Zed, the code editor from the makers of the GitHub Atom (RIP!) is getting a direct line to Google"s AI. Gemini CLI, Google"s tool that allows developers to talk to its AI models from the command line, is now built right into the editor.
Google says that thanks to this new integration, you can do things like:
- Generate and refactor code in-place. You can write a comment describing a function you need, hit a hotkey, and the AI will generate the code on the spot without you having to leave the file.
- Get instant answers. If you run into some confusing code or a cryptic error message, you can just highlight the text to get an immediate, contextual explanation from the model.
- Chat naturally in your terminal. For more general questions, you can still use the
geminicommand directly in Zed"s integrated terminal.
There is also a "Follow Agent" feature that lets you see exactly what the AI is doing. While Gemini works on a task, you are not flying blind; you can follow along in real time as the agent reads and edits multiple files across your project.
When the agent completes its work, Zed presents all the proposed changes in an interface that looks a lot like a pull request review. You get a clear diff for every single edit, giving you full control to accept, reject, or manually tweak the changes.
You can also give the agent context that goes beyond your local filesystem, like pointing it to a URL with technical documentation or an API specification.
This Zed and Gemini CLI collab is just the latest in the editor"s ongoing AI-related efforts. The Zed team introduced Zed AI last year, which offers functionality similar to GitHub Copilot. That feature is a hosted service powered by Anthropic"s Claude models and includes an assistant panel and an inline code assistant. The editor also supports other AI backends, letting users plug in their own API keys or use local models on their own hardware.
Understandably, some developers have concerns about privacy or simply do not want AI in their editor. If you are in that camp, Zed now offers a setting to completely disable all of its AI features.