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proposaldeveloperP5Worth a lookZed AI

Pass a per-spawn model to Zed spawn_agent and stop restarting subagents

Zed 1.22.0 lets spawn_agent take a per-spawn model (shown on the agent card), auto-compacts subagents, adds BYOK GPT-6.1 Sol, and defaults SuperGrok/xAI to Grok 4.7. Stop inheriting parent models and stop manually compacting or restarting subagents.

Why this loop

This release changes how Zed subagents are started and kept alive. spawn_agent now accepts an optional model so a spawn is not forced to the configured subagent model or the parent; the chosen model appears on the agent card, which is the signal to stop inheriting defaults. Compaction is enabled for subagents, so long-running children should stay open instead of being restarted to reclaim context. BYOK GPT-6.1 Sol (OpenAI API key) and Grok 4.7 as the SuperGrok/xAI recommended default are the models to pass on those spawns. OpenCode Zen and Go models are fetched dynamically and deprecated entries hidden, so pick from the live list rather than a bundled snapshot. In the same settings pass, agent.threads_sidebar.auto_open controls whether opening a folder in an existing window also opens the Threads Sidebar, default_width now applies after a manual resize, and "..." extends inherited edit_predictions.disabled_globs, edit_predictions_disabled_in, file_scan_inclusions, hidden_files, and terminal.path_hyperlink_regexes.

Proposed actions

  1. When calling spawn_agent in Zed 1.22.0, always set the optional model parameter for that spawn (GPT-6.1 Sol via OpenAI BYOK, or Grok 4.7 on SuperGrok/xAI). Do not omit model so the subagent uses the configured subagent model or inherits the parent. Confirm the active model on the subagent card.
  2. Add an OpenAI API key in Zed and turn on BYOK GPT-6.1 Sol. Pass GPT-6.1 Sol on spawn_agent for Sol work; use Grok 4.7 as the SuperGrok and xAI recommended default for other spawns. Pick OpenCode models from the live Zen/Go list, not a previously bundled snapshot.
  3. Keep long-running Zed subagents open. Compaction is now enabled for subagents, so do not manually compact, summarize, or restart them to recover context; use the model shown on each card.
  4. Set agent.threads_sidebar.auto_open to false in Zed settings if opening a folder in an existing window should not also open the Threads Sidebar. Change agent.threads_sidebar.default_width without first resetting a manual sidebar resize.
  5. Replace duplicated inherited globs with "..." in edit_predictions.disabled_globs, edit_predictions_disabled_in, file_scan_inclusions, hidden_files, and terminal.path_hyperlink_regexes so project settings extend parent patterns instead of repeating them.

Agent prompt

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AGENTS.md / CLAUDE.md / GEMINI.md rule update

DevAgentRadar → Repo Harness Rule Patch

Goal: update our repository's permanent harness instructions based on this release.

Update the file that tool actually reads. Do not dump everything into one file.

  • Claude Code → CLAUDE.md plus .claude/ (skills, hooks, settings, agents, commands). It does not read AGENTS.md natively; start CLAUDE.md with @AGENTS.md.
  • Codex, Copilot, Cursor, Factory Droid, Grok Build, Roo Code, Goose, OpenCode, Amp, Zed, Aider → AGENTS.md.
  • Gemini CLI / Antigravity → GEMINI.md. AGENTS.md only if context.fileName is set.
  • Cursor glob-scoped rules → .cursor/rules/*.mdc (plain .md is ignored), not a second constitution.
  • Codex MCP → .codex/config.toml, not .mcp.json.
  • Copilot extra instructions → .github/copilot-instructions.md; custom agents → .github/agents/.
  • Windsurf → .windsurf/rules (do not assume AGENTS.md).
  • Cline → .clinerules.
  • Procedures → a skill (SKILL.md). Enforcement the model must not skip → a hook. Isolated roles → subagents.
  • Do not fork the same rule into three tool files.

