# Can you run Zed in the terminal? A terminal alternative

> Zed has no terminal (TUI) mode; it is a GPU-rendered desktop app. Here is how Zed's remote mode works and which terminal editors give you Zed-style features.

Source: https://skink.cc/articles/zed-in-the-terminal/

No. Zed is a desktop application with a GPU-rendered window, and it has no terminal (TUI) mode. The `zed` command line tool opens files in the Zed app; it does not draw inside your terminal.

Zed's remote development runs a headless server on the remote machine, but you still need the Zed app on your computer for the UI. If you want Zed-style features inside a terminal or a plain SSH session, you need a terminal editor, such as Skink, Helix or Neovim.

## What does the `zed` CLI do?

`zed file.rs` or `zed .` opens a file or folder in the Zed GUI, like `code .` does for VS Code. On a machine without a display, there is nothing for it to open.

## Can I use Zed over SSH?

Yes, through Zed's remote development, as long as you run Zed locally:

1. Zed on your computer connects to the server over SSH.
2. It installs and starts a headless Zed server there.
3. Language servers, tasks and the terminal run on the server; the UI runs on your machine.

This is a good setup when you sit at a desktop with Zed installed. It does not help when you are already inside a terminal on the remote side: a jump host, a tmux session, a tablet SSH app, a container shell or a web console.

## Can I run Zed headless and see it in a terminal?

No. The headless server has no UI of its own; it is only the remote half of Zed's remote development. There is no way to attach to it from a terminal.

## Terminal editors with Zed-style features

| Zed feature | Skink | Helix | Neovim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modeless editing | Yes | No (modal) | No (modal) |
| LSP and tree-sitter out of the box | Yes | Yes | Built in, but you configure servers |
| Multiple cursors | Yes | Yes | Plugins |
| Fuzzy file finder, command palette | Yes | Yes | Plugins |
| Git hunks and blame in the editor | Yes | Gutter only | Plugins |
| Built-in terminal | Yes | No | Yes |
| ACP agents (Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Codex) | Yes | No | Plugins |
| Multi-file edit review | Refactor preview | No | Plugins |
| Collaboration | No | No | No |

If you want Zed's feel (no modes, mouse, everything ready on first start) in a terminal, Skink is the closest match. If you are fine with modes, Helix is more mature, and Neovim is the most extensible.

## How Skink brings Zed ideas to the terminal

### Agents over ACP

ACP is the protocol Zed introduced. Skink starts Claude Code (via claude-code-acp), Gemini CLI, opencode, Goose, Antigravity or Codex in the background.

Alt+Shift+A opens an agent panel with the conversation, tool calls and the plan. Files the agent writes are staged and open in a review preview when its turn ends.

### Inline edits

Select code, press Ctrl+G (or type `:ask`), and describe the change. The answer appears as a diff in the file: y accepts a change, n rejects it, Enter applies.

### The rest of the workspace

- **One tab bar** for files, terminals, diffs and search results.
- **Quick open** (Alt+P, or `:recent`) with `>` for commands, `@` for symbols in the file and `#` for symbols in the project.
- **Command palette** on F1, showing each action's key and its typed command.
- **Refactor preview** for rename, code actions, project replace and structural replace: files and hunks with checkboxes and a side-by-side diff.
- **Git** in the gutter, with an inline peek to stage, unstage or revert a hunk.
- **A debugger** (F5, F9 breakpoints, a debug panel on Alt+L).

### What Skink does not have

Collaboration, extensions, GUI niceties (smooth scrolling, image previews, proportional fonts) and Zed's maturity. Skink is alpha.

## Why a terminal editor at all?

- It runs where your code is. Over SSH, the editor, the language servers and git all run on the server, and only screen updates cross the network.
- It works from any terminal on any OS, without installing a GUI app locally.
- It survives disconnects inside tmux.
- It is small. Skink is one static binary that uses about 8 MB of RAM when idle.

## Try it

```sh
curl -fsSL https://skink.cc/install.sh | sh
skink .
```

Full comparison: [Skink vs Zed](https://skink.cc/compare/zed/). Setting up agents: [AI agents](https://skink.cc/tools/ai-agents/).