Connect Sawdust to Zed

Published on October 18, 2026

Add https://sawdust.diy/mcp as a custom MCP server in Zed's settings.json and approve OAuth access in your browser.

Zed's Agent Panel connects to remote MCP servers configured under context_servers in settings.json and handles OAuth sign-in in your browser.

1. Add Sawdust to Zed's settings.json

In Zed, open the Agent Panel menu and choose MCP Servers -> Add Custom Server (or open ~/.config/zed/settings.json with zed: open settings file) and add sawdust under context_servers:

{
  "context_servers": {
    "sawdust": {
      "url": "https://sawdust.diy/mcp"
    }
  }
}

2. Approve access in your browser

Save settings.json. When Zed connects to sawdust, it opens your browser to Sawdust's OAuth consent screen. Sign in if prompted and click Approve.

Sawdust OAuth consent screen asking to connect Zed with read and edit permissions.

3. Use Sawdust in the Agent Panel

Open Zed's Agent Panel, confirm your active profile has sawdust tools enabled, and ask the assistant to list or edit your Sawdust projects. You can revoke Zed's access anytime in Sawdust under Settings -> Connected assistants.