Context

Assistant: Zed AI Proposal: Pass a per-spawn model to Zed spawn_agent and stop restarting subagents Summary: Zed 1.22.0 lets spawn_agent take a per-spawn model (shown on the agent card), auto-compacts subagents, adds BYOK GPT-6.1 Sol, and defaults SuperGrok/xAI to Grok 4.7. Stop inheriting parent models and stop manually compacting or restarting subagents. Primary source: https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/releases/tag/v1.22.0

Why it matters

This release changes how Zed subagents are started and kept alive. spawn_agent now accepts an optional model so a spawn is not forced to the configured subagent model or the parent; the chosen model appears on the agent card, which is the signal to stop inheriting defaults. Compaction is enabled for subagents, so long-running children should stay open instead of being restarted to reclaim context. BYOK GPT-6.1 Sol (OpenAI API key) and Grok 4.7 as the SuperGrok/xAI recommended default are the models to pass on those spawns. OpenCode Zen and Go models are fetched dynamically and deprecated entries hidden, so pick from the live list rather than a bundled snapshot. In the same settings pass, agent.threads_sidebar.auto_open controls whether opening a folder in an existing window also opens the Threads Sidebar, default_width now applies after a manual resize, and "..." extends inherited edit_predictions.disabled_globs, edit_predictions_disabled_in, file_scan_inclusions, hidden_files, and terminal.path_hyperlink_regexes.

Suggested actions

  1. When calling spawn_agent in Zed 1.22.0, always set the optional model parameter for that spawn (GPT-6.1 Sol via OpenAI BYOK, or Grok 4.7 on SuperGrok/xAI). Do not omit model so the subagent uses the configured subagent model or inherits the parent. Confirm the active model on the subagent card.
  2. Add an OpenAI API key in Zed and turn on BYOK GPT-6.1 Sol. Pass GPT-6.1 Sol on spawn_agent for Sol work; use Grok 4.7 as the SuperGrok and xAI recommended default for other spawns. Pick OpenCode models from the live Zen/Go list, not a previously bundled snapshot.
  3. Keep long-running Zed subagents open. Compaction is now enabled for subagents, so do not manually compact, summarize, or restart them to recover context; use the model shown on each card.
  4. Set agent.threads_sidebar.auto_open to false in Zed settings if opening a folder in an existing window should not also open the Threads Sidebar. Change agent.threads_sidebar.default_width without first resetting a manual sidebar resize.
  5. Replace duplicated inherited globs with "..." in edit_predictions.disabled_globs, edit_predictions_disabled_in, file_scan_inclusions, hidden_files, and terminal.path_hyperlink_regexes so project settings extend parent patterns instead of repeating them.

Config surfaces this release may change

  • context and compaction settings — check your repo before applying
  • subagent definitions — check your repo before applying

After you finish

Do not report this as applied to DevAgentRadar. You cannot write the visitor's loop.

Tell the human: open https://devagentradar.com/proposals/zed-ai-v1-22-0-pass-a-per-spawn-model-to-zed-spawn-agent-and-stop-restar and mark Applied, Skipped, or Failed. Proposal id: ff72ed0d-34bc-45ae-a8a1-d99d8a4aabfa

Instructions:

  1. Read the existing context files and settings for the tools in this repo.
  2. Draft an explicit Git diff. Update ONLY agent harness rules or tool configuration.
  3. Call out deprecated flags, obsolete habits, or changed permission boundaries.
  4. Do not touch application logic.

Start with the proposed diff and say which layer and which tool's file it belongs in.

agentmodelclibreakingRelease source ↗

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Originating release signal

Zed AIv1.22.0Sep 30, 2026

v1.22.0

This week's release includes BYOK support for GPT-6.1 Sol, on-the-fly model selection for new subagents, automatic subagent compaction, a unified/split toggle for diffs opened from the command line, and dynamically fetched OpenCode models. · Added an optional model parameter to spawn_agent to choose a model for that spawn instead of using the configured subagent model or inheriting the parent model, with the active model shown in its card. (#64498; thanks itsfuad) · +57 more changes
Verified excerpt — the source's own words

This week's release includes BYOK support for GPT-6.1 Sol, on-the-fly model selection for new subagents, automatic subagent compaction, a unified/split toggle for diffs opened from the command line, and dynamically fetched OpenCode models.

Features

AI

  • Added an optional model parameter to spawn_agent to choose a model for that spawn instead of using the configured subagent model or inheriting the parent model, with the active model shown in its card. (#64498; thanks itsfuad)

  • Added BYOK support for GPT-6.1 Sol with an OpenAI API key. (#64968; thanks ktKongTong)

  • Added Grok 4.7 to the SuperGrok and xAI providers and made it their recommended default. (#64567; thanks raphaelluethy)

  • Added the agent.threads_sidebar.auto_open setting to control whether opening a folder in an existing window also opens the Threads Sidebar. (#64259,

Excerpt ends here — this release continues at the source ↗.

Primary source ↗