Zed

Install context-mode in Zed, an MCP-only editor that registers context-mode through context_servers with advisory AGENTS.md routing.

Zed is a code editor with first-class MCP support but no hook pipeline. context-mode runs purely as an MCP server registered in Zed's context_servers configuration, so routing the data-heavy work into the sandbox is driven by the AGENTS.md instruction file rather than enforced by hooks.

Zed is MCP-only. There is no hook adapter, so context-mode cannot intercept tool calls automatically. The model follows the AGENTS.md routing rules voluntarily, which lands at roughly 60% adherence. See Tool selection for how routing decisions are made.

Install

No global install is required — Zed launches the MCP server on demand with npx. Register the server, then add the routing file.

Register the MCP server

Add context-mode to the context_servers object in Zed's settings file at ~/.config/zed/settings.json. The npx -y context-mode command fetches and runs the server without a global install.

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "context-mode": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "context-mode"]
    }
  }
}

Add the routing instructions

context-mode ships its routing rules as AGENTS.md (sourced from configs/zed/AGENTS.md in the package, with an inline fallback if it is missing). Zed reads AGENTS.md natively, and the rules in it tell the model to send analysis, parsing, and large command output through the ctx_execute and ctx_search sandbox tools instead of into the context window.

Verify

Confirm the install with the doctor. It checks language runtimes, the FTS5 knowledge base, and MCP registration, then reports anything that needs attention.

Verify the setup

context-mode doctor

The terminal doctor needs the global binary (npm install -g context-mode). Since the registration above uses npx, run npx -y context-mode doctor if you have not installed it globally. Because Zed exposes only MCP integration, the doctor reminds you that there is no hook layer — that warning is expected.

Tool selection

How context-mode decides what to route into the sandbox.

Configuration

Environment variables, storage, and routing files.