Code editor Zed bans AI use by those under 18 following terms of service revision

The terms of service and privacy policy for the open-source code editor Zed have been revised, adding a requirement that users must be at least 18 years old to use Zed's AI features.

As a result, developers under 18 will no longer be able to use Zed's AI features.

Zed’s terms of service and privacy policy revised

Zed Industries, the developer of the open-source code editor “Zed,” announced that it has updated the terms of service and privacy policy that apply to the official website, Zed, and related subscription services.

Regarding the revision, Zed Industries explains that since the previous update, Zed has come to include AI features, collaboration features, usage-based subscription billing, and integrations with third-party providers, and that it also needs to meet the standards procurement departments expect for enterprise-ready software.

In the new terms of service, vague wording in the old terms has been revised into clearer, plainer language, and practices that had not been explicitly stated—especially regarding the handling of AI-related data—have been put into writing.

Even after the revision, Zed Industries says it does not sell user data, does not use user data for AI training unless the user opts in, and does not allow AI providers to use user data for training either.

When using models hosted by Zed Industries, user data is sent to Anthropic, Google, OpenAI, and xAI, but Zed Industries says it has entered into zero data retention (ZDR) agreements with these providers, and that prompts and code context are discarded after generating a response.

Users will continue to own their own code and the output generated by AI.

If a user uses their own API key, or uses an external agent via ACP, the contract between the user and their provider applies.

Gemini CLIがコードエディター「Zed」に統合　コードエディターとAIをつなぐACPも発表

Googleは、同社のAIコーディングエージェント「Gemini CLI」がコードエディター「Zed」に統合されたと発表しました。さらに、任意のコードエディターとAIをつなぐための仕組み「ACP」もリリースされました。

August 28, 2025

Bans AI use by those under 18

In addition to clarifying vague wording in the old terms of service, the new terms also include several changes.

• Open source: The old terms of service included restrictions that conflicted with Zed’s open-source license, such as “don't reverse engineer” and “don't create derivative works”; the updated terms clarify that the open-source license takes precedence
• Billing: Added explanations about subscription plans, auto-renewal, usage-based charges for AI prompts beyond what is included in the plan, and what happens if payment becomes delinquent
• Arbitration: Includes a binding arbitration clause with a class-action waiver, and provides a 30-day opt-out period after agreeing to the terms
• Age requirement: Users must be at least 18 years old to use Zed's AI-powered services
• Governing law changed from California to Delaware: Changed the governing law to Delaware, where Zed Industries is incorporated

The revised terms of service apply to the official website, Zed, and related subscription services, and because they include the wording “Customer must be at least 18 years old to use the Service,” developers under 18 will no longer be able to use Zed's AI features.

Conclusion

The terms of service and privacy policy for the open-source code editor Zed have been revised.

While the revised terms and privacy policy clarify vague wording from the old terms and codify previously unstated practices, they also add a requirement that users must be at least 18 years old to use Zed's AI features.

As a result, developers under 18 will no longer be able to use Zed's AI features.