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Connect Zed with a guided setup →

The guided connect page mints your key, lets you pick models from the live catalog, and generates the exact settings.json block below for them — then confirms the moment your first request arrives.
Everything below is the manual equivalent. Zed reads custom providers from settings.json under language_models.openai_compatible (Zed’s OpenAI-compatible provider docs). One aireserve entry pointed at the gateway’s OpenAI surface serves every gateway model — Claude models included, since the gateway bridges them — with streaming, tool calls, and image input intact.

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1. Merge the settings block

Open settings.json (in Zed press ⌘, or run zed: open settings) and merge this block. If you already have a language_models section, add the aireserve entry inside it:
Add any other gateway model the same way — name is the gateway model id (see Models), and Zed requires max_tokens (the model’s context window) on every entry. max_output_tokens and capabilities are optional; the guided page fills all three from the catalog for the models you pick.
Keep the /v1 suffix on api_url. Zed appends /chat/completions to it — without /v1 every request 404s.

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2. Give Zed your key

The settings block deliberately holds no secret — Zed never reads API keys from settings.json, so the block is safe to commit to dotfiles. Provide the key one of two ways:
  • In Zed: open the agent panel, choose Settings (or run agent: open settings), find the aireserve provider you just added, and paste your aireserve_api_… key. Zed stores it in its credential store.
  • From the shell: Zed derives the env var from the provider id (uppercase + _API_KEY), which lands exactly on the gateway’s convention:
Restart Zed after exporting so it picks the variable up.

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Verify

Open the agent panel, pick an AI Reserve model in the model selector, and send any message. The reply streams back through the gateway, and the request appears on your usage page seconds later — metered and billed to your organization’s wallet.

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Changing models later

Rerun the guided page with a different selection and paste the fresh block over the aireserve entry, or edit available_models by hand. Revoking the key from your API keys cuts Zed off immediately.