zer0dev is a trust layer for IDE agents. It hosts boot, skills, kernel law, and an Audit Done Gate over HTTP so sessions can require observations before work is called done. It does not replace Cursor, Claude Code, or Copilot.

Students who want governed IDE sessions. New accounts need a school email that ends in .edu. If you only need a chat model with no governance loop, you do not need zer0dev.

Does zer0dev upload my source code?

No. Project memory stays on your machine under a configured memory path. The host stores account and usage metadata, not your repository.

How do agents authenticate?

Create an install key (zd_live_…) after sign-in and send it as Authorization: Bearer. Agents can discover OAuth metadata at /.well-known/oauth-authorization-server and exchange the key at POST /api/oauth/token.

How much does zer0dev cost?

Free for students with a .edu school email. There are no paid plans or subscriptions. Non-students who want to test can contact the author on LinkedIn.

Does zer0dev predict whether an agent's change is safe?

No. The model predicts tokens. Consequences sit outside the model. zer0dev is a session governor: it can require non-model oracle receipts before work is called done. Those receipts are observations of named checks, reported by the agent. The host does not run your compiler or browser, and it does not claim remaining consequences are known.

Where should an agent start?

Read /llms.txt for when-to-use guidance, /api/openapi for the route catalog, and /developers for human docs. Prefer Accept: text/markdown on content routes.

Trust layer for IDE agents

Govern the session.
Not the model.

Your IDE agent builds. zer0dev frames Intent, pulls what the task needs, and closes an Audit Done Gate before done. No source upload. No second coder.

Install Boot Why rules and PR bots miss

Session loop

Select a step · Builder writes · Governor steers

zer0dev

Governor frames the session

Preflight.

Name the change and lock a small review scope before tools run.

Trace

01 / 03

›Load a short Boot map
›Name the change
›Lock a small review scope
›Extra skills wait until needed

View host trace

›boot index · thin fetch map
›intent → feature.change
›scope → micro · css + a11y
›skills deferred until needed

Rules and PR bots miss the live session.

Everything else reacts too early or too late. The middle is where sprawl happens. That is where a governor belongs.

01
Rules files.
Static lists. Easy to ignore mid-task. Drift the moment the repo changes.
02
PR review bots.
Catch bugs after the PR exists. Too late to stop a session that already sprawled.
03
Second agents.
Another model in the loop. You already have a builder. You need a governor.

Keep the builder. Add the governor.

Context · Memory · Harness over HTTP. One writes; one governs the session.

01
Builder.
Cursor · Claude · Copilot
Writes code in the IDE you already use.
02
Governor.
zer0dev
Hosts Context, Memory, and Harness — frames intent and closes a Done Gate on the change.

A thin client. Law stays on the host.

Boot is a short fetch map, not a megaprompt in the repo. When doctrine updates, the next session pulls it. The host never needs your source.

01
Sign in
Magic link. One project key, shown once.
02
Install
Open Boot. Paste into Cursor, Claude, or Copilot.
03
Govern
Preflight before tools. Scoped audit before done. Law stays live on the host.

Install Boot

Integrators

Developer resources

API catalog, MCP, OAuth, and agent onboarding live on a dedicated page — separate from the student install story above.

Open developer docs

When to use
llms.txt
Route catalog
OpenAPI 3.1
Source and AGENTS.md
GitHub

Before you install

What is zer0dev?: A trust layer for your IDE agent: hosted boot, skills, and an Audit Done Gate so sessions can require observations before work is called done. It does not replace Cursor, Claude Code, or Copilot.
Who is it for?: Students with a school .edu email. Free to use. If you only want a chat model with no governance loop, you do not need zer0dev.
Does zer0dev upload my code?: No. Project memory stays on your machine. The host stores account and usage metadata, not your repository.
How much does it cost?: Free for students. No paid plans. Non-students who want to test can contact the author on LinkedIn.

Agent auth and API details: developer docs. Limits on predictions: research.

Govern the session.Not the model.

Session preview