How to add an MCP server to Zed
Zed reads its MCP servers from ~/.config/zed/settings.json and connects to them over stdio (a local process) and Streamable HTTP.
119,293 of the 123,051 servers we can write a config for work in it.
A local server
A local server runs on your machine, started by Zed from its package. It needs Node.js installed first. For example, Azure MCP Server goes in ~/.config/zed/settings.json:
{
"context_servers": {
"azure": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@azure/[email protected]", "server", "start"]
}
}
}A remote server
A remote server runs on its publisher's machines, and Zed connects to its address. Nothing needs installing. For example, Context7 goes in ~/.config/zed/settings.json:
{
"context_servers": {
"context7": {
"url": "https://mcp.context7.com/mcp"
}
}
}Which servers work in Zed
Zed can send a key in a header, so the 3,252 servers that need one work in it.
| Runs | Servers | In Zed? |
|---|---|---|
| Local (stdio) | 85,195 | Works |
| Remote, Streamable HTTP | 30,893 | Works |
| Remote, Streamable HTTP, key in a header | 3,205 | Works |
| Remote, HTTP+SSE | 3,711 | No |
| Remote, HTTP+SSE, key in a header | 47 | No |
If the server does not show up
- A remote server that does not connect
- The environment variables servers ask for
- Zed's own MCP documentation
Matches the official docs The configs follow Zed's MCP docs, read on 2026-10-31.