Agent Settings

Agent Settings is the in-panel configuration view for model providers, External Agents, and MCP servers. Open it with {#action agent::OpenSettings} or from the top-right menu in the Agent Panel.

Agent Settings is different from the Settings Editor.

Surface	Opens with	Use it for
Agent Settings panel	{#action agent::OpenSettings}	LLM providers, External Agents, MCP servers
Settings Editor	{#action zed::OpenSettings}	General Zed settings, `disable_ai`, tool permissions, edit prediction provider setup
Settings file	{#action zed::OpenSettingsFile}	Direct JSON edits and settings not exposed in UI

For general settings mechanics, see Configuring Zed.

LLM Providers {#llm-providers}

The LLM Providers section configures model providers for Zed AI features, including Zed Agent, Inline Assistant, Git commit generation, thread summaries, and similar model-backed features.

Use this section to:

sign in to supported subscription-backed providers
enter provider API keys
add OpenAI-compatible providers
remove providers

For the model-access paths and provider-specific setup, see LLM Providers.

Feature-Specific Settings {#feature-specific-settings}

Some Zed AI features have their own model or prompt settings in settings.json, including:

agent.inline_assistant_model
agent.commit_message_model
agent.thread_summary_model
agent.subagent_model
agent.commit_message_instructions
agent.inline_alternatives

Use agent.commit_message_instructions for instructions that apply only to generated Git commit messages:

{
  "agent": {
    "commit_message_instructions": "Use the Conventional Commits format: <type>(<scope>): <description>."
  }
}

For feature-specific model examples, see Feature-specific Models.

External Agents {#external-agents}

The External Agents section configures ACP-integrated agents.

Use Add Agent to:

Install from Registry
Add Custom Agent

For setup details and support boundaries, see External Agents.

MCP Servers {#mcp-servers}

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) Servers section configures MCP servers connected to Zed.

Use Add Server to:

Add Custom Server
Install from Extensions

Each configured server can expose actions such as:

Configure Server
View Tools

For MCP setup, auth, server status, and agent-path boundaries, see MCP.

Some AI settings are not configured in the Agent Settings panel:

Task	Go to
Choose which tools are available in a Zed Agent thread	Agent Profiles
Control whether tool calls are allowed, denied, or confirmed	Tool Permissions
Configure reusable task instructions	Skills
Configure always-on personal or project instructions	Instructions
Configure edit prediction providers	Edit Prediction
Turn AI off	AI Quick Start
Edit raw settings JSON	Configuring Zed

Feature-Specific Models {#feature-specific-models}

Zed supports feature-specific model settings for Inline Assistant, Git commit generation, thread summaries, and subagents. Configure these in settings when you need a different model for a specific workflow.

See LLM Providers for model access, and All Settings for the complete settings reference.

Model Temperature {#model-temperature}

Most Zed AI features use the selected model's default generation behavior. Use agent.model_parameters when you need to set a temperature for a provider, a model, or a specific provider/model pair.

{
  "agent": {
    "model_parameters": [
      {
        "provider": "anthropic",
        "model": "claude-sonnet-4-5",
        "temperature": 0.2
      }
    ]
  }
}

Zed checks matching entries from last to first. An entry can omit provider or model to apply more broadly. For provider-specific model configuration such as custom model entries, context windows, or gateway routing, see LLM Providers and the provider setup pages.

Rules, Skills, and Instructions {#rules-skills-instructions}

Reusable Rules have been replaced by Skills. Always-on Rules have moved to Instructions, including personal AGENTS.md and project instruction files.

Older builds or transitional UI may still refer to Rules. Use Skills for reusable task instructions and Instructions for always-on context.

title: Agent Settings - Zed description: Map the Agent Settings panel to Zed AI setup pages for LLM providers, External Agents, MCP servers, and related settings.