The open-source code editor Zed has launched a new Parallel Agents feature, allowing developers to run multiple AI agent threads simultaneously within the same editor window. Each thread can independently choose a different agent — supported third-party agents include Claude Code, GitHub Copilot CLI, and Gemini CLI — all connected through Zed's Agent Client Protocol (ACP).
The new Threads Sidebar panel groups all threads by project, with one-click start, stop, and archive controls. Each thread supports independent working tree permissions, so developers can decide which folders and repositories a specific agent can access — or let a single thread read and write across multiple repositories. Zed claims the editor remains smooth at 120fps even under stress tests with hundreds of threads loaded. The feature is included in the latest release, and it's fully open source.