Zed skills
Install PopNow skills in Zed. Download a skill, unzip it into the skills folder, and call it by name in your next chat.
- Where skills go
For every project
~/.agents/skillsFor this project only
.agents/skills - How to call a skill
Mention the skill by name, or just describe the job and let Zed pick it.
popnow-<skill> - Connect PopNow
Skills are free. To generate images, video or sound, set your PopNow API key in POPNOW_API_KEY. Calls using this key draw from your separate API balance in USD. Each paid generation is quoted first and waits for your approval.
POPNOW_API_KEY
- 1Copy the install prompt
Paste it into Zed. It downloads the skill with your API key and unzips it into the right folder.
- 2Ask for the result
Call the skill and say what you need in plain words: the topic, the audience, the length.
- 3Review and refine
Open the file it made, ask for changes in the chat, and ship when it looks right.
All skills
- Variable Type Specimen LabWeb
Inspect a real variable font, adjust its supported axes and export live-text specimens with glyph checks.
- Fourier line orbitWeb
Reconstruct a closed drawing with rotating Fourier circles and export the chosen harmonic detail.
- Photoelastic Stress StudioWeb
Compose luminous stress-fringe artwork with editable loads and polarizer angles in a portable offline studio.
- Fractal zoom artWeb
Explore a computed fractal, choose a close-up and export the exact view as artwork and a reusable brief.
- Orthogonal word sculptureWeb
Intersect two extruded words into one solid that reads differently from perpendicular viewpoints.
- Pop-Up Fold Design LabWeb
Open a symmetric paper linkage, adjust its attachment geometry and export a measured crease proof.
Use Zed skills for an explorable visual experiment
Choose a small experiment with a clear question
A useful Zed assignment is building an explorable visual artifact from a bounded idea. Variable Type Specimen Lab is worth inspecting when the subject is typography. Fourier Line Orbit offers a different web direction for a mathematical visual experiment, while Photoelastic Stress Studio is another interactive catalog option. Choose a subject you can describe accurately and give the assistant a question the visitor should explore. These are creative starting points, not claims about a scientific instrument. Any educational explanation should distinguish a stylized demonstration from measured evidence about the physical world.
Keep the shared skills location organized
Zed's listed personal location is ~/.agents/skills and its repository location is .agents/skills. Extract each package as its own popnow-prefixed folder, retaining SKILL.md and its resources. The invocation pattern shown by PopNow is the plain skill name. Warp shares these two directory locations and the same plain-name pattern in the table. When using both on a project, inspect the actual installed package and its version rather than assuming a familiar directory proves the intended workflow is present. Start with one experiment so discovery and execution remain easy to diagnose.
Review interaction as part of the explanation
For the first Zed experiment, define the inputs, the visible response and the labels that explain what changes. Ask for a small implementation before adding more controls. Review narrow layouts, keyboard access and the behavior of boundary values. If a visual result is confusing, simplify the relationship being shown and improve labels before adding decoration. If it fails to run, read the package requirements and inspect missing assets separately. Retain editable source so later changes can be made deliberately. Optional generated media should have a clear explanatory role; an interactive experiment can often be reviewed more effectively when its core relationship is visible without additional imagery.
Three ways to install
- Ask your agent
Copy a skill's install prompt into your agent. It reads the install guide, downloads the package with your key and unzips it into the right folder.
https://popnow.ai/api/skills/install.md - Use the CLI
popnow skills finds and installs skills from your terminal.
npm install -g @popnow/cli && popnow skills - Over MCP
With the developer MCP connected, ask for a style: find_skills suggests packages and install_skill hands over the playbook and the install commands.
find_skills → install_skill - Generation uses your API key
Skills are free. The images, video, music and voice they make through PopNow are charged in USD to the API balance behind POPNOW_API_KEY, after a quote you approve.
POPNOW_API_KEY
Install guides by agent
Same skills everywhere; only the folder changes.
Frequently asked questions
How should I install a Zed visual-experiment skill?
Use .agents/skills for project scope or ~/.agents/skills for a personal collection. Keep the complete package folder intact and name it plainly in the task request. Ask the assistant to identify its instructions before evaluating whether a particular visual experiment fits your educational goal.
Which specimen skill should I choose for typography?
Variable Type Specimen Lab is the catalog entry to inspect first when typography is the subject. Compare its example and required inputs with your intended exploration. A mathematical or material-inspired experiment serves a different question, even when all of them use interactive web artifacts.
Does an interactive visual prove a scientific claim?
No. A stylized visual demonstration can help explain an idea, but it is not automatically measurement or validation. Supply trustworthy explanatory material and label the artifact appropriately. Review the relationship shown by the interaction before presenting it as an educational account of a physical phenomenon.
What should I check besides the initial appearance?
Exercise the controls, test boundary values and navigate with the keyboard. Inspect labels at narrow widths and confirm that the response matches the intended explanation. A compelling opening frame is useful, but the experiment also needs to remain understandable when a visitor changes its inputs.
Start building in minutes
One key for every model, a USD balance you top up when you need to, and an exact price before every run.