Zed is a high-performance code editor built in Rust by Zed Industries, designed for speed and collaborative editing. Zed added MCP support through its context servers feature, which allows the AI assistant to call external tools during conversations. MCP servers are configured inside Zed's main settings.json under the context_servers root key — there is no separate config file. The server format is otherwise straightforward: stdio servers use command, args, and env in the standard structure. Remote servers use url and headers. Zed also supports installing servers via its extension marketplace for a more integrated experience. The getmcp CLI merges the context_servers section into your existing settings.json without touching any other Zed settings.
Quick Install with getmcp
The fastest way to install MCP servers in Zed is with the getmcp CLI:
▸context_servers merged into settings.json: Zed stores all settings in a single file. The getmcp CLI adds the context_servers key without modifying other settings. If you manage settings manually, add the context_servers block at the top level of the JSON object.
▸Server not available in AI assistant: After editing settings.json, open the Zed command palette (Cmd+Shift+P) and run Agent: Restart Language Servers or restart Zed to reload the context server list.
▸settings.json parse error: Zed's settings.json is strict JSON (no comments, no trailing commas). If Zed shows a settings parse error after editing, use a JSON validator to find the syntax issue.
▸Extension-based servers vs config-based servers: Some MCP servers are available as Zed extensions from the marketplace. These are installed differently from config-based servers and managed via Extensions > Installed. Both can be active at the same time.
