mirror of https://github.com/zed-industries/zed.git synced 2026-05-31 19:05:00 +07:00

Relicense Zed source code under GPL (#57948 )

## Summary

This moves the remaining first-party AGPL surface to GPL, a less
restrictive license for these components. Apache-2.0 components are
unchanged.

Changes:
- Updates the `collab` crate from `AGPL-3.0-or-later` to
`GPL-3.0-or-later`
- Removes the root AGPL license file and first-party crate AGPL symlinks
- Updates web, documentation, Flatpak, README, and terms references to
reflect the GPL/Apache licensing split
- Updates the open-source component example list in the terms and
regenerates the RTF copy; no other terms changes are intended
- Adds guardrails so first-party crates cannot declare AGPL licensing or
carry `LICENSE-AGPL` files

Release timing: preview during the week of June 1, 2026; stable during
the week of June 8, 2026.

## Residual AGPL/Affero references

- `LICENSE-GPL`: GPLv3's own compatibility clause; unchanged official
license text.
- `crates/json_schema_store/src/schemas/package.json`: generic npm
package-license schema value, not Zed licensing.
- `script/check-licenses`, `script/new-crate`,
`script/licenses/zed-licenses.toml`: guardrails that reject or warn
against reintroducing AGPL.

## Verification

- `script/check-licenses`
- `script/generate-licenses`
- `script/generate-terms-rtf`
- `script/new-crate license_probe_for_gpl`, then discarded generated
crate
- `script/new-crate license_probe_for_agpl agpl` fails as expected
- `mdbook build docs`
- `./script/clippy`
- `git grep -n -I -E "AGPL|Affero"`
- `git diff --check`

Release Notes:

- The `collab` crate, used to implement Zed's collaboration backend, is
now licensed under the GPL instead of the AGPL. The AGPL license is no
longer used in the zed repository.

2026-05-28 20:19:17 +00:00

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Zed

Welcome to Zed, a high-performance, multiplayer code editor from the creators of Atom and Tree-sitter.

Installation

On macOS, Linux, and Windows you can download Zed directly or install Zed via your local package manager (macOS/Linux/Windows).

Other platforms are not yet available:

Web (tracking discussion)

Developing Zed

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for ways you can contribute to Zed.

Also... we're hiring! Check out our jobs page for open roles.

Licensing

Zed source code is licensed primarily under GPL-3.0-or-later, with Apache-2.0 components where marked.

License information for third party dependencies must be correctly provided for CI to pass.

We use cargo-about to automatically comply with open source licenses. If CI is failing, check the following:

Is it showing a no license specified error for a crate you've created? If so, add publish = false under [package] in your crate's Cargo.toml.
Is the error failed to satisfy license requirements for a dependency? If so, first determine what license the project has and whether this system is sufficient to comply with this license's requirements. If you're unsure, ask a lawyer. Once you've verified that this system is acceptable add the license's SPDX identifier to the accepted array in script/licenses/zed-licenses.toml.
Is cargo-about unable to find the license for a dependency? If so, add a clarification field at the end of script/licenses/zed-licenses.toml, as specified in the cargo-about book.

Sponsorship

Zed is developed by Zed Industries, Inc., a for-profit company.

If you’d like to financially support the project, you can do so via GitHub Sponsors. Sponsorships go directly to Zed Industries and are used as general company revenue. There are no perks or entitlements associated with sponsorship.

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