Zed + xCloud

Manage SSL and domains with Zed on xCloud

Managing SSL and domains with Zed means asking the Agent Panel in the Zed editor to read a site's certificate, check its DNS and install or renew HTTPS on xCloud while the project stays open.

Skill: xcloud:ssl
Toolsets: ssl-certificates, sites, integrations
Free with every xCloud account

Set up Zed All Zed guides

YouUse xCloud to check the certificate on shop.example.com.

sites_sslread-only

AgentIt uses xCloud's free certificate and expires in 4 days. DNS points at your server. I can renew it now. Go ahead?

YouYes, renew it.

sites_ssl_renewneeds approval

AgentRenewal accepted. I will poll the status and load https://shop.example.com before I confirm the new expiry.

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 SSL and domains 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 check the SSL certificate on shop.example.com and tell me the provider and the expiry date.

In practice

How Does SSL and domains Work from Zed?

Zed's Agent Panel is a short distance from the file you are editing, so a certificate question can be asked without leaving the project. You type use xCloud to check the certificate on shop.example.com. Naming xCloud in the prompt matters in Zed, because how reliably a model picks MCP tools varies, and the name steers it to the right server. The agent resolves the site by domain, reads its SSL state and the list of certificates, and the panel shows each tool call as it happens. You get the provider, the status and the expiry date back, usually in a handful of lines.

Zed gives you a clear view of what the agent is doing, and that helps for certificates. Each xCloud call appears in the panel, and with the permissions default left at confirm, Zed asks before an MCP tool runs. If you want reads to go through quietly, per-tool rules in settings.json use keys of the form mcp:xcloud:tool_name, so you can allow the certificate status and the DNS check and leave the install, renew and delete tools on a prompt. xCloud then adds its own confirmation for any change and the agent restates the site and provider first. When the install or renewal is accepted, it polls the certificate status and loads the HTTPS URL before it says the work is finished.

Because Zed forwards its configured servers to External Agents, the same xCloud entry can be reached from an agent you run over the Agent Client Protocol too. Domain changes remain outside what the API can do: if you ask Zed to attach another domain to a live site, the agent will list the current domains and give you the dashboard path, Site then Domain.

Zed specific: Zed's approval setting is agent.tool_permissions.default from version 0.224.0, and before that it was agent.always_allow_tool_actions. If you set it to allow for everything, Zed stops asking before an xCloud certificate call, although xCloud still demands its own confirmation for changes. Keep it on confirm, or write per-tool rules with the mcp:xcloud:tool_name key format so that only the read tools skip the prompt.

What xCloud does for ssl and domains

xCloud lets the agent read a site's certificate status, domains and DNS, then install or renew a certificate from xCloud (Let's Encrypt), your own files or a connected Cloudflare account. Adding or changing a domain on an existing site stays in the dashboard, and the agent gives you the path.

Find the site and read its SSL. The agent resolves the site by name or domain, then reads its current SSL state and the list of certificates before it changes anything. That shows the provider, the status and the expiry date.
Check the domain and DNS. It reads the site's primary and additional domains and asks xCloud whether the domain's DNS record points at the server. Each check is one lookup, so the agent repeats it while a record propagates. A record behind Cloudflare's proxy is reported separately.
Choose the certificate source. You pick xCloud's free Let's Encrypt certificate, your own certificate, or the team's Cloudflare integration. If the site already uses a different provider, the agent tells you that switching needs an explicit override and asks first.
Install or renew, once you approve. The agent restates the site and the provider, then installs or renews the certificate. A renewal only runs when the certificate is within seven days of expiry unless you ask for a forced renewal. For a WordPress site turning on HTTPS for the first time, it asks whether to run the database search-and-replace.
Poll to issuance and verify. Install and renew report success before issuance completes. The agent polls the certificate status until it settles, then checks the site over HTTPS before it calls the job done.
Hand off domain changes. If you want to add, change or remove a domain on an existing site, the agent gives you the dashboard path (Site > Domain) and the site's dashboard link, because the API only reads domains after creation.

