IntelliJ Index IDE Integration
Overview
Use IntelliJ-backed MCP tools as the default path for symbol-aware code operations whenever the intellij-index MCP server is present. Prefer these tools over text search because they use IDE semantic indexing.
MCP Availability Gate
- •Check MCP server availability before applying this workflow.
- •Apply this skill only when
intellij-indexis present. - •If
intellij-indexis unavailable, fall back to standard repository search/edit workflows.
Preferred Tool Mapping
For code-symbol tasks, use these tools first:
- •Find references:
ide_find_references - •Go to definition:
ide_find_definition - •Rename symbols:
ide_refactor_rename - •Type hierarchy:
ide_type_hierarchy - •Find implementations:
ide_find_implementations - •Diagnostics:
ide_diagnostics
Working Rules
- •Start symbol navigation with IntelliJ MCP tools, not
grep/rg, when symbol identity matters. - •Use text search only for non-symbol text discovery (for example logs, plain config values, or TODO strings).
- •For renames, always prefer
ide_refactor_renameto ensure project-wide, type-aware updates. - •Run
ide_diagnosticsafter meaningful code edits when applicable to catch semantic issues early.
Quick Task Playbooks
Locate a symbol and usages
- •Resolve the symbol location with
ide_find_definition. - •Collect impact with
ide_find_references. - •Use results to scope edits.
Safely rename a symbol
- •Confirm target symbol with
ide_find_definition. - •Execute
ide_refactor_rename. - •Verify follow-on issues with
ide_diagnostics.
Understand abstractions
- •Inspect inheritance/parent-child relations with
ide_type_hierarchy. - •Enumerate concrete implementations with
ide_find_implementations. - •Use both outputs to decide where behavior changes belong.