01 · ABOUT

What Zed does

Zed is a code editor for macOS, Linux and Windows. It uses the Model Context Protocol to connect to MCP servers, and currently supports their tools and prompts.

Why teams reach for it: Zed is a code editor that is itself the MCP client: servers are installed from Zed's extension list or added by hand as local or remote entries under Settings → AI → MCP Servers - a remote server with no Authorization header triggers the standard MCP OAuth flow - and the servers configured there can also be forwarded over ACP to external agents.

Desktop appOpen SourceRustPythonInno SetupTree-sitter QueryWGSLRich Text FormatMetalHLSLJavaScriptTypeScriptJuliaObjective-CRenderScriptMCP Client
02 · TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

How Zed compares

Fields the vendor doesn't document are left blank here rather than guessed — a blank means nothing verified, not a "no."

Platform
Desktop app
Transports
stdio, Streamable HTTP
Client Registration Mode
CIMD, DCR, manual
Tools
Yes
Resources
No
Prompts
Yes
Config Scope
user or global, workspace or project
One Click Install
Gallery
Open Source
Yes
03 · NEW TO MCP?
Which host will connect to the server?

A client, or agent host, is the application — like Claude or Cursor — that actually connects to and uses an MCP server.