Skill: IntelliJ IDEA MCP Integration

Control and interact with JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA directly through the Model Context Protocol (MCP) server.

Trigger

•/idea - Show available IntelliJ IDEA MCP commands and current IDE status
•/idea [action] - Execute a specific IDE action

Arguments

$ARGUMENTS

Prerequisites

The JetBrains MCP server must be configured and running:

•IntelliJ IDEA must be open with the MCP Server plugin enabled

•MCP Server must be added to Docker MCP Gateway:

code

mcp-find jetbrains
mcp-config-set jetbrains {"port": <PORT>}
mcp-add jetbrains

•The port can be found in C:\Users\Chris\AppData\Roaming\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json under IJ_MCP_SERVER_PORT

Available Tools

File Operations

Tool	Description
`create_new_file_with_text`	Create a new file with specified content
`get_file_text_by_path`	Read file contents by relative path
`replace_file_text_by_path`	Replace entire file content
`replace_specific_text`	Find and replace text in a specific file
`find_files_by_name_substring`	Search for files by name pattern
`list_files_in_folder`	List files in a directory
`list_directory_tree_in_folder`	Get hierarchical project structure

Editor Operations

Tool	Description
`get_open_in_editor_file_path`	Get path of currently active file
`get_open_in_editor_file_text`	Get content of currently active file
`get_all_open_file_paths`	List all open file paths
`get_all_open_file_texts`	Get content of all open files
`get_selected_in_editor_text`	Get currently selected text
`replace_selected_text`	Replace selected text
`replace_current_file_text`	Replace entire content of active file
`open_file_in_editor`	Open a file in the editor

Project & VCS

Tool	Description
`get_project_modules`	List all project modules with dependencies
`get_project_dependencies`	List all project dependencies
`get_project_vcs_status`	Get Git/VCS status of files
`find_commit_by_message`	Search commits by message
`search_in_files_content`	Search text across all project files

Run & Debug

Tool	Description
`get_run_configurations`	List available run configurations
`run_configuration`	Execute a run configuration by name
`get_debugger_breakpoints`	List all breakpoints
`toggle_debugger_breakpoint`	Add/remove breakpoint at line

Terminal & IDE Actions

Tool	Description
`execute_terminal_command`	Run command in IDE terminal
`execute_action_by_id`	Execute IDE action by ID
`list_available_actions`	List all available IDE actions
`get_terminal_text`	Get terminal output
`get_progress_indicators`	Check running tasks/progress

Utility

Tool	Description
`wait`	Wait for specified milliseconds

Scopes & File Colors

IntelliJ IDEA scopes provide powerful file filtering and visual organization capabilities.

Scope Configuration

Scopes are stored in .idea/scopes/*.xml with the following format:

xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<component name="DependencyValidationManager">
  <scope name="Scope Name" pattern="file[ModuleName]:path//*" />
</component>

Scope Pattern Syntax

Pattern	Description
`file[Module]:path//*`	Files in path recursively
`file[Module]:path/*`	Files in path (no subdirs)
`file:*.ext`	Files by extension
`\|\|`	OR operator
`&&`	AND operator
`!`	NOT operator
`$ScopeName`	Reference another scope

File Colors Configuration

File colors are configured in .idea/workspace.xml under <component name="FileColors">:

xml

<component name="FileColors">
  <fileColor scope="Scope Name" color="hexcode" />
</component>

Dark Theme Color Palette:

Purpose	Hex	Description
Yellow	`4a4522`	Dark Olive
Blue	`2e4a5a`	Dark Nordic
Green	`2a4a3a`	Dark Forest
Purple	`4a2a4a`	Dark Plum
Orange	`5a3a1a`	Dark Amber
Gray	`3a3a3a`	Dark Gray
Cyan	`1a4a5a`	Dark Teal

If `$ARGUMENTS` is "scopes":

•List existing scopes from .idea/scopes/
•Show current file colors from .idea/workspace.xml
•Suggest scope improvements based on project structure

If `$ARGUMENTS` is "scopes setup" or "scopes create":

•Analyze project structure (folder hierarchy)
•Create logical scope groupings
•Generate scope XML files in .idea/scopes/
•Configure file colors in workspace.xml
•Use dark theme colors by default

If `$ARGUMENTS` is "scopes colors":

•Read current file colors from workspace.xml
•Display color assignments
•Suggest adjustments for dark/light themes

Command Handling

If `$ARGUMENTS` is empty or "status":

•Check if JetBrains MCP server is connected
•If not connected, attempt to connect using mcp-find, mcp-config-set, and mcp-add
•
Show current IDE status:
- •Currently open file
- •All open files
- •Project VCS status
- •Running progress indicators

If `$ARGUMENTS` is "files":

List all open files in the editor using get_all_open_file_paths.

If `$ARGUMENTS` is "tree" or "structure":

Show project directory tree using list_directory_tree_in_folder with path "/" and maxDepth 3.

