Register Bernstein in Zed¶

Zed reads MCP servers (which it calls "context servers") from its user-global settings file. bernstein desktop-register --host zed merges a bernstein entry under the context_servers key so every Zed session can call Bernstein's tools without manual editing.

The write is idempotent and backup-first: the existing config is copied to a timestamped .bak sibling before any mutating write, and re-running the command when the entry is already correct performs no write.

Config path¶

Run bernstein desktop-register --list to print the resolved path on your machine.

Install¶

bernstein desktop-register --host zed

This writes (merging into any existing context_servers map):

{
  "context_servers": {
    "bernstein": {
      "command": "/path/to/python",
      "args": ["-m", "bernstein.mcp"]
    }
  }
}

command is the Python interpreter that runs Bernstein (resolved at registration time). Unrelated keys (themes, fonts, language servers, etc.) in settings.json are preserved verbatim.

Restart Zed after registering so it reloads its settings.

Telemetry DSN¶

To route Bernstein's side-channel telemetry (lineage, cost, run lifecycle, tracker events) from Zed into your own GlitchTip project, add an env block to the bernstein entry with BERNSTEIN_TELEMETRY_DSN set to a Sentry-compatible DSN:

{
  "context_servers": {
    "bernstein": {
      "command": "/path/to/python",
      "args": ["-m", "bernstein.mcp"],
      "env": {
        "BERNSTEIN_TELEMETRY_DSN": "https://<public_key>@<host>/<project_id>"
      }
    }
  }
}

The same env-var name and wire format are honoured by every host (see docs/observability/side-channel.md), so operators running several hosts in parallel can point them all at one project. Verify with bernstein telemetry probe after restarting Zed.

Verify¶

bernstein desktop-register --list

The zed row should show Registered: yes. In Zed, the Bernstein tools appear in the context-servers menu once the editor has restarted.

For machine-readable output:

bernstein desktop-register --list --json

Uninstall¶

Open the Zed settings file shown by --list and delete the bernstein key under context_servers. A backup of the pre-registration state is available as the *.bak sibling created during install. Restart Zed afterwards.

Notes¶

• Registration never deletes or rewrites entries it did not create.
• A config file that is not valid JSON is left untouched and the command reports an error rather than overwriting it.
• Zed uses context_servers rather than the mcpServers key seen in the Claude / Cursor / Continue / Cline configs; both schemas are otherwise compatible.