Firecrawl MCP server in Zed web scraping at editor speed.
Zed's Agent Panel takes MCP servers through a context_servers block in settings.json. Here's the exact entry for Firecrawl and the restart-and-PATH checklist when it doesn't connect.
Zed keeps configuration radically simple: MCP servers go in the same settings.json as everything else, under a context_servers key. Add one entry and Zed's agent gains Firecrawl's web tools — search, scrape, crawl, and structured extraction (github.com/firecrawl/firecrawl-mcp-server, 6.5k stars).
That's genuinely useful in a fast editor: ask the agent to pull a dependency's real documentation or scrape an API reference while you keep typing, instead of pasting page contents into the prompt yourself.
Two prerequisites
Node.js 18+, because Zed runs the server with npx, and a Firecrawl API key from firecrawl.dev — the fc- prefixed string. The npm package (firecrawl-mcp) is open source and free; the key is what authenticates each scraping request against Firecrawl's hosted API and meters your usage.
Add the context_servers entry
Run the "zed: open settings" command to open ~/.config/zed/settings.json, then add the block below. The "source": "custom" field tells Zed this is a manually configured server rather than one installed from Zed's extension gallery.
{
"context_servers": {
"firecrawl": {
"source": "custom",
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "firecrawl-mcp"],
"env": {
"FIRECRAWL_API_KEY": "fc-YOUR-API-KEY"
}
}
}
}Restart the Agent Panel and verify
Zed reads context_servers when the Agent Panel starts, so restart the panel (or Zed) after saving. In the panel's settings view the firecrawl server should show a running indicator with its tool list underneath.
Smoke test: "search the web for the firecrawl-mcp changelog and summarize the latest release." A real answer with a real URL means the pipeline works end to end. The server's expected tools are also published on its live Loomal listing at https://loomal.ai/marketplace/firecrawl-mcp-server.
Worth knowing what landed in the panel: alongside single-page scrape you get search (query the web, optionally scraping results), map (enumerate a site's URLs cheaply), crawl (fetch a whole site — the credit-hungry one), and extract (pull structured data with a schema). For most editor workflows, scrape and search do the heavy lifting.
Troubleshooting in Zed
Nothing in the panel after saving: restart first — Zed will not hot-load a new context server. Then validate the JSON; Zed's settings file allows comments, but a structural error in the context_servers block still kills it. Make sure the key is context_servers, not mcpServers — configs copied from other clients fail silently on this.
Server shows an error state: the classic macOS issue is PATH. Zed launched from the dock doesn't inherit your terminal's environment, so npx may not resolve — set command to the output of `which npx` to make it deterministic. If the server runs but every tool call fails, it's the fc- key: check for stray whitespace and confirm the key is active in your firecrawl.dev dashboard.
FAQ
How do I install Firecrawl in Zed?
Add a firecrawl entry under context_servers in ~/.config/zed/settings.json with command npx, args ["-y", "firecrawl-mcp"], and FIRECRAWL_API_KEY in env, then restart the Agent Panel. npx downloads the package automatically on first launch.
Where is Zed's MCP configuration?
In the main settings file at ~/.config/zed/settings.json, under the context_servers key. Zed doesn't use a separate MCP file — open it with the "zed: open settings" command.
Why doesn't the server appear after I save settings.json?
Zed loads context servers at Agent Panel startup, not on file save. Restart the panel or Zed itself. If it's still missing, check the JSON structure and confirm you used context_servers — the mcpServers key from other clients' configs is ignored.
Does using this server cost anything?
The MCP server software is open source. Scraping requests run against your Firecrawl account, which has a free tier and paid plans — check firecrawl.dev for current limits. Heavy crawl jobs consume credits fastest.
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