If `$ARGUMENTS` is "vcs" or "git":

Show VCS status using get_project_vcs_status.

If `$ARGUMENTS` is "runs" or "configurations":

List run configurations using get_run_configurations.

If `$ARGUMENTS` is "breakpoints":

List all breakpoints using get_debugger_breakpoints.

If `$ARGUMENTS` is "modules":

List project modules using get_project_modules.

If `$ARGUMENTS` is "deps" or "dependencies":

List project dependencies using get_project_dependencies.

If `$ARGUMENTS` is "terminal":

Get terminal output using get_terminal_text.

If `$ARGUMENTS` is "actions":

List available IDE actions using list_available_actions.

If `$ARGUMENTS` starts with "open ":

Open the specified file using open_file_in_editor.

If `$ARGUMENTS` starts with "run ":

Execute the specified run configuration using run_configuration.

If `$ARGUMENTS` starts with "search ":

Search in files using search_in_files_content with the query.

If `$ARGUMENTS` starts with "find ":

Find files by name using find_files_by_name_substring.

If `$ARGUMENTS` starts with "exec " or "action ":

Execute IDE action by ID using execute_action_by_id.

If `$ARGUMENTS` starts with "cmd " or "terminal ":

Execute terminal command using execute_terminal_command.

If `$ARGUMENTS` is "current" or "active":

Show the currently active file path and content using get_open_in_editor_file_path and get_open_in_editor_file_text.

If `$ARGUMENTS` is "selected" or "selection":

Get selected text using get_selected_in_editor_text.

If `$ARGUMENTS` is "help":

Display this skill documentation with all available commands.

Usage Guidelines

•Always ensure IntelliJ IDEA is running before attempting to use these commands
•File paths are relative to project root unless specified as absolute
•Use get_project_vcs_status before making changes to understand current state
•Prefer replace_specific_text over replace_file_text_by_path for targeted edits
•Check get_progress_indicators if IDE seems busy or unresponsive
•Use wait when chaining commands that need IDE to process (e.g., after running a configuration)

Example Usage

code

/idea                    # Show IDE status and open files
/idea files              # List all open files
/idea tree               # Show project structure
/idea vcs                # Show Git status
/idea open src/main.ts   # Open a specific file
/idea run "Debug App"    # Run a configuration
/idea search TODO        # Search for TODO in all files
/idea find config        # Find files with "config" in name
/idea terminal npm test  # Run npm test in terminal
/idea current            # Show current file content
/idea help               # Show this help

Error Handling

If the MCP server is not connected:

•Use mcp__MCP_DOCKER__mcp-find with query "jetbrains" to verify availability
•Use mcp__MCP_DOCKER__mcp-config-set to set the port configuration
•Use mcp__MCP_DOCKER__mcp-add to activate the server

Common issues:

•Port mismatch: Check IJ_MCP_SERVER_PORT in claude_desktop_config.json
•IDE not running: Start IntelliJ IDEA and ensure MCP Server plugin is enabled
•Plugin disabled: Go to Settings > Plugins > MCP Server and enable it

Metadata

Last Updated: 2026-01-25 Version: 1.2.0 Author: Christian Kusmanow / Claude Scope: Global Changelog:

•
v1.2.0: Added Scopes & File Colors capability
- •Scope pattern syntax reference
- •File colors configuration with dark theme palette
- •/idea scopes, /idea scopes setup, /idea scopes colors commands
- •PARA folder scoping example
•v1.1.0: SDL compliance - Added YAML frontmatter with name, description, triggers, negative_triggers
•v1.0.0: Initial release with JetBrains MCP integration

Skill: IntelliJ IDEA MCP Integration

Trigger

Arguments

Prerequisites

Available Tools

File Operations

Editor Operations

Project & VCS

Run & Debug

Terminal & IDE Actions

Utility

Scopes & File Colors

Scope Configuration

Scope Pattern Syntax

File Colors Configuration

If $ARGUMENTS is "scopes":

If $ARGUMENTS is "scopes setup" or "scopes create":

If $ARGUMENTS is "scopes colors":

Command Handling

If $ARGUMENTS is empty or "status":

If $ARGUMENTS is "files":

If $ARGUMENTS is "tree" or "structure":

If $ARGUMENTS is "vcs" or "git":

If $ARGUMENTS is "runs" or "configurations":

If $ARGUMENTS is "breakpoints":

If $ARGUMENTS is "modules":

If $ARGUMENTS is "deps" or "dependencies":

If $ARGUMENTS is "terminal":

If $ARGUMENTS is "actions":

If $ARGUMENTS starts with "open ":

If $ARGUMENTS starts with "run ":

If $ARGUMENTS starts with "search ":

If $ARGUMENTS starts with "find ":

If $ARGUMENTS starts with "exec " or "action ":

If $ARGUMENTS starts with "cmd " or "terminal ":

If $ARGUMENTS is "current" or "active":

If $ARGUMENTS is "selected" or "selection":

If $ARGUMENTS is "help":