Zed + xCloud

Manage servers with Zed on xCloud

Managing servers with Zed means asking the Agent Panel in the Zed editor to read your xCloud servers and run reboots, service changes and health checks, with each tool call shown to you before it goes through.

Skill: xcloud:servers
Toolsets: servers, alerts, user
Free with every xCloud account

Set up Zed All Zed guides

YouUse xCloud to list my servers and tell me which have a pending reboot or low disk space.

servers_indexread-only

Agentstaging-1 shows Reboot Required. frankfurt-1 has no warnings, with disk at 54%. Reboot staging-1? Its sites will be briefly unavailable.

YouYes.

servers_reboots_storeneeds approval

AgentReboot started. I read the operation until xCloud reported a verified new boot. staging-1 is back and its sites answer 200.

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 Manage servers 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 list my servers and tell me which have a pending reboot or low disk space.

In practice

How Does Server management Work from Zed?

In Zed you work in the Agent Panel, and the sentence that makes it reach for xCloud is the one that names it: use xCloud to list my servers and tell me which have a pending reboot or low disk space. The agent calls servers_index, reads each server's status, and answers with the servers whose status reads Reboot Required or Low disk space, plus their usage. Zed shows the tool calls as they happen, so you can see which servers were read and what came back before you decide what to do about it.

A reboot is where the panel earns its keep. After you pick the server, the agent restates it and says that every site on it will be briefly unavailable, then waits for your yes. It starts the tracked reboot with servers_reboots_store and reads the operation with servers_reboots_show. Only a verified new boot counts as success. If the result stays unconfirmed, the agent investigates and uses servers_reboots_check to look again, instead of rebooting a second time to find out. You get a plain sentence back: the server is on a new boot and its sites answer.

Zed also decides how much it asks you. Its agent.tool_permissions.default setting is confirm unless you have changed it, so each tool call stops for a click, and per-tool rules use the key format mcp:xcloud:servers_reboots_store, with xcloud being the name of your server entry. That lets you allow the read tools and keep the reboot, service and firewall tools on confirm. Servers you configure in Zed are also forwarded to External Agents, so an agent you connect to the panel can reach the same xcloud server.

Zed specific: Name xCloud in the prompt. A vague request such as check my servers can be answered from the open project without any xCloud call, and Zed notes that how reliably MCP tools get called varies by model. Keep agent.tool_permissions.default on confirm so Zed asks before servers_reboots_store, servers_services_disable and the firewall tools. On a Zed older than v0.224.0 that setting is agent.always_allow_tool_actions, so make sure it is off before you let the agent near a server.

What xCloud does for server management

xCloud lets the agent list your servers, read their monitoring, and manage services, Node.js and PHP versions, cron jobs, firewall rules, Fail2Ban and sudo users. Changes that can interrupt a server stop for your approval, and a reboot is only reported as done after xCloud verifies a new boot.

Pick the team and the server. The agent works on one team at a time and uses the server you name. If a name is missing or matches several servers, it lists them and asks. It always restates which server it is about to change before it changes it.
Read the state first. It reads the server's status, installed services, runtimes and monitoring figures. A status such as low disk space or reboot required is worth surfacing on its own. Monitoring history is a paid-plan feature, so a free plan answers 403.
Say what will change, then ask. For a service, runtime, cron, firewall or sudo change, the agent names the server, the item and the impact, for example that a Node.js default affects every Node site on the server. It waits for your approval when the change could interrupt a service.
Follow the task to the end. xCloud accepts server work and returns before it finishes. The agent reads the server's task list until the task settles and reports the real outcome, not the acceptance.
Reboot with proof. A reboot starts a tracked operation. The agent reads that operation until xCloud reports a verified new boot. If the result is unconfirmed it investigates and never repeats the reboot just to check.
Buy a server only after approval. A new server is billable. The agent checks what you already have, reads the plans and the card on file, shows the plan, region and price, and waits for a yes. It sends the purchase once with an idempotency key so a retry cannot buy a second server.

Reference

Server management Settings and Limits on xCloud

The facts Zed works within when it manages servers. Where a row names the dashboard, that step stays yours to take there.

