Guide
Cursor for JetBrains & IntelliJ: ACP Setup (2026)
Cursor's agent runs inside JetBrains IDEs through the Agent Client Protocol (ACP). In the IDE's AI Chat panel, install Cursor from the ACP registry and select it as your agent. You need a paid Cursor plan and the AI Assistant plugin, but no JetBrains AI subscription. The integration offers Agent, Plan and Ask modes, without Debug mode.
On this page
- What is the Cursor JetBrains integration?
- How do I install Cursor in IntelliJ?
- Do I need to pay for JetBrains AI to use it?
- Which modes and models are available in JetBrains?
- How do I set up MCP servers in JetBrains?
- What does JetBrains lack vs the Cursor desktop app?
- How do rules, skills and the CLI work here?
- When should I use JetBrains over Cursor desktop?
What is the Cursor JetBrains integration?
It is Cursor's coding agent running inside a JetBrains IDE through the Agent Client ProtocolAn open standard that lets any IDE host any coding agent; Cursor uses it to run inside JetBrains/IntelliJ and Android Studio via the Cursor CLI bridge. Press Enter for the full definition. (ACPAgent Client Protocol. An open standard that lets any IDE host any coding agent; Cursor uses it to run inside JetBrains/IntelliJ and Android Studio. Press Enter for the full definition.), an open standard for connecting AI agents to IDEs. The IDE's AI Chat pluginA Cursor marketplace package that bundles MCP servers and skills (sometimes sub-agents and hooks); one click installs all of it into your Cursor instance. Press Enter for the full definition. forwards your prompt to Cursor's agent, and the agent reads your project and streams edits and terminal commands back. Cursor's docs cover IntelliJ, PyCharm and other JetBrains IDEs, and the workshop covered Android Studio too.
The integration is an ACPAgent Client Protocol. An open standard that lets any IDE host any coding agent; Cursor uses it to run inside JetBrains/IntelliJ and Android Studio. Press Enter for the full definition. extension, not a native app, so the desktop flow is smoother. The engine underneath is the same.
The underlying harness and model that's being used within the ACPAgent Client Protocol. An open standard that lets any IDE host any coding agent; Cursor uses it to run inside JetBrains/IntelliJ and Android Studio. Press Enter for the full definition. is exactly the same as the IDE that we use with Cursor.
One mental model from the workshop carries most of this guide: the JetBrains integration is powered by the Cursor CLICursor's command line: the full agent, all modes and models, in the terminal and pipeable into scripts and CI. Press Enter for the full definition.. Cursor's ACPAgent Client Protocol. An open standard that lets any IDE host any coding agent; Cursor uses it to run inside JetBrains/IntelliJ and Android Studio. Press Enter for the full definition. docs back the core of it, since ACP is a mode of the Cursor CLI and ACP sessions use the CLI's core modes. In the workshop's telling, MCPModel Context Protocol. A standard that lets an AI agent pull in context from outside the repo, like Jira tickets or internal docs. Press Enter for the full definition. configuration, slash commandsSaved multi-step prompts you trigger from the / menu, such as run tests, fix CI or open a pull request. Press Enter for the full definition., the rules, skills and subagents primitives and model selection all behave as they do in the CLI.
This exact topic is a hands-on Lesson: Connect Cursor agent through ACP — about 6 minutes, free to read.
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How do I install Cursor in IntelliJ?
Install it from the IDE's AI Chat panel: add Cursor from the ACPAgent Client Protocol. An open standard that lets any IDE host any coding agent; Cursor uses it to run inside JetBrains/IntelliJ and Android Studio. Press Enter for the full definition. registry, select it as your agent, then say hello to confirm it answers.
- 1In IntelliJ, open the AI Chat panel from the right-hand sidebar.
- 2Open the chat mode selector and choose Install From ACPAgent Client Protocol. An open standard that lets any IDE host any coding agent; Cursor uses it to run inside JetBrains/IntelliJ and Android Studio. Press Enter for the full definition. Registry. Cursor's docs call this option Add Agent from Registry.
- 3Search for Cursor and install it. The IDE downloads the agent's files for you.
- 4Select Cursor as your agent. The first time, you may be asked to sign in or provide an API key.
- 5Send a quick message like "hello Cursor", then pick a mode (Ask, Plan or Agent) and a model and start working.
Neither Cursor's JetBrains docs nor JetBrains' ACPAgent Client Protocol. An open standard that lets any IDE host any coding agent; Cursor uses it to run inside JetBrains/IntelliJ and Android Studio. Press Enter for the full definition. help asks you to install the Cursor CLICursor's command line: the full agent, all modes and models, in the terminal and pipeable into scripts and CI. Press Enter for the full definition. first. JetBrains says a registry install downloads the agent's files for you. The workshop presenter installed the CLI beforehand, and you will want it for the terminal workflows later in this guide.
