What ACP is in Rig
Idea
Not MCP
See also
Agent Client Protocol: how an editor talks to a coding agent — JSON-RPC over stdio (or HTTP/WebSocket for remote agents).
Zed published ACP so any agent can plug into any ACP-capable editor. The editor owns the file tree and UI; the agent streams messages and tool calls. Rig’s cloud ACP agent answers fleet questions (status, devices, Mesh, tickets) — it does not replace a coding agent.
MCP is agent ↔ tools (Rig’s local hub). ACP is editor ↔ agent. You can run both: ACP in Zed for Rig Cloud context, MCP in Cursor for local projects.
- Connect editors via ACP
- ACP vs MCP in Rig
- What MCP is in Rig
what is acp agent client protocol zed editor agent json-rpc stdio vs mcp model context protocol
Related guides
This article is part of the Rig knowledge base at userig.app/docs. Rig is a local-first Mac app that runs, watches, and restarts development processes with unified logs, ports, and a scoped MCP hub for AI coding agents. Your source code stays on your Mac.