Zhizhi Help

• First check that the key and provider are correct and that your account has available credit.
• Zhizhi follows your Windows system proxy (HTTP and SOCKS proxies are supported). Turning your proxy or VPN on or off takes effect immediately, with no restart. If your proxy software quits or its server stops responding, Zhizhi switches to a direct connection automatically. Providers in mainland China (DeepSeek, Alibaba Cloud, Zhipu and others) are reached directly first, so a proxy doesn't affect them.
• If the error appears only when your proxy is turned off, security software on your computer is usually blocking Zhizhi's encrypted connections (for example, Kaspersky's encrypted connection scanning). Add Zhizhi (zhizhi.exe) to the software's trusted applications and allow its encrypted traffic without scanning, then try again. In Kaspersky: Settings → Threats and Exclusions → Specify trusted applications → add Zhizhi and select “Do not scan encrypted traffic” (menu names vary slightly between versions).
• You can also set the HTTPS_PROXY environment variable (for example http://127.0.0.1:7890). Zhizhi tries it first and falls back to the system proxy or a direct connection if it can't be reached.

Symptoms: Zhizhi works with your proxy or VPN on, but with it off you see “Cannot connect to API: read ECONNRESET” or can't connect, and Zhizhi may show a “Network connection blocked” notice. Security software on your computer is blocking Zhizhi's direct connections; it isn't a problem with your network or model service.

1. Confirm it first: turn off your proxy, quit Zhizhi completely (including its icon in the notification area) and open it again. Right-click your security software's icon, choose “Pause protection”, and send a message in Zhizhi. If it replies, security software is the cause. Resume protection afterwards.
2. Add Zhizhi to the trusted applications (Kaspersky shown; menu names vary slightly between versions): Settings → Security settings → Threats and Exclusions → Specify trusted applications → Add, select Zhizhi's program file zhizhi.exe, select “Do not scan encrypted traffic” and “Do not monitor application activity”, then reopen Zhizhi.
   • Downloaded installer: right-click the Zhizhi shortcut on your desktop and choose “Open file location” to find zhizhi.exe.
   • Microsoft Store version: app\zhizhi.exe inside the folder under C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\ whose name starts with CC55EBAE.165717C4F7823_. The folder is hidden; paste the full path into the file name box. The folder name changes with each Store update, so add it again after updating.
3. If that doesn't help: Settings → Network settings → Encrypted connections scan, and choose “Do not scan encrypted connections”. This reduces web protection for all apps, so decide whether that's acceptable for you.
4. Other security software works similarly: add Zhizhi to its trusted list (allowlist) and let its network traffic, especially encrypted traffic, through without scanning. On a company network, the network's security equipment may be the cause; contact your network administrator.

This is the standard SmartScreen notice for newly released software. Click “More info”, then “Run anyway”. You can compare the installer's SHA256 checksum, shown on the download page, to confirm the file hasn't been tampered with. Installing from the Microsoft Store doesn't show this notice.

Yes, that's what it's for. By default it asks for your approval before running a command or modifying a file. Be careful with “Auto-accept permissions” in Settings, and back up important files or keep them under Git.

We don't collect them. However, what you send and any file contents you ask the agent to read are sent to the model provider you chose — please follow that provider's terms. See the Privacy Policy.

Web search uses a third-party search service, Exa, which is usually reachable directly from mainland China. If Exa is unavailable, Zhizhi automatically switches to Microsoft Bing China, which only returns titles and short snippets, so results are briefer. If both fail, security software is most likely blocking the connection; see Blocked by security software. Search keywords are sent to these services; see the Privacy Policy.

Open Settings (Ctrl+,) → General → Language.

Uninstall Zhizhi in Windows Settings → Apps. To also remove all data, delete the .config\zhizhi, .local\share\zhizhi and .cache\zhizhi folders in your user profile.