Setting or limit	What applies
Inventory	Every server on the team with its status, stack and the sites it hosts, plus the tasks, supervisor processes and site snapshots on a server
Monitoring	Current CPU, memory and disk are readable. Monitoring history is a paid-plan feature: xCloud answers 403 on the free plan, which is a plan limit and not a permission
Services	Install, enable, restart and disable. A restart runs without a server-side prompt; the agent still confirms the exact server, service and impact before any service change, because disabling ssh, nginx or a database can lock you out or cause downtime
Node.js versions	Read the installed versions and set the default. The default is server-wide and affects every Node site on the server
PHP versions	Install, uninstall, set the default, patch and toggle OPcache. The server default changes only the command-line php and the version new sites get; it does not change existing sites, and a single site's PHP version is a dashboard setting under Site > Site Settings
Cron jobs	List, create, update, delete, run now and read the last output for server cron jobs. Site cron is a separate resource
Firewall rules	List, create, delete, enable and disable rules with a name, protocol, allow or deny, port and optional source IP
Fail2Ban and IP access	List, ban and unban IP addresses, read the SSH restriction status, and whitelist your current IP or xCloud's own IPs
Sudo users	List, create or update and delete sudo users. A password is a secret and private keys are never returned
Verified reboots	Start a tracked reboot and read its operation; only a verified new boot proves it worked. An unconfirmed reboot can be rechecked without rebooting again
Buying a server	Billable, so it needs an approved plan, region and price, a card on file and an idempotency key. It buys xCloud-managed servers only
Dashboard-only	Resizing or deleting a server, a provider backup of the whole server (Server > Backup), bringing your own server, databases and database users, and PHP settings such as memory limit or upload size

Rules Zed has to follow

A change that can interrupt a server stops for your approval, and the agent names the server, the service and the impact first.
Buying a server is billable: the agent shows the plan, region and price and waits for your yes, and it never retries a purchase without checking your server list first.
A reboot is only reported as done when xCloud verifies a new boot, and an unconfirmed reboot is investigated, not repeated.
Disabling ssh, nginx, a database or a runtime service needs your explicit confirmation immediately before the call, because it can lock you out or take sites offline.
Resizing or deleting a server, provider server backups, bringing your own server and per-site PHP versions are dashboard steps; the agent gives you the path and the dashboard link xCloud returned.

Example prompts

What Can You Ask Zed to Do for Server management?

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 list my servers and tell me which have a pending reboot or low disk space.

Prompt

Use xCloud to reboot the staging server, then tell me when xCloud reports a verified new boot.

Prompt

Use xCloud to show the recent tasks on the Frankfurt server and tell me whether any failed.

Prompt

List all my xCloud servers with CPU, RAM and disk usage, and flag any server above 80% disk.

Prompt

List the cron jobs on the Frankfurt server with their schedules.

Prompt

Create a server cron job for the WooCommerce Action Scheduler every five minutes. Show me the final command and schedule before creating it.

Prompt

Install Redis on the Frankfurt server and enable the service.

Prompt

Switch the Frankfurt server's default Node.js to the latest LTS major.

Prompt

Reboot the staging server and tell me when it is back.

Prompt

Show me the IP addresses Fail2Ban has banned on the Frankfurt server, and unban 203.0.113.10.

Prompt

Create a new xCloud server on the smallest plan in Singapore. Show me the plan and price first and wait for my approval.

Zed and Server management: Frequently Asked Questions

What people ask before they let Zed manage servers through xCloud.

How does Zed's Agent Panel handle an xCloud server reboot?

You ask in the panel, naming xCloud, and the agent restates the server and asks for your yes. It starts a tracked reboot and reads the operation until xCloud reports a verified new boot. An unconfirmed result is rechecked, not rebooted again.

Can an external agent in Zed use the same xCloud server connection?

Zed forwards the servers you configure to External Agents, so an agent you connect to the Agent Panel can reach the xcloud entry as well. Check how that agent asks for approval before you give it a reboot or a firewall change, because the prompts then come from that agent.

Does the agent ask before it reboots a server?

Yes. A reboot stops for your explicit confirmation, then the agent starts a tracked reboot and reads the operation until xCloud reports a verified new boot. If the result stays unconfirmed it investigates rather than rebooting a second time.

Can an AI agent buy a new server for me?

Yes, but only after you approve it. A new server is billable, so the agent first checks your existing servers, reads the available plans and your card on file, then shows the plan, region and price and waits for your yes. It sends the purchase once, so a retry cannot buy a second server.

If the agent changes the server's PHP default, do my sites change version?

No. The server default changes the command-line php and the version new sites get, and it moves no existing site. Each site keeps its own PHP version, which you change in the dashboard under Site > Site Settings.

Can the agent resize or delete a server?

No. Resizing and deleting a server are dashboard-only, as are a provider backup of the whole server, databases and bringing your own server. The agent can tell you where the control is and give you the server's dashboard link.

Why did the agent say monitoring history is not available?

Monitoring history is a paid-plan feature, so xCloud answers 403 on the free plan. Current CPU, memory and disk readings are still available, and the agent will say that it is a plan limit, not a missing permission.

Other agents