Zedha

Zedha is a personal-first, public-compatible downstream distribution of Zed.

It follows a VSCodium-style model: this repository does not vendor Zed source. It pins an upstream Zed stable release, fetches that source, applies a small ordered patch set, and packages the result.

Status

Upstream pin	upstream/stable.json (verified against flake.lock)
Published builds	Native Nix package for x86_64 Linux; unsigned and not notarized Apple Silicon DMGs
Updates	Homebrew-managed on macOS; no in-app update feed
Intel Macs	No published DMG yet

Native code signing, notarization, and an in-app update feed are deferred until Apple Developer credentials are in place. Merged upstream upgrades publish a new DMG, and the Homebrew tap picks it up automatically.

Install (NixOS, x86_64 Linux)

Zedha publishes a native Nix package for x86_64-linux. CI builds the package and uploads it to the public zedha.cachix.org binary cache; other Linux architectures and non-Nix package formats are not currently supported.

For a direct smoke test:

nix build github:rnretirwtsohg/zedha#zedha --accept-flake-config
./result/bin/zedha

For declarative installation, add Zedha as an input and use its package for the host system:

{
  inputs.zedha.url = "github:rnretirwtsohg/zedha";

  # In a NixOS or Home Manager module with inputs and pkgs in scope:
  home.packages = [ inputs.zedha.packages.${pkgs.system}.zedha ];
}

Keep Zedha's own Nixpkgs input: zedha.cachix.org only carries builds against Zedha's lock, so inputs.nixpkgs.follows compiles Zed locally after every host Nixpkgs update. Zedha loads the host's graphics driver, so its glibc and libstdc++ must be at least as new as the host's. The daily upgrade workflow advances Zedha's Nixpkgs whenever nixpkgs-unstable ships a newer glibc or libstdc++, and at least every 14 days. Upstream Zed's Nix package follows that same input.

Trust https://zedha.cachix.org with the public key stored in nix/zedha-cachix-public-key when configuring the cache outside this flake. The flake's own nixConfig supplies both values when --accept-flake-config is used.

Official Zed remains installed separately as zed; Zedha is launched with zedha. Their configuration namespaces are also separate: ~/.config/zed and ~/.config/zedha. Shared settings or keymaps can be managed declaratively by linking the same tracked files into both locations.

Install (macOS, Apple Silicon)

Homebrew is recommended because it installs subsequent Zedha releases through the normal brew upgrade flow:

brew install --cask rnretirwtsohg/zedha/zedha

To install manually instead:

1. Download Zedha-aarch64.dmg from the latest GitHub Release.

2. Open the DMG and drag Zedha into Applications.

3. First launch will be blocked by Gatekeeper because the build is unsigned. Either:

   • Right-click Zedha.app → Open → Open, or

   • Clear the quarantine flag:

     xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Zedha.app

4. Optional CLI: in Zedha, use the built-in Install CLI action. That creates /usr/local/bin/zedha. You can also invoke the packaged binary directly:

   /Applications/Zedha.app/Contents/MacOS/cli

Verify the download

Each release publishes a SHA-256 for the DMG. After downloading:

shasum -a 256 ~/Downloads/Zedha-aarch64.dmg

Compare the output to the checksum in the release notes. They must match exactly.

What you get

App name:     Zedha
CLI command:  zedha
Bundle ID:    me.ghostwriternr.Zedha
URL scheme:   zedha://

Zedha also carries a terminal-launcher patch from the personal Zed fork: launcher sessions can create, reuse, and close terminal tabs by session id.

Official Zed remains a separate product and install.

Differences from Zed

• Product identity is Zedha (name, CLI, bundle ID, URL scheme).
• Includes the terminal launcher behavior described above.
• Does not use Zed’s official update feed.
• Public DMGs are unsigned until signing infrastructure exists.

Attribution

Zed is developed by Zed Industries. Zedha is an independent downstream distribution and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or supported by Zed Industries.

