---
title: Editor
description: Your default editor for git and the terminal, and an editor whose settings live in your repo.
---

## Default editor

Which editor you use is a personal value, in `dot.toml`:

```toml
editor = "zed"    # zed, code, cursor, nvim, vim or nano
```

`dot apply editor` sets git's `core.editor` (`zed --wait`: a GUI editor waits
until you close the file). `config/shell/editor.zsh` exports the same command
as `EDITOR` and `VISUAL`, so every tool that opens an editor agrees.

## Settings that live in the repo

Zed comes from `config/apps.conf`, and its settings live in your repo:

```sh
dot apply zed    # ~/.config/zed/settings.json → config/home/.config/zed/settings.json
```

The file is **linked**, not copied. When you change a setting in Zed, Zed
writes it into the repo; `git diff` shows it, and you commit or discard it.
If a settings file already exists, `apply` keeps it as
`settings.json.backup`.

Keep `settings.json` plain JSON without comments: Zed rewrites the file on
every change and doesn't keep comments in place.

The same pattern works for any app's config file: put it under
`config/home/`, mirroring its path in your home folder, and link it
([How it works](/docs/extend/how-it-works#files-in-your-home-folder)).