Zed Brings the CLI Back to Center Stage

In Zed 1.3.5, the most noteworthy update isn’t the Git panel or the new model list.

It’s Terminal Threads.

What it does is simple: you can open a terminal thread in Zed’s Agent Panel and directly run:

codex
claude
amp

Or any CLI you’re used to.

This terminal won’t just sit in the terminal pane below. It appears in Zed’s Threads Sidebar, just like a regular Agent Thread—created, switched, reviewed, and closed.

Why Does This Matter?

In the past, the more “orthodox” way to integrate external agents into Zed was through ACP.

The advantage of ACP is depth: editing, review, context, and workflows can all be more tightly coupled with Zed.

But there’s a practical problem: not every useful agent has ACP; and even if it does, it might not be in the form you prefer.

For many people, the real entry point is still the CLI.

Running Claude Code in the terminal, running Codex, running Amp. Environment variables, shell history, project directories, scripts, permissions—they’re all there.

Terminal Threads means: you don’t have to reshape your CLI into another protocol just to fit into the editor workflow.

The CLI itself can become a thread in Zed.

Can You Use ACP Less?

My take: for many daily scenarios, yes.

If you need deep editing integration, ACP is still the better choice. Zed has also made it clear they’ll continue investing in ACP.

But if your core needs are:

• Running multiple agents simultaneously;
• Each agent in its own project context;
• Being able to switch back from the sidebar;
• Getting notifications when tasks finish;
• Staying in Zed without giving up the CLI;

Then Terminal Threads is already a more direct alternative entry point.

That’s interesting.

It used to be: “Good tools have to adapt to a protocol to integrate with the editor.”

Now it’s: “As long as it has a CLI, it can come in and get to work.”

The CLI Still Rules

I like this direction.

Not because the terminal is cooler, but because it’s more like the foundation of a developer’s real work.

Agents are no different.

Eventually, they need to run commands, edit files, check logs, test builds, and review diffs. In many cases, the CLI isn’t a fallback—it’s the shortest path.

Terminal Threads didn’t kill ACP.

But it brought back the choice:

Need deep integration? Use ACP.

Need stability, openness, and the ability to run anything? Go back to the CLI.

So this Zed update, on the surface, is just adding a terminal thread.

But in reality, it’s an admission:

In the AI coding space, the CLI is still the one entry point that rules them all.

References:

• Zed 1.3.5 Release Notes
• Terminal Threads Are Live in Zed