Zed + AI

Where Zed + AI shines

Zed is a fast, multiplayer code editor; Zed + AI adds repo-aware chat and completions that keep up with Zed’s speed. You can ask questions about your codebase, generate small functions/tests, and collaborate live with teammates while AI suggests edits—useful when you want instant feedback with minimal latency.

Zed’s core strengths—low latency, minimal UI friction, and multiplayer editing—carry into its AI features. Completions arrive quickly and respect nearby code, while chat can cite files and jump you to definitions. In a live session, teammates see the same context and can co-edit while discussing AI suggestions, which shortens review cycles for small features and bug fixes. The editor’s tight terminal and Git integration keep you in flow: write, run, fix, commit.

For day-to-day work, Zed + AI is great at glue code (parsers, adapters), tests, and documentation updates, particularly when you ask for behavior first and let the model fill the mechanics.

Use Zed + AI as your everyday companion in a fast editor. Upstream, write intent in comments and TODOs, keep linters/types on, and pin toolchain versions so suggestions compile. Midstream, accept small changes you understand, run tests often, and use multiplayer sessions for pair programming and code review with context shared. Downstream, create clean PRs and keep the AI-generated parts clearly documented. For unknown areas, ask the assistant to map the call chain and to produce a short “how this module works” note for your docs.

If you work in a monorepo, combine Zed’s search with AI chat to jump between packages quickly and avoid dead ends.

As with any LLM assistant, treat outputs as drafts. Enforce security and performance checks (input validation, SQL parameters, memory/allocations). Keep secrets out of prompts and repos. Large automated sweeps can create noisy diffs; prefer targeted changes. Ensure license policy compliance for generated code. For teams, agree on where AI is allowed (e.g., not in crypto/auth modules) and keep review standards unchanged.

At a glance

Coverage & data

Plans & limits

Community signal

Compared to similar tools

Zed + AI couples a very fast, multiplayer editor with grounded assistance. Windsurf adds agentic planning/execution; Cody emphasizes search/citations over large repos; Copilot focuses on ubiquitous inline completion.

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