JetBrains' ACPAgent Client Protocol. An open standard that lets any IDE host any coding agent; Cursor uses it to run inside JetBrains/IntelliJ and Android Studio. Press Enter for the full definition. help lists one limitation: ACP agents aren't supported in the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).
Interactive diagram. Step through it with the Next and Previous controls below, or Tab to a region to read its detail.
The same five steps in IntelliJ, PyCharm or another JetBrains IDE. MCP is a separate, manual step covered below.
Do I need to pay for JetBrains AI to use it?
No. JetBrains' help says you can use ACPAgent Client Protocol. An open standard that lets any IDE host any coding agent; Cursor uses it to run inside JetBrains/IntelliJ and Android Studio. Press Enter for the full definition. agents without a JetBrains AI subscription. Cursor's docs list two prerequisites: a paid Cursor plan, and a JetBrains IDE, version 2025.1 or later, with the AI Assistant pluginA Cursor marketplace package that bundles MCP servers and skills (sometimes sub-agents and hooks); one click installs all of it into your Cursor instance. Press Enter for the full definition. enabled. Cursor bills the agent through your Cursor subscription, with the same usage-based pricing as the rest of Cursor.
A Cursor team member fielded this exact question during the workshop.
As long as you have an IntelliJ license to be able to use the IDE, you can use this agent. You need a Cursor account as well. But you don't need to go for that extra piece there.
- You need
- A JetBrains IDE, version 2025.1 or later (any license tier)
- You do not need
- A JetBrains AI subscription
- You need
- A paid Cursor plan
- You do not need
- The Cursor desktop app
- You need
- The AI Assistant pluginA Cursor marketplace package that bundles MCP servers and skills (sometimes sub-agents and hooks); one click installs all of it into your Cursor instance. Press Enter for the full definition., enabled
- You do not need
- A separate per-IDE Cursor purchase
| You need | You do not need |
|---|---|
| A JetBrains IDE, version 2025.1 or later (any license tier) | A JetBrains AI subscription |
| A paid Cursor plan | The Cursor desktop app |
| The AI Assistant pluginA Cursor marketplace package that bundles MCP servers and skills (sometimes sub-agents and hooks); one click installs all of it into your Cursor instance. Press Enter for the full definition., enabled | A separate per-IDE Cursor purchase |
The integration rides on your JetBrains IDE plus a paid Cursor plan.
Which modes and models are available in JetBrains?
Agent, Plan and Ask. Cursor's ACPAgent Client Protocol. An open standard that lets any IDE host any coding agent; Cursor uses it to run inside JetBrains/IntelliJ and Android Studio. Press Enter for the full definition. docs list those as the modes for ACP sessions, and the workshop showed switching modes and models mid-conversation in the same chat. Debug modeA mode that diagnoses a failure: it reproduces the issue, adds instrumentation and watches the logs, rather than reviewing a pull request. Press Enter for the full definition., which the Cursor app and the CLI both have, is not available through ACP. In the workshop, Cursor said it was working with JetBrains to add it.
- Mode
- Ask
- In JetBrains ACP?
- Yes
- Use it for
- Read-only questions: project overview, how to run, where code lives
- Mode
- Plan
- In JetBrains ACP?
- Yes
- Use it for
- A reviewable plan before edits, best with a high-reasoning model
- Mode
- Agent
- In JetBrains ACP?
- Yes
- Use it for
- Multi-step edits and command execution
- Mode
- Debug
- In JetBrains ACP?
- No
- Use it for
- In the Cursor app and the CLI, not in ACPAgent Client Protocol. An open standard that lets any IDE host any coding agent; Cursor uses it to run inside JetBrains/IntelliJ and Android Studio. Press Enter for the full definition. sessions
| Mode | In JetBrains ACP? | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Ask | Yes | Read-only questions: project overview, how to run, where code lives |
| Plan | Yes | A reviewable plan before edits, best with a high-reasoning model |
| Agent | Yes | Multi-step edits and command execution |
| Debug | No | In the Cursor app and the CLI, not in ACPAgent Client Protocol. An open standard that lets any IDE host any coding agent; Cursor uses it to run inside JetBrains/IntelliJ and Android Studio. Press Enter for the full definition. sessions |
Mode availability per Cursor's ACP docs.
The workshop showed the same model picker the CLI exposes. Match the model to the job: a high-reasoning model in Plan modeA mode that makes no edits: it researches the codebase and produces an editable plan you review before any code changes. Press Enter for the full definition., a fast in-house ComposerCursor's own fast coding model, tuned for the editor and priced well below frontier models; the recommended day-to-day model for executing a plan. Press Enter for the full definition. model for quick edits. Third-party models need a Cursor plan that includes them, and Plus includes only Cursor's own models.
