How to Setup MCP in Zed Editor
Step-by-step setup guide for connecting Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers to Zed Editor by Zed Industries.
Configuration File: settings.json
%APPDATA%\Zed\settings.json
Example settings.json Template
Open in Config Generator{
"context_servers": {
"github": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
"env": { "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "ghp_..." }
}
}
}Installation Steps
Locate settings.json
Find the configuration file at %APPDATA%\Zed\settings.json.
Add MCP server entries
Open the file and add your server definitions inside the configuration schema.
Set environment variables
Provide any required API keys, database URLs, or access tokens in the environment section.
Save and reload
Save settings.json and hot-reload or restart Zed Editor.
Verify in chat
Ask Zed Editor to list tools or execute a task with the connected MCP server.
Zed Editor Protocol Support
Native Rust stdio process manager
Planned in upcoming release
Assistant tool execution
Zed file context provider
Inline slash commands (/mcp)
Project workspace
Auto-reloads on settings change
Zed Editor Setup FAQ
Where is the Zed Editor MCP config file located?
On Windows: %APPDATA%\Zed\settings.json. On macOS: ~/.config/zed/settings.json. On Linux: ~/.config/zed/settings.json.
Does Zed Editor support MCP tools and stdio transports?
Zed Editor supports stdio transports and supports autonomous tool calling.
How do I reload MCP servers in Zed Editor?
Auto-reloads on settings change