Files
zed/docs/src/ai/rules.md
T
morgankrey 3d700c5042 Restructure AI docs (#57614)
## Summary

- Restructures the AI docs around quick routing, agent paths, provider
access, and company-specific entry points.
- Moves account-owned AI billing/model pages into Account & Billing
while preserving legacy AI redirects.
- Adds focused pages for Zed Agent, external agents, terminal threads,
agent profiles, skills, instructions, API access, subscriptions,
gateways, and local models.
- Updates related links across Git, authentication, business, migration,
and settings reference docs.

## Validation

- `pnpm dlx prettier@3.5.0 . --write`
- `pnpm dlx prettier@3.5.0 . --check`
- `git diff --check -- docs/src`
- Changed-doc local markdown link sanity check
- `mdbook build docs` was attempted; it is currently blocked by an
unrelated existing `docs/src/vim.md:542` action schema error for
`vim::HelixJumpToWord`.

## Follow-up

- Create a ticket to align Zed's in-app AI configuration surfaces with
this documentation model, including Agent Settings, Configure buttons,
Tools, Profiles, MCP, Skills/Instructions, and plain settings.

## Suggested .rules additions

N/A

Release Notes:

- N/A
2026-06-04 15:55:21 +00:00

1.6 KiB

title, description
title description
Rules (Replaced by Skills) Rules have been replaced by Skills and Instructions in Zed.

Rules

Rules have been replaced by Skills and Instructions.

Note: Starting in Zed v1.4.0, on-demand Rules and the Rules Library have been replaced by Skills. Skills are the recommended way to package reusable agent instructions.

Use Skills for reusable task instructions that can be invoked by name or selected by the model. Use Instructions for always-on personal and project context.

.rules Files

Project .rules files remain supported as compatibility project instruction files. See Instructions.

Other instruction filenames are also supported for compatibility with other agents. The first matching file is used:

  • .rules
  • .cursorrules
  • .windsurfrules
  • .clinerules
  • .github/copilot-instructions.md
  • AGENT.md
  • AGENTS.md
  • CLAUDE.md
  • GEMINI.md

Migrating to Skills

Existing Rules migrate automatically:

  • Non-default Rules become global Skills in ~/.agents/skills/, each with disable-model-invocation: true. They remain user-invocable by slash command or @-mention.
  • Default Rules are appended to your global AGENTS.md file (~/.config/zed/AGENTS.md on macOS and Linux, %APPDATA%\Zed\AGENTS.md on Windows).
  • Git commit prompt customizations are also appended to the global AGENTS.md file.

Rules Library content is not deleted, so downgrading to an earlier version of Zed leaves your Rules intact.