CLI Reference

Zed includes a command-line interface for opening files, directories, and controlling the editor from your terminal.

Installation

macOS: Run cli: install from the command palette to create a symlink at /usr/local/bin/zed
Linux: The CLI is included with your distribution's Zed package (binary name may vary)

zed [OPTIONS] [PATHS...]

Command	Description
`zed`	Open an empty Zed window
`zed .`	Open the current directory as a project
`zed /path/to/file`	Open a specific file
`zed /path/to/folder`	Open a folder as a project
`zed file1.rs file2.rs`	Open multiple files
`zed -n /path`	Open in a new window
`ps aux \| zed -`	Read from stdin

Option	Description
`-w`, `--wait`	Wait for all given paths to be opened/closed before exiting
`-a`, `--add`	Add files to the currently open workspace
`-n`, `--new`	Create a new workspace
`-r`, `--reuse`	Reuse an existing window, replacing its workspace
`-`	Read from stdin
`--foreground`	Run Zed in the foreground (useful for debugging, shows all logs)
`--zed <PATH>`	Custom path to Zed.app or the zed binary
`--dev-server-token <TOKEN>`	Run Zed in dev-server mode with the given token
`--diff <OLD_PATH> <NEW_PATH>`	Open a diff view comparing two files (can be used multiple times)
`--user-data-dir <DIR>`	Set a custom directory for all user data (database, extensions, logs)
`--uninstall`	Uninstall Zed and all related files (Linux/macOS only)
`--version`	Print Zed's version and the app path

You can open a file at a specific line and column:

zed /path/to/file:42      # Open at line 42
zed /path/to/file:42:10   # Open at line 42, column 10

Open the current directory in Zed:

zed .

Open a file and wait for it to close (useful for Git commit messages):

GIT_EDITOR="zed -w" git commit

Pipe command output into Zed:

cat /var/log/system.log | zed -

Open multiple files in a new window:

zed -n src/main.rs src/lib.rs

Compare two files:

zed --diff old_version.rs new_version.rs

Add files to an existing workspace:

zed -a additional_file.rs