Interactive widget. Tab through its controls; the result updates in the panel below as you change them.
High-reasoning models for planning and audits; fast executors for edits in a handful of files. The same logic applies in JetBrains, within the models your Cursor plan includes.
If you use the Cursor app heavily, the missing Debug modeA mode that diagnoses a failure: it reproduces the issue, adds instrumentation and watches the logs, rather than reviewing a pull request. Press Enter for the full definition. is the first gap you will notice in JetBrains. Agent, Plan and Ask cover most workflows. When you specifically want Debug mode, switch to the Cursor app or the CLI.
How do I set up MCP servers in JetBrains?
Set up MCPModel Context Protocol. A standard that lets an AI agent pull in context from outside the repo, like Jira tickets or internal docs. Press Enter for the full definition. by hand. There is no one-click install as in the Cursor app. In the workshop it took two steps, and the second is easy to miss: write your servers into an mcp.json file, then enable MCP in IntelliJ's settings.
- 1Create a .cursor/mcp.json at your user root and add your MCPModel Context Protocol. A standard that lets an AI agent pull in context from outside the repo, like Jira tickets or internal docs. Press Enter for the full definition. server config there. Cursor's ACPAgent Client Protocol. An open standard that lets any IDE host any coding agent; Cursor uses it to run inside JetBrains/IntelliJ and Android Studio. Press Enter for the full definition. docs also accept a project-level .cursor/mcp.json.
- 2In IntelliJ, open Settings and search "MCPModel Context Protocol. A standard that lets an AI agent pull in context from outside the repo, like Jira tickets or internal docs. Press Enter for the full definition. server".
- 3Check the box to enable MCPModel Context Protocol. A standard that lets an AI agent pull in context from outside the repo, like Jira tickets or internal docs. Press Enter for the full definition.. In the workshop, IntelliJ had MCP off by default as a security feature.
- 4For auth, pass tokens directly in mcp.json, or use the OAuth login flow for MCPs that need it.
The presenter lost half an hour to the hidden enable checkbox before MCPModel Context Protocol. A standard that lets an AI agent pull in context from outside the repo, like Jira tickets or internal docs. Press Enter for the full definition. would connect at all.
The second gotcha which took me about 30 minutes the other day to find out is you have to go to IntelliJ settings, type in MCPModel Context Protocol. A standard that lets an AI agent pull in context from outside the repo, like Jira tickets or internal docs. Press Enter for the full definition. server, you have to check mark this. It's a security feature within IntelliJ that doesn't enable MCP by default.
The presenter said MCPModel Context Protocol. A standard that lets an AI agent pull in context from outside the repo, like Jira tickets or internal docs. Press Enter for the full definition. configuration mirrors the CLI almost exactly, so OAuth-based servers authenticate the same way they do there. The most reliable first pass is still an API key set directly in mcp.json.
If MCPModel Context Protocol. A standard that lets an AI agent pull in context from outside the repo, like Jira tickets or internal docs. Press Enter for the full definition. tools still don't appear, check JetBrains' agent settings too. Its ACPAgent Client Protocol. An open standard that lets any IDE host any coding agent; Cursor uses it to run inside JetBrains/IntelliJ and Android Studio. Press Enter for the full definition. help lists Pass custom MCP servers, which exposes your configured servers to installed agents, and Pass IntelliJ MCP server, which exposes the IDE's own. JetBrains' reference for its acp.json file sets the first to on by default and the second to off. The workshop doesn't name the setting the presenter ticked, so check both.
Team-level MCPModel Context Protocol. A standard that lets an AI agent pull in context from outside the repo, like Jira tickets or internal docs. Press Enter for the full definition. servers configured in the Cursor dashboard don't work in ACPAgent Client Protocol. An open standard that lets any IDE host any coding agent; Cursor uses it to run inside JetBrains/IntelliJ and Android Studio. Press Enter for the full definition. mode, so put every server you need in mcp.json.
What does JetBrains lack vs the Cursor desktop app?
Mostly surface features. The JetBrains integration is an ACPAgent Client Protocol. An open standard that lets any IDE host any coding agent; Cursor uses it to run inside JetBrains/IntelliJ and Android Studio. Press Enter for the full definition. extension, while the Cursor desktop app is built AI-native from the ground up, so the desktop flow is smoother and some features land there first. The workshop's point was that the agent's intelligence is the same and the surface is thinner. Weigh that when you choose where to work.
