Google Antigravity vs ZedUpdated 2026-03-18

SUMMARY

Google Antigravity (IDE) uses markdown configuration while Zed (Editor) uses markdown. They differ on 3 of 11 compared features. Both tools provide AI-assisted development but take different approaches to project configuration.

FEATURE COMPARISON

FeatureGoogle AntigravityZed
Config formatmarkdownmarkdown
Hierarchy support
Global config
Project config
Subdirectory scoping
File inclusion / imports
Ignore file
IDE integrationEditor
Schema / structureFree-form (Markdown)Free-form (Markdown)
Git committed
EncodingUTF-8UTF-8

FILE MAPPING

PurposeGoogle AntigravityZed
Project instructionsAGENTS.mdRules Library

SIDE-BY-SIDE CODE SAMPLES

Google Antigravity
AGENTS.md
markdown
# Project Instructions

## Architecture
- Monorepo with apps/ and packages/ directories
- Each app is a standalone Next.js deployment
- Shared packages use TypeScript project references

## Code Standards
- TypeScript strict mode everywhere
- Use Zod for runtime validation at API boundaries
- Prefer server components; use "use client" only when needed
- All database queries go through the data-access layer

## Testing
- Unit tests with Vitest for business logic
- Integration tests for API routes
- E2E tests with Playwright for critical user flows

## Deployment
- Preview deployments on every PR
- Production deploys from main branch only
- Environment variables managed via .env.local (never committed)
Zed
.rules
markdown
# Project Rules

## Stack
- TypeScript 5.x with strict mode
- React 19 with Server Components
- Tailwind CSS v4
- Drizzle ORM with PostgreSQL

## Code Style
- Prefer named exports over default exports
- Use "use client" directive only when interactivity is required
- Colocate tests in __tests__ directories next to source files
- Use Zod for all runtime validation

## Architecture
- App Router with nested layouts in app/
- Server actions in app/actions/
- Database schema in db/schema.ts
- Shared utilities in lib/

## Commands
- Dev server: pnpm dev
- Type check: pnpm typecheck
- Test: pnpm test
- Lint: pnpm lint

KEY DIFFERENCES

1. Global config

Google Antigravity: Not supported. Zed: Supported.

2. Subdirectory scoping

Google Antigravity: Supported. Zed: Not supported.

3. IDE integration

Google Antigravity: Supported. Zed: Editor.

WHICH SHOULD I USE?

Recommendation

Choose based on your IDE/CLI preference. If you use Google Antigravity, configure AGENTS.md. If you use Zed, configure .rules. Many projects include config files for multiple tools so each team member can use their preferred editor.

PORTABILITY TIP

sync-instructions.sh
bash
# Maintain a single source of truth:
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md CLAUDE.md
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md .cursorrules
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md AGENTS.md

SEE ALSO

File references:
agentconfig.ing2026-03-18COMPARE(1)