Zed + xCloud

Back up and stage sites with Zed on xCloud

Backing up and staging sites with Zed means asking the Agent Panel in the Zed editor to read your xCloud backup state, take a backup before a risky change and create a staging copy of a Git site, naming xCloud in the prompt.

Skill: xcloud:sites
Toolsets: sites
Free with every xCloud account

Set up Zed All Zed guides

YouUse xCloud to check backups on all my sites and list the ones with no schedule.

sites_backupSettingsread-only

AgentChecked six sites. blog.example.com and docs.example.com have no schedule. Native schedules are set under Site, Site Backup, Backup Settings.

YouUse xCloud to back up the blog now.

sites_backup

AgentBackup of blog.example.com completed and stored locally.

Last updated: October 2026. Keep a human in the loop: xCloud stops and asks before anything that creates, deploys, updates, reboots, deletes or buys.

Setup

How Do You Set Up Zed to Back up and stage sites on xCloud?

Connect Zed once; every job on this account uses the same connection. Then ask in plain words.

1
Add xCloud as a remote server
Open Settings, then AI, then MCP Servers, click Add Server and choose Add Remote Server. Or run the zed: open settings file action and add this to settings.json yourself. Zed writes the same entry either way.
JSON
```
{
  "context_servers": {
    "xcloud": {
      "url": "https://app.xcloud.host/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```
2
Sign in and check the dot
Because the entry has no Authorization header, Zed prompts you to authenticate through the MCP OAuth flow. Approve the teams and the access level in the browser. In Settings, AI, MCP Servers a green dot next to xcloud with the tooltip Server is active means it worked. Then ask this in the Agent Panel.
Prompt
```
Who am I on xCloud?
```
3
No browser sign-in? Use an API key
Create a token with the mcp:invoke scope plus the read abilities for the areas it will use (read:servers and read:sites, with read:billing and read:addons for billing and add-on tools) and the matching write: abilities if it should change things in Settings, Developers, API Tokens and add it as a header. With an Authorization header set, Zed skips its OAuth prompt. Replace YOUR_TOKEN with the token, which contains a pipe character, and keep it out of git and out of chat.
JSON
```
{
  "context_servers": {
    "xcloud": {
      "url": "https://app.xcloud.host/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" }
    }
  }
}
```

Check it worked

Then ask Zed for the job itself, for example:

Prompt

Use xCloud to back up shop.example.com now and tell me when the backup has completed.

In practice

How Does Backups and staging Work from Zed?

Zed's Agent Panel opens beside the buffers you are editing, and the prompts that work best there name the server. Use xCloud to back up shop.example.com before I change the checkout tells the model which tools to reach for. Zed notes that how reliably MCP tools get called varies by model, so the phrase Use xCloud to is not decoration. The agent then reads the site, its backup list and status and whether it is a native site or a Docker app, and starts the backup with sites_backup or sites_docker_backup. A backup needs no confirmation from xCloud, so the panel shows the tool call and then one sentence when the backup has completed or failed.

Zed gives you its own control over that moment. Its tool permission setting decides whether the agent asks before it runs a tool, and per-tool rules use the key format mcp:xcloud:sites_backup, so you can let the agent read backup status freely and still be asked before a backup starts. That matters for a Docker app, which stops briefly while its volumes are captured, and the agent says so in its reply. Reads are cheap, so audits suit the panel: ask which sites have no schedule or when the Docker apps last backed up and the answer comes back as a short list you can keep open beside your code.

Staging is a second prompt: Use xCloud to create a staging environment for the API site from the feature/checkout branch. Zed asks you to approve, xCloud creates it for a Laravel, Node.js, custom PHP or Lovable site on a paid plan, and the URL comes back in the panel. Restores and WordPress staging are dashboard-only, so the agent gives the path and the dashboard link and leaves the click to you. If you plan to push staging data back to production in the dashboard, ask for a production backup first.

Zed specific: Zed's approval setting is agent.tool_permissions.default from v0.224.0, and agent.always_allow_tool_actions before that. If you set it to always allow so that questions stop nagging you, a request to back up will run with no prompt from either side, because xCloud does not ask before a backup either. Keep it on confirm, or write a per-tool rule for sites_backup and sites_docker_backup.

What xCloud does for backups and staging

xCloud lets the agent read every site's backup state, start a backup on demand for native and Docker sites, and create a staging environment for Git sites. Restores, storage providers and WordPress staging stay in the dashboard, and the agent tells you the exact path when you ask for one.

Find the site. The agent resolves the site by name or domain, restates which one it is about to act on, and reads whether it is a native site or a Docker app, because the two use different backup operations.
Read the protection state. It reads the backup settings, status, count and recent backups. That answers whether the site has a schedule, when the last backup ran, whether it succeeded and where it is stored, before anything is changed.
Back up now. A backup starts without an approval prompt. A native site takes a local backup by default or a remote one when a storage provider is connected. A Docker app is stopped briefly while its volumes are captured, so the agent says so before it backs up a production app.
Wait for the result. xCloud queues the backup and returns straight away. The agent follows the backup task or row until it is terminal, then reports completed or failed instead of treating the queued response as done.
Stage the change. For a Git site such as Laravel, Node.js, custom PHP or Lovable, the agent creates a staging environment from the branch you name, after you approve, and gives you its URL. A WordPress staging site is a dashboard step, and the agent gives you the path.
Hand off restores and settings. If you ask to restore a backup, change a native site's schedule or add a storage provider, the agent explains that these are dashboard-only and gives the path and the site's dashboard link. It never improvises a workaround.