Reference

SSL and domains Settings and Limits on xCloud

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

Setting or limit	What applies
Certificate status	A site's SSL state, its certificate list and one certificate's detail and status are all readable
xCloud certificate	Free Let's Encrypt certificate issued and renewed by xCloud. The domain's DNS should already point at the server before you ask
Custom certificate	You supply the PEM certificate and its private key. The key is a secret and is never returned by a read
Cloudflare certificate	Uses the team's connected Cloudflare account. When the zone is connected, xCloud writes the DNS record and the certificate itself at site creation
Switching provider	Needs an explicit force when another provider is already configured, so the agent asks before it replaces a working certificate
Renewal rule	A renewal does nothing unless the certificate is within seven days of expiry; a forced renewal skips that guard. Renewing needs the site SSL permission on your team role
WordPress first HTTPS	An optional database search-and-replace moves existing http:// URLs to https:// when a WordPress site adopts HTTPS for the first time
DNS check	One lookup per call. A proxied Cloudflare record is flagged, and on a Cloudflare-managed site the proxied record is the finished state, not a fault
Domains (read)	The primary domain, additional domains and the domain update status are readable through the API
Domains (write)	Adding, changing or removing a domain on an existing site is dashboard-only: Site > Domain. A staging site goes live under Site > Domain > Go Live
Deleting a certificate	Available through the API, but it can take a site off HTTPS, so the agent restates the target and waits for your approval
Cloudflare 526 errors	A 526 or a certificate warning is an SSL problem, so the agent reads the certificate first. A 522 is different: it usually means ports 80 and 443 are blocked at the origin

Rules Zed has to follow

Installing, renewing, switching or deleting a certificate stops for your approval, and the agent names the site and the provider before it asks.
A success response means xCloud accepted the work, not that the certificate was issued: the agent polls the status and checks the live HTTPS URL.
The agent never replaces a working certificate with a different provider without telling you, and it never turns off the Cloudflare proxy on a site xCloud manages through Cloudflare.
Changing a domain on an existing site is a dashboard step; the agent gives you the path and the dashboard link xCloud returned, not a made-up workaround.
A custom certificate's private key is a secret: it is never returned by a read and should not be pasted into a shared channel.

Example prompts

What Can You Ask Zed to Do for SSL and domains?

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 check the SSL certificate on shop.example.com and tell me the provider and the expiry date.

Prompt

Use xCloud to check whether DNS for example.com points at my Frankfurt server and whether Cloudflare's proxy is on.

Prompt

Use xCloud to renew the certificate on shop.example.com and confirm the site loads over HTTPS afterwards.

Prompt

Check the SSL certificate on shop.example.com and tell me when it expires.

Prompt

Is the DNS A record for example.com pointing at my Frankfurt server yet? Tell me if the Cloudflare proxy is on.

Prompt

Issue a free SSL certificate for example.com once DNS resolves, then confirm the site loads over HTTPS.

Prompt

Renew the certificate on the shop site and tell me the new expiry date.

Prompt

List every domain and additional domain on the shop site and say which is primary.

Prompt

Which of my sites have a certificate that expires in the next 30 days?

Prompt

Use my connected Cloudflare account for the certificate on shop.example.com, and show me what will change first.

Prompt

Visitors get a Cloudflare 526 error on shop.example.com. Check the certificate and tell me what is wrong.

Zed and SSL and domains: Frequently Asked Questions

What people ask before they let Zed manage SSL and domains through xCloud.

Why should I say use xCloud in my Zed prompt for SSL questions?

Zed notes that how reliably an agent calls MCP tools varies by model. Naming xCloud in the prompt points the model at the right server and its certificate and DNS tools, so a question about a domain is not answered from general knowledge.

Can I let Zed read certificates without asking but still confirm renewals?

Yes. Leave the default permission on confirm and add per-tool rules for the read tools using the mcp:xcloud:tool_name key format. Install, renew and delete keep their prompt, and xCloud asks for an explicit confirmation for those on top.

Can an AI agent add a domain to an existing site?

No. The API reads a site's domains, additional domains and domain update status, but adding, changing or removing a domain on an existing site is a dashboard step under Site > Domain. A domain is chosen when the site is created. The agent can tell you what is currently set and give you the path.

Which certificate options can the agent install?

Three: xCloud's free Let's Encrypt certificate, a custom certificate you supply, and a certificate through your connected Cloudflare account. The agent checks the current state first and asks before it changes anything. Switching a site from one provider to another needs an explicit override.

Why did the agent say a renewal did nothing?

A normal renewal only fires when the certificate is within seven days of expiry. If you need it earlier, ask for a forced renewal and the agent will confirm before it runs. Renewing also needs the site SSL permission on your team role.

Does the agent set up my DNS records?

It reads and checks them rather than writing them. It can tell you whether a domain's record points at your server and whether the Cloudflare proxy is on. DNS and the certificate are written for you only at site creation, when the domain's zone is on a Cloudflare account you connected to xCloud.

What does the agent do about a Cloudflare 526 error?

It treats it as an SSL problem. It reads the site's certificate status and expiry, and fixes it with an installation or renewal after your approval. A 522 is a different fault, usually closed ports 80 and 443 on the origin, so it is checked against the firewall instead.

Other agents