r/openrouter Discussion: GLM-5.2 Free Endpoint (Hosted by Decart): Availability and Limitations

Summary of key content

u/Free_Truck_7609 discovered a free GLM endpoint hosted by Decart on OpenRouter (launched "about a day ago"). It had reliability problems at first, then stabilized at close to 100% availability.

Important limitations revealed in the comments

• Quantization: u/RepulsiveRaisin7 pointed out that the endpoint uses FP4 quantization ("Ok it is FP4, but still...").

• No tool calling: u/DominikPlays: "No tool calling, so it's useless"; u/Ysn123987: "It does not allow any tool use; it's just a simple chatbot" — essentially unusable for agent or coding purposes.

• Context: u/Ok_Philosophy_4031 pointed out that it has a 128k context window (far smaller than the official 1M).

• Rate limits and stability: u/CraftyCheeseburger ran into rate limiting on Decart's side; u/Urmomsmellgood: "now its gone" (the endpoint has disappeared or been taken offline).

• Questions about the motivation: u/Adventurous_Bus_437 and u/Eyelbee questioned the motivation behind offering it for free (stress testing/data); u/fyndor said the free endpoint was "kicked out just as it got started, so it can't do anything serious."

Evidence highlights and scope

• What the conclusion points to: The free GLM-5.2 endpoint on OpenRouter (Decart) is a restricted version — FP4 quantization, a 128k context window, and no tool calling. It is suitable for single-turn casual chat or small tests, but not for agent or coding workflows; the endpoint is also unstable (rate limiting and takedown).

• Limitations: Everything comes from community reports and personal experience, with no official confirmation; free endpoints can change at any time. Its capabilities differ dramatically from the official API/Coding Plan (1M context, tool support, and tool_stream), so the free endpoint's performance must not be treated as GLM-5.2's true capability.

• Use case: A reminder of where to try GLM-5.2 for free: use the official API or GLM Coding Plan for full capabilities. It also reinforces the shared conclusion of document 05 (local deployment with Colibri) and document 06 (differences between PoeAI-hosted versions): the channel determines the experience.

Key quotes from the original

"No tool calling, so it's useless."

"It did not allow any tool use. Just a simple chatbot like on www."

"Free endpoints are relatively useless, unless you want to do some simple single prompt test."