This IntelliJ IDEA plugin, IDEA Claude Code GUI, offers a visual interface for interacting with Claude Code operations directly within the IDE. It targets developers using IntelliJ IDEA who want to integrate AI-powered coding assistance more seamlessly into their workflow, aiming to boost productivity and streamline AI-assisted development tasks.

How It Works

The plugin integrates Claude Code functionality into the IntelliJ IDEA environment through a dedicated GUI. It utilizes a webview for its frontend components and relies on claude-bridge for backend communication. A notable aspect of the project's development methodology is that a significant portion of its codebase was generated by AI models, including Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, and GLM, positioning it as a learning project for the author.

Quick Start & Requirements

• Installation: Users can install the plugin by downloading the idea-claude-code-gui-0.0.9-beta4.zip file and then navigating to IntelliJ IDEA's Settings → Plugins → Install Plugin from Disk, selecting the downloaded zip file.
• Local Development: Setting up for local development involves installing frontend dependencies via npm install in the webview directory and claude-bridge dependencies similarly. The plugin can then be run in debug mode using ./gradlew clean runIde.
• Build: A production-ready plugin package, approximately 40MB in size, can be built using the ./gradlew clean buildPlugin command, with the output located in the build/distributions/ directory.
• Prerequisites: Requires Node.js for npm package management and a Java Development Kit for Gradle and IntelliJ IDEA plugin development.

Highlighted Details

• Key features include the ability to right-click selected files and send them to the plugin for processing, with integrated keyboard shortcut support.
• The plugin facilitates importing vendor configurations from cc-switch, simplifying setup for different Claude environments.
• Ongoing development includes detailed UI refinements, particularly enhancing the interaction on the Vendor page.
• A specific fix addresses an issue where .claude/setting.json was occasionally overwritten with default configurations.
• The project explicitly states that much of its code was AI-generated, with the author identifying as a learner in this domain.

Maintenance & Community

The project is actively under development, described as being in an "experimental stage" with "daily updates." The author plans approximately 10 versions before reaching a stable release. The current version is v0.0.9-feat1, with the latest update noted as December 6, 2025. The README includes shields for GitHub contributors, forks, stars, and issues, but does not provide direct links to community channels like Discord or Slack, nor a public roadmap.

Licensing & Compatibility

The software is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (AGPL-3.0). This license is known for its strong copyleft nature, requiring that any modifications or derivative works distributed must also be made available under the AGPL-3.0 license. This can impose significant restrictions on integrating the code into proprietary or closed-source projects.

Limitations & Caveats

As an experimental project in active, daily development, users should expect frequent changes and potential instability. The reliance on AI-generated code for a substantial portion of the project may introduce unforeseen bugs or quality issues. The AGPL-3.0 license necessitates careful consideration regarding distribution and integration, especially within commercial or closed-source contexts due to its strict copyleft requirements.