Set Up ASI:One in Zed

Overview

ASI:One is OpenAI-compatible, so Zed can use it through its OpenAI-compatible provider settings. You declare the provider and its models in settings.json, pick a model in the agent panel, and Zed stores your key in the system keychain.

Prerequisites

• Zed installed.
• An ASI:One API key. Create one at asi1.ai/developer. Keys start with sk_.
• An ASI:One plan that includes asi1-ultra. The same key also works for asi1 and asi1-mini.

Add the provider

Open your Zed settings with zed: open settings in the command palette. Zed keeps them at ~/.config/zed/settings.json on macOS and Linux, and %APPDATA%\Zed\settings.json on Windows. On macOS, that is ~/.config/zed, not ~/Library/Application Support like most Mac apps. Add the provider under language_models:

{
  "language_models": {
    "openai_compatible": {
      "asi:one": {
        "api_url": "https://api.asi1.ai/v1",
        "available_models": [
          {
            "name": "asi1-ultra",
            "max_tokens": 1000000,
            "max_output_tokens": 128000,
            "capabilities": {
              "tools": true,
              "images": true,
              "parallel_tool_calls": true,
              "chat_completions": true,
              "interleaved_reasoning": false,
              "max_tokens_parameter": true,
              "prompt_cache_key": false
            }
          },
          {
            "name": "asi1",
            "max_tokens": 196608,
            "max_output_tokens": 16384,
            "capabilities": {
              "tools": true,
              "images": true,
              "parallel_tool_calls": true,
              "chat_completions": true,
              "interleaved_reasoning": false,
              "max_tokens_parameter": true,
              "prompt_cache_key": false
            }
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

What the fields do:

• max_tokens is the context window Zed assumes for the model. asi1-ultra takes the full 1,000,000 tokens and asi1 takes 196,608. Zed uses it to decide when a thread is full and needs compacting.
• max_output_tokens is the room reserved for the reply. Zed sends it as max_tokens on each request.
• prompt_cache_key stays false. ASI:One answers 400 to request parameters it doesn’t support, and false is what keeps Zed from sending this one.
• To put asi1-mini in the picker too, add an entry for it in the same shape.

Sign in

Zed asks for the API key the first time you use the provider. Open the agent panel, pick an ASI:One model in the model picker, and paste your sk_ key into the prompt. Zed stores it in your system keychain, keyed by the API URL, and reuses it from then on.

Choose the model

To make asi1-ultra the default for new threads and keep long-running threads well inside the window, add:

{
  "agent": {
    "default_model": {
      "provider": "asi:one",
      "model": "asi1-ultra",
      "enable_thinking": false
    },
    "auto_compact": {
      "enabled": true,
      "threshold": "30%"
    }
  }
}

Use asi1-ultra for deep refactors, debugging and reviews, and switch to asi1 for routine edits where speed matters more. See ASI:One Models for the tradeoffs. When thinking is enabled, the model streams its reasoning alongside the answer and Zed renders it as a collapsible thinking block.

auto_compact sets how early Zed summarizes a thread that is filling up. A 30% threshold on asi1-ultra fires compaction with generous headroom left, so long-running threads compact before the window fills instead of failing near the limit. Raise it if threads compact more often than you would like.

Things to know

• Concurrency. Zed allows 4 concurrent in-flight requests per provider and model; requests past that queue silently, which looks like a spinner with no thinking output. If you run many agent threads in parallel, copy the whole asi:one block under a second id such as asi:one-2 and point the extra threads at it. Because the keychain entry is keyed by API URL, the clone picks up your stored key with no re-entry.

Troubleshooting

Next steps

1. Cursor: the same models in the Cursor editor
2. OpenCode: the same models in OpenCode
3. ASI:One Models: choosing between asi1, asi1-ultra and asi1-mini
4. OpenAI Compatibility: which parameters each endpoint supports