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Retain7

Retain7 for Zed

Shared memory for the Zed agent

Zed's agent works from the buffers you hand it. The decision a teammate settled in another editor or tool, and the approach that already failed, are not among them.

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How it works

One memory, shared across your tools

Add retain7 under context_servers in settings with its URL. Zed prompts you to sign in the first time, and the agent can then search and save to the same project memory as your other tools.

Saved in Cursor

Background jobs must be safe to run twice.

Found in Zed

The next session searches before it answers, so the decision is already in its context.

An example memory, not customer data.

Setup

Add Retain7 to Zed

A minute or two, once. The same steps are in the docs.

  1. Open the settings file (run zed: open settings file) and add this. Leave out headers so Zed signs in with OAuth:

    {
    "context_servers": {
        "retain7": {
            "url": "https://retain7.com/mcp"
        }
    }
}

  2. Zed prompts you to sign in the first time. Approve it in the browser.

  3. So every session checks the team memory before it answers, add this line to the Zed Rules Library (default rules):

    This team keeps its project memory in Retain7. Before answering how this project does something, call the retain7 memory_search tool.

Works with the rest

Your team does not have to use Zed

A project has one memory. Whatever the tool, the same decisions and failed attempts come back.

Questions about Zed

Where do I configure Retain7 in Zed?

In settings.json under context_servers, or in Settings, AI, MCP Servers with Add Remote Server.

Do I need a token for Zed?

No. Leave the headers out and Zed runs the standard MCP sign-in. A static token would go in an Authorization header instead.

Can Zed share a memory with editors my team uses?

Yes. A project's memory is matched by its git remote, so teammates on Cursor, VS Code or Claude Code read and write the same one.

Is there a plugin to install?

No. Retain7 is a remote server added through settings, so there is nothing to install in Zed.

Give Zed a memory that lasts.

Free for 14 days on the Team plan. No card needed.

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