Reference

Backups and staging Settings and Limits on xCloud

The facts Zed works within when it backs up and stage sites. Where a row names the dashboard, that step stays yours to take there.

Setting or limit	What applies
Native site backup	On demand through the API; the type is local (the default) or remote. A remote backup needs a storage provider with a working connection, otherwise xCloud refuses it with a 422 before anything is queued
Docker app backup	On demand through the API for Compose deploys and most one-click apps. The app is cold-stopped for a moment while volumes are captured. A remote copy goes to an S3-compatible or SFTP provider; Google Drive and pCloud are not supported for Docker apps
Reading backups	Backup list, count, status and settings are readable for every site. Docker apps also expose one backup's detail
Docker backup housekeeping	The agent can label a Docker backup with a note and delete one. Deleting is irreversible, so it names the exact backup by date and note first
Native schedule and retention	Read-only through the API. Change them in the dashboard under Site > Site Backup > Backup Settings
Docker backup settings	Writable through the API: automatic backup on or off, daily, weekly or monthly frequency, and the number of days to keep backups
Restores	Dashboard-only for every site type: Site > Site Backup > Previous Backups > Restore. A backup can also be restored to another site from the same page
Storage providers	Dashboard-only, under Integrations > Storage Provider. Backup settings return a provider's identifier and status, never its credentials
Team-wide backup policy	Applying one backup policy to many sites is dashboard-only, under Global Settings > Site Backup
Git staging	Created through the API for Git sites on paid plans. On the free plan xCloud answers 403 because it is a plan limit, not a permission
WordPress staging	Dashboard-only: xCloud answers 422 when the API is asked for it. Push and pull between staging and production also happen in the dashboard
Snapshots	Snapshots are listed per site. The server-wide snapshot list holds site snapshots, not a server image. Taking or restoring a snapshot, and a whole-server provider backup, stay in the dashboard

Rules Zed has to follow

A backup runs without an approval prompt, but the agent says when it briefly stops a Docker app and does not trigger one on a busy production app without telling you.
A queued backup is not a finished backup: the agent reports completed or failed only after it has read the result.
Restoring a backup, changing a native site's schedule, adding a storage provider and creating WordPress staging are dashboard steps; the agent gives you the path instead of guessing an operation.
Creating a staging environment stops for your approval, and deleting a backup names the exact backup first.
Before you push staging data to production in the dashboard, take a backup of the production site so you can recover if the push goes wrong.

Example prompts

What Can You Ask Zed to Do for Backups and staging?

Type these as written and swap in your own repository, site and server names. Reads and routine actions such as backups, cache purges, PageSpeed scans and vulnerability scans run straight away; creating, deploying, updating, rebooting, deleting, buying or starting a broken-link scan stops and asks first.

Prompt

Use xCloud to back up shop.example.com now and tell me when the backup has completed.

Prompt

Use xCloud to check the backup settings on every site and list the ones with no schedule.

Prompt

Use xCloud to create a staging environment for the api site from the feature/checkout branch and show me the URL.

Prompt

When was the last backup of the shop site, did it succeed, and where is it stored?

Prompt

Check the backup settings on every site and list the ones with no schedule.

Prompt

Take a backup of the n8n Docker app now, before I upgrade it, and tell me when it is done.

Prompt

Switch the n8n Docker app to a daily backup and keep backups for 14 days. Show me the change before you apply it.

Prompt

Create a staging environment for the API site from the feature/checkout branch and give me its URL.

Prompt

List the snapshots of the shop site and tell me which is newest.

Prompt

I need to restore the shop site to last night's backup. Tell me where to click.

Zed and Backups and staging: Frequently Asked Questions

What people ask before they let Zed back up and stage sites through xCloud.

Why does my Zed prompt need to say Use xCloud for a backup?

Because it helps the model choose the xCloud tools. Zed notes that how reliably MCP tools get called varies by model, and naming the server in the prompt, for example Use xCloud to back up the shop site, makes the right tool call more likely than a bare request.

Will Zed ask before the agent starts a backup?

Only if Zed's own tool permission setting asks. xCloud runs a backup without a confirmation prompt, so keep the setting on confirm or add a per-tool rule for sites_backup. Staging creation is different: xCloud stops it for an explicit approval whatever Zed is set to.

Can an AI agent restore a backup for me?

No. Restoring a native or Docker backup is a dashboard step, under Site > Site Backup > Previous Backups > Restore. The agent can list the backups, tell you which one is newest and completed, and give you the site's dashboard link so you can start the restore yourself.

Does the agent ask before it takes a backup?

No. A backup is a routine action, so xCloud runs it without a confirmation prompt. For a Docker app the agent tells you first that the app stops briefly while its data is captured, and it reports the result only after the backup has finished.

Can the agent change my backup schedule?

For Docker apps, yes: it can turn automatic backups on or off, set daily, weekly or monthly, and set how many days backups are kept. For native sites the schedule, retention and destination are read-only through the API, so you change them in the dashboard under Site > Site Backup > Backup Settings.

Can the agent connect my S3 bucket or other storage?

No. Storage providers are added in the dashboard, under Integrations > Storage Provider, so credentials never pass through a chat. Once a provider exists, the agent can read which one a site's backup settings point at and use it for a remote backup.

Can the agent create a staging site for WordPress?

Not through the API. xCloud answers 422 for WordPress staging, so you create it in the dashboard from the site overview. For Laravel, Node.js, custom PHP and Lovable sites the agent can create a staging environment, which needs a paid plan.

Other agents