Claude Bridge

License: MIT Node.js 18+ TypeScript MCP GitHub stars PRs welcome

An MCP server that enables collaboration between Claude Code and Z.ai's GLM models — use Claude Opus for planning while GLM handles implementation.

Combine the strengths of Claude Code and Z.ai's GLM in one workflow. This MCP server lets Opus handle high-level planning while GLM tackles implementation — coordinated through a shared task queue, running simultaneously in separate terminals. Run Claude Code with your Max subscription or API for architecture, and Claude Code with Z.ai (GLM) for execution — both working together at the same time.

Why This Exists

You have a Claude subscription but you're hitting limits. Getting a second Claude subscription is pricey (or upgrading might be too expensive) — but a Z.ai subscription costs less and GLM codes just as well as Sonnet.

The question: How do you make Claude and GLM work together?

The answer: Claude Bridge. An MCP server that coordinates both through a shared task queue.

┌─────────────────────────┐                    ┌─────────────────────────┐
│   Terminal 1            │                    │   Terminal 2            │
│   Claude Opus           │                    │   Z.ai GLM              │
│   (Architect)           │                    │   (Executor)            │
│                         │    Claude Bridge   │                         │
│   • Plans features      │◄──────────────────►│   • Pulls tasks         │
│   • Designs architecture│    (Shared Queue)  │   • Writes code         │
│   • Makes decisions     │                    │   • Reports back        │
└─────────────────────────┘                    └─────────────────────────┘

Quick Example

Terminal 1 (Opus): "Push a task to implement JWT authentication"

Terminal 2 (GLM): "Pull the next task" → implements → "Complete the task"

Terminal 1: "What did the executor complete?" → reviews results

Features

Task Queue — Priority-based with dependencies and categories
Shared State — Project focus and decisions visible to both
Session Context — Resume where you left off
Clarifications — Executor asks questions, Architect responds
Token-Conscious — Designed to minimize Opus usage

When NOT to Use This

If you're using a planning framework like Get-Shit-Done (GSD), you don't need this bridge. Frameworks like GSD store context in project files (.planning/) that both terminals can read directly. Slash commands like /gsd:plan-phase and /gsd:execute-phase work in any terminal.

Use Claude Bridge for:

Ad-hoc tasks, quick fixes, one-off research
Projects without a planning framework
Session continuity across restarts

Skip the bridge if:

Using GSD or similar file-based planning frameworks
Both terminals share the project filesystem

Prerequisites

Node.js 18+ — Download
Claude Code CLI — Installation
Z.ai account — For GLM access (z.ai)
Two terminal windows

Terminal Profile Setup

Same subscription in both terminals? Just run claude in each — no profile setup needed.

Claude + Z.ai GLM? Add this function to your shell profile:

Windows PowerShell (notepad $PROFILE):

function use-glm {
    $env:ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL = "https://api.z.ai/api/anthropic"
    $env:ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN = "your_zai_api_key_here"
    Write-Host ">>> GLM ACTIVE (Executor mode)" -ForegroundColor Cyan
}

macOS/Linux (~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc):

use-glm() {
    export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.z.ai/api/anthropic"
    export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="your_zai_api_key_here"
    echo ">>> GLM ACTIVE (Executor mode)"
}

Usage:

Terminal 1: Just run claude (uses your Claude subscription)
Terminal 2: Run use-glm, then claude (uses Z.ai API)

See GUIDE.md for complete setup details.

Quick Start

# 1. Clone and build
git clone https://github.com/Joncik91/claude-bridge-server.git
cd claude-bridge-server
./setup.sh          # or setup.bat on Windows

# 2. Configure MCP (see GUIDE.md for details)
claude mcp add --scope user --transport stdio claude-bridge -- node /path/to/server/dist/index.js

Documentation

GUIDE.md — Complete setup, terminal configuration, usage, and troubleshooting

Works with Other MCP Clients Too

While designed for Claude + GLM, the bridge is a standard MCP server — it works with any MCP-compatible CLI:

Two Claude Code instances (same or different subscriptions)
Gemini CLI
OpenCode
Qwen Code
Any other MCP client

Security

Claude Bridge sits between two CLIs that hold real API tokens. Three implications worth being explicit about.

API tokens never pass through the bridge. The server's protocol carries tasks, statuses, and results — not credentials. Each terminal authenticates against its own provider directly (your Claude subscription on one side, your Z.ai key on the other). The shell-profile pattern in Prerequisites is there so the terminal session sets ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN — the bridge never reads it.
Don't commit use-glm with a literal key. The shell-profile snippets in this README and GUIDE.md use a placeholder — replace it with ${ZAI_API_KEY} or similar and load the secret from a password manager / system keychain. A literal key in ~/.bashrc is a literal key on every backup of your home directory.
The shared task queue is local to the bridge process. Tasks, clarifications, and reviewer notes live in the bridge's in-memory state. Don't aim two unrelated projects at the same bridge instance — the queue is single-tenant by design.

For team use: each pair of architect+executor terminals should run its own bridge process, not share one. The MCP transport is stdio on the local machine; nothing listens on a network port.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.

Acknowledgments

Built for Claude Code by Anthropic
Designed for Z.ai GLM integration

claude-bridge-server