Zed Editor

Connect Zed, the high-performance editor from the creators of Atom, to Cheapa API for AI-assisted coding.

What This Does

Zed is a blazing-fast code editor built for the AI era. Its built-in AI assistant panel supports custom OpenAI-compatible endpoints. By configuring Zed to use Cheapa API, you get access to Kimi, DeepSeek, MiniMax, Qwen, MiMo, GLM, and Gemma — all through Zed's native chat interface with unified billing through your Cheapa API account.

Setup

Step 1: Open Zed Settings

Launch Zed
Open the command palette: Cmd+Shift+P (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+P (Linux)
Search for zed: open settings and select it

This opens your settings.json file.

Step 2: Configure Cheapa API Models

Add the following to your settings.json:

{
  "language_models": {
    "openai": {
      "api_url": "https://api.cheapaapi.com/v1",
      "available_models": [
        {
          "name": "kimi-k2.7-code",
          "display_name": "Kimi K2.7 Code",
          "max_tokens": 128000
        },
        {
          "name": "kimi-k2.6",
          "display_name": "Kimi K2.6",
          "max_tokens": 128000
        },
        {
          "name": "deepseek-v4-pro",
          "display_name": "DeepSeek V4 Pro",
          "max_tokens": 128000
        },
        {
          "name": "minimax-m3",
          "display_name": "MiniMax M3",
          "max_tokens": 1000000
        },
        {
          "name": "glm-5.1",
          "display_name": "GLM 5.1",
          "max_tokens": 128000
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

Step 3: Add Your API Key

Set your API key via the command palette:

Open command palette: Cmd+Shift+P
Search for Sign In to OpenAI
Paste your Cheapa API API key

Get your API key from cheapaapi.com/keys.

Step 4: Select a Model

Open the AI Assistant panel (Cmd+Option+Enter or via View menu)
Click the model dropdown
Select one of your configured Cheapa API models

Recommended Models for Zed

Task	Model	Why
Code generation & refactoring	`kimi-k2.7-code`	Moonshot's code-tuned K2.7 — best for code generation
Code generation	`deepseek-v4-pro`	Optimized for code
Complex refactoring	`kimi-k2.6`	Best reasoning
Large context work	`minimax-m3`	1M token context
Quick completions	`glm-5.1`	Fast and economical

Troubleshooting

Authentication failed

Re-enter your API key via the command palette
Verify the key is active at cheapaapi.com/keys

Model not found

Ensure model names in available_models match Cheapa API slugs exactly
Check JSON syntax — missing commas or brackets break the config

Empty responses or errors

Confirm api_url is https://api.cheapaapi.com/v1 (no trailing slash)
Check your balance at cheapaapi.com/billing

Can't see Cheapa API models in dropdown

Save settings.json and restart Zed
Ensure the openai section is nested inside language_models

Notes

Zed's AI features work through the assistant panel and inline commands
The max_tokens field helps Zed understand context limits — set it appropriately
All token consumption appears in your Cheapa API dashboard immediately
Zed is currently macOS and Linux only — Windows support is in development

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