Zed is fast enough that the difference is noticeable immediately — startup is near-instant, scrolling is smooth, and LSP responses arrive before you finish typing. But out of the box, a Vue 3 project needs a few things adjusted before the editor feels complete.
Enable Volar, not Vetur
Zed uses @vue/language-server (Volar) for .vue file support. Make sure it is active and Vetur is explicitly disabled in your workspace settings:
{
"languages": {
"Vue": {
"language_servers": ["vue-language-server", "!vetur"]
}
}
}The !vetur entry forces Vetur off even if it was somehow activated. Running both at the same time causes duplicate diagnostics and hover conflicts.
Point Volar at your local TypeScript
If you have split tsconfig references (tsconfig.app.json, tsconfig.node.json), Volar may not find TypeScript automatically. Add this to your workspace settings:
{
"lsp": {
"vue-language-server": {
"initialization_options": {
"typescript": {
"tsdk": "./node_modules/typescript/lib"
}
}
}
}
}This tells the language server exactly where to find TypeScript rather than relying on a global install, which may be a different version than the one your project uses.
Formatting
Zed has a built-in formatter for some file types but delegates .vue files to a language server or external tool. If you are using Prettier:
{
"formatter": {
"language_server": { "name": "prettier" }
}
}If your project uses oxfmt (a faster Oxc-based formatter), note that Zed does not call CLI formatters directly yet. Run it via a task or pre-commit hook instead.
Tasks for the dev workflow
Zed's task system removes most reasons to keep a separate terminal pane open. Create .zed/tasks.json at the repo root:
[
{
"label": "Dev server",
"command": "bun run dev",
"allow_concurrent_runs": false
},
{
"label": "Type check",
"command": "bun run type-check"
},
{
"label": "Format",
"command": "bun run format"
}
]Cmd+Shift+R opens the task picker. Cmd+R reruns the last task. For a long-running Vite dev server the allow_concurrent_runs: false flag prevents accidentally spawning a second instance on a different port.
What still falls short
Zed's Vue support is solid but not yet at VS Code + Volar parity on a few things:
- Deep prop inference across component hierarchies is occasionally slow or incomplete. Complex generics-based component props sometimes show no completions.
- Scoped CSS class completion inside
<template>does not resolve across<style scoped>blocks. You will not get class name hints from your own component's styles. - Extension ecosystem is much smaller. If you depend on specific VS Code extensions, check availability before committing fully.
The speed advantage is real and compounds over a full day of work. For a Vue 3 + TypeScript project the configuration above covers the majority of what you need.