Zed, the open-source code editor that focuses on speed and open source technologies, now allows users to disable its AI features completely.
In a blog post published on July 23, Zed announced a new global setting — “disable_ai”: true—which users can add to their settings.json file to disable all AI functionalities. This change is available in preview today and will be included in the stable release next week. A single onboarding switch to disable AI will also roll out soon for new users.
“If you don’t want AI in your workflow, it won’t be there,” the team noted.
Zed’s team cited community feedback, particularly on GitHub, as the driving force behind the decision. Developers raised concerns about AI’s environmental impact, training data ethics, and organisational policies that restrict AI usage.
“We’ve heard these concerns from our users, and we agree these are valid engineering decisions,” the post read.
Zed offers alternatives to support for local AI models for increased privacy. The option to use personal API keys with preferred providers, and a zero-retention policy with Anthropic for requests sent to Zed’s own AI service.
Despite its strong focus on AI, as evidenced by its ongoing agentic engineering, Zed maintains its commitment to user choice.
Zed is positioning itself as a faster, Rust-based alternative to AI-powered VS Code forks like Cursor and Windsurf. Built from scratch, it appeals to developers seeking performance, simplicity, and local-first AI features. Users praise its speed, built-in Vim mode, and agentic editing without reliance on internet connectivity.
The editor, available under a GPL licence, continues to expand its features for both AI and non-AI workflows. Upcoming priorities include support for Windows and broader compatibility with AI models.
