RecipesMCPCoding

Zed with Markup AI MCP

Coding

Overview

Connect Zed to the hosted Markup AI MCP server at https://api.markup.ai/mcp/ so your agent can run brand-voice, clarity, persona, and other content checks inline. Add the remote server and log in through your browser.

You’ll need a Markup AI account to continue. Sign up at https://console.markup.ai/signup.

Native remote (URL-based) MCP servers require a recent version of Zed. Make sure Zed is up to date.

Add Markup AI as a Remote MCP Server

Zed configures MCP servers under context_servers in settings.json. Open Zed settings (Command Palette → Open Settings), switching to the JSON view if needed, then add one of the entries below.

Log in with OAuth
1

Add the server

Add or merge the following under "context_servers", with no headers block:

{
  "context_servers": {
    "markup-ai": {
      "url": "https://api.markup.ai/mcp/"
    }
  }
}

The presence of url marks this as a remote server—no command/args are needed. Merge with any existing context_servers entries instead of duplicating the key.

2

Authenticate

  1. Save settings.json.
  2. Because the server has no Authorization header, Zed prompts you to authenticate using the standard MCP OAuth flow.
  3. Sign in to your Markup AI account in the browser and approve access. Zed stores the token for you—there’s no key to manage.

Because there’s no secret in the file, this entry is safe to share with your team. Each person logs in with their own Markup AI account.

1

Get your API key

  1. Visit https://console.markup.ai/signup and create an account.
  2. Copy your API key from the console.

Store your key securely. Prefer environment variables or a secrets manager over committing keys to code.

2

Add the server with an Authorization header

Pass your key as a Bearer token:

{
  "context_servers": {
    "markup-ai": {
      "url": "https://api.markup.ai/mcp/",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Use either OAuth or an API-key header—not both. Setting an Authorization header is exactly what suppresses Zed’s login prompt, so a bad key surfaces as a connection failure rather than an OAuth flow.

Restart & Verify

  • Restart Zed or reload the window.
  • Open the Agent Panel settings and confirm the markup-ai server is active (green indicator) or that Markup AI tools are available.

Test Your Setup

  • “Check this paragraph for brand-voice drift: [paste text]”
  • “Flag any hard-to-read sentences and rewrite them: [paste text]”

You should see your agent call Markup AI tools to analyze your text.

Troubleshooting

  • Ensure your JSON is valid and the entry sits under context_servers.
  • Verify the URL is https://api.markup.ai/mcp/, including the trailing slash—without it the request redirects and Zed can’t discover the OAuth endpoints.
  • If the login prompt doesn’t appear, make sure the entry has no headers block; an Authorization header suppresses OAuth.
  • Fully restart Zed after changes if tools don’t appear, and confirm you’re on a Zed version that supports remote URL servers.