How to migrate from Windsurf to Zed

aix is a CLI for defining, installing, and syncing AI editor configuration. If you are moving from Windsurf to Zed, this guide shows what aix can carry over, what the destination editor calls each feature, and where the destination config lands.

When you are ready to run the move, aix sync windsurf --to zed copies the supported config from Windsurf into Zed. Use the comparison below first so you know which names, paths, and support differences to expect.

If you want the aix-side definitions first, review rules , prompts , mcp , skills , hooks .

How to use this guide

• Read across a row to compare the source and destination terms, support, and targets.
• Each scope line shows both what the editor supports and what aix writes today.
• Open the destination editor page at the end if you need every path, note, and terminology detail.

The biggest changes are in rules, prompts, mcp.

How to read the statuses

Support key

Editor support

• Supported The editor exposes that feature at that scope.
• No support The editor does not expose that feature at that scope.

aix support

• Native aix writes the editor's own format.
• Adapter aix keeps the feature through an adapter or alternate representation.
• No support aix does not write that feature for the destination today.

Use the Project scope and User scope rows to see where config lands at each level.

Feature comparison

Feature-by-feature differences from Windsurf to Zed.

Feature	Windsurf	Zed
Rules	Rules Project Editor Supported aix Native Path .windsurf/rules/*.md User Editor Supported aix Native Path ~/.codeium/windsurf/memories/global_rules.md	Rules Project Editor Supported aix Native Path .rules User Editor No support aix No support Editor: The editor does not expose this feature at this scope. aix: aix does not have a writable user-scope .rules target for Zed.
Prompts	Workflows Project Editor Supported aix Native Path .windsurf/workflows/*.md User Editor Supported aix Native Path ~/.codeium/windsurf/global_workflows/*.md	Rules Library prompts Project Editor No support aix No support Editor: The editor does not expose this feature at this scope. aix: Zed prompt installs are not supported. User Editor No support aix No support Editor: The editor does not expose this feature at this scope. aix: Zed prompt installs are not supported.
MCP	MCP servers Project Editor No support aix No support Editor: The editor does not expose this feature at this scope. aix: Windsurf does not have a project-scoped MCP config file in aix. User Editor Supported aix Native Path ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json	Context servers Project Editor Supported aix Native Path .zed/settings.json User Editor Supported aix Native Path ~/.config/zed/settings.json
Skills	Skills Project Editor Supported aix Native Path .windsurf/skills/{name}/ User Editor Supported aix Native Path ~/.windsurf/skills/{name}/	Pointer rules Project Editor Supported aix Adapter Path .rules aix: aix appends pointer rules that reference .aix/skills/{name}/. User Editor No support aix No support Editor: The editor does not expose this feature at this scope. aix: User-scoped Zed skills require a writable user rules file, which aix does not have.
Agents	Agents Project Editor No support aix No support Editor: The editor does not expose this feature at this scope. aix: aix reports configured agents as unsupported for Windsurf. User Editor No support aix No support Editor: The editor does not expose this feature at this scope. aix: aix reports configured agents as unsupported for Windsurf.	Agents Project Editor No support aix No support Editor: The editor does not expose this feature at this scope. aix: aix reports configured agents as unsupported for Zed. User Editor No support aix No support Editor: The editor does not expose this feature at this scope. aix: aix reports configured agents as unsupported for Zed.
Hooks	Hooks Project Editor Supported aix Native Path .windsurf/hooks.json User Editor Supported aix Native Path ~/.windsurf/hooks.json	Hooks Project Editor No support aix No support Editor: The editor does not expose this feature at this scope. aix: Zed does not support lifecycle hooks in aix. User Editor No support aix No support Editor: The editor does not expose this feature at this scope. aix: Zed does not support lifecycle hooks in aix.

Recommended follow-up links

• Windsurf support details
• Zed support details
• All guides that start from Windsurf
• Zed to Windsurf