supporting materials for results
Retain the version of materials submitted to glm-5-turbo and the actual responses, distinguishing original facts, model suggestions, and actions already completed by the application. Before structured results enter the system, check required fields, value types, and business rules to avoid directly turning missing information into definitive records.
Getting started: Organize OpenClaw tasks into continuous workflows
Arrange the inputs first, then connect them to the corresponding application workflow.
Prepare inputs
Provide the objective, cycle conditions, available tools, permission scope, and actions requiring human confirmation, and set task completion criteria.
Organize calls and follow-up workflows
Explicitly select glm-5-turbo in the Chat Completions request, and organize the context, materials, and output requirements for this run into messages. First use a clearly scoped task to check the response, then include real review or test feedback in the next round of messages.
Practical task example: Organize OpenClaw tasks into continuous workflows
Design tasks directly from the following inputs and acceptance priorities.
Suggested task
Please break this material-organizing task into steps for reading, categorization, deduplication, and reporting; when a tool fails, save progress and explain the next step, and do not expand the scope of operations on your own.
Key checks
In OpenClaw, verify tool calls and state recovery, and check whether long-running tasks are executed repeatedly; scheduling is provided by the runtime environment, while the model is responsible for understanding and planning.
Usage Boundaries
Before formal use, understand the output quality and capability scope.
The native modality of GLM-5-Turbo is text. Images, files, or audio fields in the API should not be interpreted as indicating that it has visual recognition or speech generation capabilities. When handling scanned documents, screenshots, or audio tasks, first obtain text suitable for analysis, or choose a model for the corresponding modality.
Optimization for long-chain execution does not mean the model can independently schedule timed tasks, run permanently, or automatically obtain permissions for external systems. Applications need to save progress, handle tool failures, and set termination conditions; unattended write operations must also comply with authorization scopes and the security requirements of specific tools.
A 200K context and 128K maximum output are native capacity metrics, not capacities that should be fully used for every request. Long workflows should retain task objectives, key results, and stage summaries; when encountering a length finish reason, check the output budget and delivery structure to avoid treating truncated text as a complete result.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to common questions about using glm-5-turbo.
Is GLM-5-Turbo just an accelerated name for GLM-5?
No. It is a model specifically optimized for OpenClaw workflows, with a focus on tool calling, instruction decomposition, time requirements, and long-chain execution. Choose it based on whether the task requires these capabilities, rather than inferring fixed latency or general performance improvements solely from the Turbo name.
What is the minimum required to call GLM-5-Turbo?
When using /v1/chat/completions, specify model as glm-5-turbo and submit messages containing roles and text. For regular responses, read the assistant content from choices; if tool_calls is returned, enter the tool execution and result return flow rather than directly treating the function parameters as the final answer.
Can it automatically execute functions or operate MCP services?
The model supports generating tool-calling decisions, but the execution method depends on the entry point. Chat Completions requires the application to execute functions and return results; v2 sessions can advance tasks using configured tools and authorized connections. Having tool capabilities does not mean that any external service is already connected or authorized for writing.
How do I call glm-5-turbo using the standard API?
Submit model=glm-5-turbo and messages to /v1/chat/completions. Read regular results from choices[].message.content; for streaming calls, obtain incremental results through stream. Use this platform's API Key, and configure the full base URL according to the SDK in use.
How is GLM-5-Turbo's thinking mode controlled?
Native examples use thinking.type to select enabled or disabled, with thinking enabled by default. This platform's Chat Completions request structure provides reasoning_effort, but it is not a control with the same name as the native switch and should not be understood interchangeably; task prompts should still clearly specify objectives, constraints, and acceptance criteria.