• Upstream source and license: https://github.com/zed-industries/zed
• This repository owns the upstream pin, downstream patches, and packaging.

Build the macOS package from source

Requirements: macOS, a working Rust toolchain, and the usual Zed native dependencies.

# Script / identity regression tests (no full Zed compile)
./tests/test-scripts.sh

# Fetch the pinned upstream into .work/zed
./scripts/fetch-upstream

# Apply patches/ in order
./scripts/apply-patches

# Confirm product identity on the patched tree
./scripts/check-identity

# Targeted validation (includes terminal launcher tests when configured)
./scripts/test

# Produce a local Apple Silicon DMG under artifacts/
./scripts/build-macos-artifact .work/zed aarch64-apple-darwin

To point fetch-upstream at an existing local Zed checkout:

ZEDHA_UPSTREAM_REPO=~/github/zed ./scripts/fetch-upstream

Repository layout

upstream/stable.json              pinned upstream Zed stable release
patches/*.patch                   ordered downstream patches
scripts/fetch-upstream            clone pinned upstream source
scripts/apply-patches             apply patches to a Zed checkout
scripts/check-identity            verify patched Zedha product identity
scripts/check-nix-pin             verify stable.json and flake.lock agree
scripts/sync-nix-pin              synchronize the locked official Zed input
scripts/update-upstream-pin       detect newer strict stable upstream tags
scripts/update-nixpkgs            advance Nixpkgs on runtime drift or age
scripts/release-metadata          derive release identity from the upstream pin
scripts/build-macos-artifact      build a macOS DMG into artifacts/
scripts/test                      run targeted validation
nix/zedha.nix                     native Linux package override
nix/check-package.nix             built Linux package identity assertions
nix/zedha-cachix-public-key       public binary-cache signing key
tests/test-scripts.sh             script behavior tests
.github/workflows/build-linux.yml build and publish the Linux package
.github/workflows/build-macos.yml build and publish the macOS release
.github/workflows/upgrade-upstream.yml  opens upgrade PRs for new stables
.github/workflows/advance-nixpkgs.yml   opens Nixpkgs advance PRs

Current patches:

0001-terminal-launcher.patch   terminal launcher behavior
0002-brand-as-zedha.patch      product and distribution identity
0003-brand-linux-as-zedha.patch Linux CLI and desktop identity

A scheduled workflow checks for newer upstream vMAJOR.MINOR.PATCH tags, updates both upstream/stable.json and the official Zed revision in flake.lock, and refreshes one rolling upgrade pull request. GitHub merges it automatically only after the launcher tests, Linux package, identity checks, and a complete macOS DMG build pass. Failed patch or build gates leave main untouched and open or update one blocker issue. A successful merge publishes the Apple Silicon DMG; the Homebrew tap checks for new releases hourly and updates its cask.

A second scheduled workflow runs scripts/update-nixpkgs and refreshes its own rolling pull request when nixpkgs-unstable carries a newer glibc or libstdc++ or the locked revision is older than 14 days. It merges after the launcher tests and Linux package pass, and has its own blocker issue, so a blocked Zed upgrade does not hold Nixpkgs back.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	What to do
“Zedha is damaged and can’t be opened” / blocked on first launch	Expected for unsigned builds. Right-click → Open, or run xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Zedha.app.
zedha: command not found	Open Zedha and use Install CLI, or call /Applications/Zedha.app/Contents/MacOS/cli directly.
No in-app update notifications	Expected. Run brew upgrade --cask zedha; the tap tracks published Zedha releases.
Need an Intel Mac build	Not published yet. Build locally with the appropriate target, or wait.
Bug that also happens in upstream Zed	Report it to zed-industries/zed. Zedha-only issues belong in this repo.

License

Upstream Zed’s license terms apply to the Zed source. Downstream patches and packaging in this repository are provided as-is for a personal-first, public-compatible distribution.