What you need
- Zed
- Node.js 18.17 or newer with
npx - Docker running on the machine
Zed’s Agent Panel uses the SocratiCode MCP tools.
Add the context server
In the project, add SocratiCode to .zed/settings.json. Create the file if it is absent and preserve any existing settings:
{
"context_servers": {
"socraticode": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "--prefer-online", "socraticode@latest"],
"env": {}
}
}
}
If Zed opens the project in Restricted Mode, trust the project so it can start MCP servers from .zed/settings.json.
In Settings → AI → MCP Servers, confirm SocratiCode’s indicator says the server is active. Start a new Agent conversation and request codebase_status.
Index and verify one project
Ask Agent to run codebase_index for the project. Check codebase_status until indexing completes, then use codebase_search for a known function or feature.
Open one returned source location and confirm it belongs to the expected project. The default watcher handles later file changes while the MCP process is running.
Update the connection
After a SocratiCode release, restart the server from Zed’s MCP Servers page and start a new conversation.
For sensitive projects, review source-code boundaries before indexing. For a system spread across repositories, read cross-repository context.