ZUS — a standalone AI IDE you download and run,just 22 MB and smooth even on modest machines.
The agent plans, does the work and verifies it, right as you code.
measured, not marketed
Nearly 9x lighter. Measured, not marketed.
A far smaller install means a lighter machine — download and check for yourself.
Measured on 2026-07-15 (real downloaded file size, files listed in the table: ZUS_1.1.0_x64-setup.exe, VSCodeUserSetup-x64-1.128.1.exe, CursorUserSetup-x64-3.11.19.exe). Trae: we could not measure it, so no number is printed. Prices come from each vendor's official pricing page.
This is not "better than VS Code at everything": ZUS is its own editor, familiar to VS Code users, with an agent built in, in a much smaller install.
while you code
What the ZUS agent does
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The agent runs itself.
You hand over a task; the agent plans, does the work and checks its own result.
- 3 autonomy levels: Ask first, Edits, Autopilot.
- Terminal commands only run when they are on a list you approved.
- Every step the agent plans, runs and verifies shows up right as you code.
- After building a web page, the agent opens a browser and checks the live page before calling it done.
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Co-create in Vietnamese.
Chat with your codebase in Vietnamese, right next to the file you have open.
- 2 chat modes: the Agent tab and the ZUS CHAT panel.
- Citation chips point to the exact spot in a file; click to jump there.
- Pick your AI model (ZUS-nv / Super, ZUS-code-v1, ZUS-max), and drag-and-drop files into the chat.
- Several conversations per project, pinned and reopened whenever you come back.
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You keep the wheel.
The Settings page gathers autonomy levels, the approved-command list and memory in one place.
- Tune the autonomy level, the approved-command list and how hard the AI thinks, per project.
- The agent remembers your habits: Indent 2 spaces, Tests with Vitest.
- 5 interface themes, switched instantly with no restart.
- Every file change lands as a diff you can review — and undo on its own.
A complete, self-contained code editor.
Suggestions as you type
Suggestions appear as you type; press Tab to accept. On by default, off with one click in the status bar.
Tools
A powerful code editor, an integrated terminal, visual Git management and project-wide search.
Extension marketplace
Add the extensions you need right inside ZUS — Python, Pylance, Jupyter and many familiar tools.
5 themes
Pro Light, Pro Dark, Latte, Midnight, Matcha.
- Pro Light
- Pro Dark
- Latte
- Midnight
- Matcha
Bilingual UI
Vietnamese by default, switchable to English in Settings.
Your index and history stay on your machine.
Your code index, analysis data and chat history live on your machine. The only thing that leaves is what is needed to generate an answer: your chat question, and the code around your cursor if inline suggestions are on.
- Indexing and semantic search run right on your machine.
- The server keeps only your account, usage limit and access keys — never your source code.
- Every download is safely verified before it installs.
install
Install ZUS in a minute.
Install once; the app updates itself. Every new build is safely verified before it installs.
winget install 8syncdev.ZUSscoop bucket add zus https://github.com/8syncdev/scoop-zusscoop install zusA hand-downloaded install is not certificate-signed yet, so Windows asks first. Cross-check the verification code on the download page, then click More info and choose Run anyway. Installing via winget or scoop skips this step.
View verification code ↗Straight questions, straight answers.
Yes, if you download the install by hand: it is not certificate-signed yet, so Windows asks. Cross-check the verification code on the download page, then click More info and choose Run anyway. Installing via winget or scoop in the install section skips this step.
ZUS is its own editor, but familiar if you come from VS Code — with an agent built in, in an install nearly 9x lighter. The honest downsides: fewer AI choices (in exchange for zero setup), Cursor's typing suggestions are currently stronger, and competitor communities are bigger.
ZUS supports popular extensions: Python, Pylance, Jupyter… install the way you're used to.
The only thing that leaves is what is needed to generate an answer: your question and any code you attach in chat, plus the code around your cursor if inline suggestions are on (on by default, can be turned off in settings). Your index, analysis data and chat history stay on your machine, and the server never stores your source code.
Free, with a daily AI usage limit. Your remaining limit shows right in the app.
Time to try ZUS.
One minute to install with winget. Not for you? Uninstall, no strings attached.