Please without AI: Source code editor Zed offers an off switch for AI functions
At the request of the community, AI support can now be deactivated in the "fastest AI code editor".
(Image: Shutterstock/Sansoen Saengsakaorat)
Anyone using the Zed source code editor will be able to switch off all AI functions with a single setting in future. This is the project managers' response to requests from the community.
The team behind the open source editor declared Zed to be the fastest AI code editor in a blog post in May 2025. Zed is written from scratch in Rust and has been available as an open source project under a GPL license since January 2024. Its beginnings were on macOS, followed by Linux in July 2024 and an official Windows version is also planned.
Videos by heise
AI editor without AI
Even though the often useful AI tools are now part of everyday software development for many, there are legitimate concerns about code quality and potentially generated vulnerabilities or about the data and source code that leave the company when AI tools are used.
The Editor's GitHub repository has already been the site of discussions and issues since 2024 that call for an off switch for AI functions.
The project managers have now reacted and introduced a setting in the settings.json file in the current preview that deactivates all AI functions:
{
"disable_ai": true
}A switch in the AI settings within the UI of the editor is also planned for the near future, which will also disable all AI functions.
(Image: Zed)
Data protection despite AI
The blog post on deactivating the AI functions emphasizes that those who are primarily concerned about data protection do not necessarily have to deactivate the AI functions.
Zed offers a free choice of AI provider and also enables the use of local AI models via Ollama so that the code and data do not leave the computer.
Further details on the background can be found on the Zed blog.
(rme)
