REST Client for Zed

A lightweight HTTP/REST client extension for Zed that lets you send requests directly from .http and .rest files.

Features

• Send HTTP requests from .http / .rest files with a single click
• Environment variables via {{VARIABLE}} syntax with .env file support
• Syntax highlighting for HTTP methods, headers, URLs, and JSON bodies
• Hover inspection — hover over {{VAR}} to see its resolved value
• Diagnostics — warnings for unresolved variables and invalid URLs
• Document symbols — jump to named requests via # @name
• Workspace search — find requests across all .http files in your project
• Interactive picker — select and run named requests from the terminal
• Pretty-printed responses — formatted JSON, status codes, timing, and size

Installation

Search for "REST Client" in the Zed extensions panel (zed: extensions in the command palette) and click Install.

Manual Installation

git clone https://github.com/tsc-home/zed-rest
cd zed-rest
cargo install --path lsp
bash scripts/build.sh
bash scripts/install-dev.sh

Usage

Writing Requests

Create a .http or .rest file:

# @name get-users
GET https://api.example.com/users
Accept: application/json

###

# @name create-user
POST https://api.example.com/users
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "Jane Doe",
  "email": "jane@example.com"
}

• Separate multiple requests with ###
• Name requests with # @name my-request for easy navigation

Running Requests

Click the Run button that appears above each request method, or use the "HTTP: Run Named Request" task from the command palette to pick from all named requests.

Keybindings

You can bind the tasks to keyboard shortcuts for faster access. Add this to your Zed keymap.json:

[
  {
    "context": "Workspace",
    "bindings": {
      "ctrl-shift-r": ["task::Spawn", { "task_name": "Send HTTP Request" }],
      "ctrl-shift-p": ["task::Spawn", { "task_name": "HTTP: Run Named Request" }]
    }
  }
]

Shortcut	Action
ctrl-shift-r	Send the request under the cursor
ctrl-shift-p	Open the interactive request picker

Customize these shortcuts to your preference in Zed > Settings > Key Bindings or by editing ~/.config/zed/keymap.json.

Environment Variables

Create a .env file in your project root or next to your .http file:

HOST=api.example.com
TOKEN=my-secret-token

Reference variables in your requests:

GET https://{{HOST}}/users
Authorization: Bearer {{TOKEN}}

The extension loads .env, .env.local, and .env.development files. When both exist, variables defined next to the .http file take precedence over those in the project root.

CLI Usage

The binary can also be used standalone from the terminal:

# Execute a specific request by file and line number
rest-cli --execute path/to/api.http 5

# Interactive picker for named requests
rest-cli --pick .

Supported Methods

GET · POST · PUT · DELETE · PATCH · HEAD · OPTIONS · TRACE · CONNECT

How It Works

The extension consists of two components:

1. WASM Extension — integrates with Zed's extension API to register the language and launch the LSP
2. Native LSP Server — provides hover, diagnostics, symbols, and request execution via tower-lsp and reqwest

License

MIT