Source code editor Zed talks directly to Git
The source code editor Zed, written in Rust, now offers a view for managing commits.
(Image: Tero Vesalainen/Shutterstock.com)
With the current release, the source code editor Zed offers a native connection to the version management system Git. According to the team, the integration is one of the most requested features.
Repository overview in the editor window
In the first step, changes to the local repository can be managed via commit and to the remote repository via fetch, pull and push. Zed displays the staging area, i.e. the changes planned for the next commit, in a separate Git panel.
Zed highlights the upcoming changes in the code window and shows the differences to the previous status in the repository. The Git panel shows the affected files.
(Image: zed.dev)
The changes can be made and undone step by step. Zed keeps an eye on the repository to display changes made in parallel via the command line.
With the kind support of your favorite LLM
Since the Zed team has recently focused on the integration of AI functions, it is not surprising that an LLM can also help with the Git integration when formulating the commit message.
Zed can automatically enter other team members involved in the changes as Co-Authored-By. It is also possible to perform a commit in one go without staging, analogous to the command line command git commit -a.
Future plans: Resolving conflicts and keeping an eye on history
The team sees the current functions as a first step towards comprehensive Git integration. Future plans include an overview for resolving merge conflicts and line-based staging instead of block-based staging.
In addition, a history view will display the most recent commits and the associated changes.
High-performance editor with Atom roots
The source code editor Zed may only have the version number 0.177 with the current release, but it has been enjoying growing popularity for some time now. This is mainly due to the fact that the editor is extremely performant.
Unlike Cursor or Windsurf, Zed is not a fork of VS Code, which is based on the Electron framework, but is written natively in Rust. The proprietary UI framework gpui in particular is significantly more performant than Electron.
The fact that Zed's way of working is reminiscent of the open source editor Atom, which is also based on Electron, is mainly due to the fact that a significant part of the Atom team is behind Zed.
Zed has been an open source project since January 2024.
Further details on Git integration, including a description of the changes the team had to make under the hood, can be found on the Zed blog.
(rme)