- Area
- Underlying harness + models
- Cursor desktop
- Native
- JetBrains ACP
- Same engine via the CLI
- Area
- Ask / Plan / Agent modes
- Cursor desktop
- Yes
- JetBrains ACP
- Yes
- Area
- Debug modeA mode that diagnoses a failure: it reproduces the issue, adds instrumentation and watches the logs, rather than reviewing a pull request. Press Enter for the full definition.
- Cursor desktop
- Yes
- JetBrains ACP
- No
- Area
- MCPModel Context Protocol. A standard that lets an AI agent pull in context from outside the repo, like Jira tickets or internal docs. Press Enter for the full definition. install
- Cursor desktop
- One-click marketplace
- JetBrains ACP
- Manual mcp.json + enable checkbox
- Area
- Overall feel
- Cursor desktop
- AI-native, smoothest
- JetBrains ACP
- Extension; a step behind on polish
| Area | Cursor desktop | JetBrains ACP |
|---|---|---|
| Underlying harness + models | Native | Same engine via the CLI |
| Ask / Plan / Agent modes | Yes | Yes |
| Debug modeA mode that diagnoses a failure: it reproduces the issue, adds instrumentation and watches the logs, rather than reviewing a pull request. Press Enter for the full definition. | Yes | No |
| MCPModel Context Protocol. A standard that lets an AI agent pull in context from outside the repo, like Jira tickets or internal docs. Press Enter for the full definition. install | One-click marketplace | Manual mcp.json + enable checkbox |
| Overall feel | AI-native, smoothest | Extension; a step behind on polish |
Parity as described in the 2026 workshop, with modes checked against Cursor's ACP docs. The gaps are in the surface, not the models.
Codebase search carried over in the workshop. An Ask-mode prompt like "give me an overview of this project and how to run it" came back fast, even in an unfamiliar codebase. The presenter described that search as a semantic vector index combined with grep. Cursor's current docs describe Instant Grep, which builds and queries its index on your machine, plus an Explore subagent for broad searches.
How do rules, skills and the CLI work here?
The same primitives you use across Cursor apply in JetBrains. Rules are the standards the agent must follow. Skills are on-demand playbooks that both you and the agent can invoke. Subagents are specialists with their own context. You author and call them the same way you would in the CLI or the desktop app.
Interactive widget. Tab through its controls; the result updates in the panel below as you change them.
What each primitive is, who invokes it and how much control you keep. Available in JetBrains via the CLI engine.
Keep the IDE for review and use the terminal for fan-out. Open several terminal tabs in the same repo and start an agent in each, with a different model and the same task, to compare implementations. Start each one with --worktree so every run edits its own worktree instead of your shared checkout. Then review the results in the IDE.
Keep rules short and scoped. The workshop presenter said Cursor's own open-source rules run around eight lines, and that a rule set over a hundred lines is a signal to trim it or split it into file-scoped rules. Context is a scarce resource, so a rule that only applies to matching files costs less than one that runs on every request.
When should I use JetBrains over Cursor desktop?
Use the JetBrains integration when your team already works in IntelliJ, PyCharm or Android Studio and switching editors has a real cost. The agent runs inside the editor they already use, with the same models and harness.
Reach for the desktop app or the CLI when you need Debug modeA mode that diagnoses a failure: it reproduces the issue, adds instrumentation and watches the logs, rather than reviewing a pull request. Press Enter for the full definition., and for the desktop app when you want the smoothest AI-native flow or one-click MCPModel Context Protocol. A standard that lets an AI agent pull in context from outside the repo, like Jira tickets or internal docs. Press Enter for the full definition. installs.
After install, run a quick Ask-mode project overview to confirm search works, then add one MCPModel Context Protocol. A standard that lets an AI agent pull in context from outside the repo, like Jira tickets or internal docs. Press Enter for the full definition. server and check that its tools appear (remember the enable checkbox). Registry labels and setup steps change over time, so check Cursor's JetBrains docs before you wire this into a team workflow.
Frequently asked questions
Does Cursor work in IntelliJ and PyCharm?
Yes. Through the Agent Client Protocol (ACP), Cursor's agent runs in JetBrains IDEs such as IntelliJ and PyCharm. Install it from the ACP registry in the IDE's AI Chat panel. The workshop described the harness and models as the same ones the Cursor desktop app uses.
Do I need JetBrains AI premium to use Cursor in IntelliJ?
No. JetBrains says ACP agents work without a JetBrains AI subscription. Cursor's docs require a paid Cursor plan and a JetBrains IDE, version 2025.1 or later, with the AI Assistant plugin enabled. You don't need the Cursor desktop app.
Why won't my MCP servers connect in IntelliJ?
Put your servers in a .cursor/mcp.json, then search IntelliJ's Settings for "MCP server" and tick the enable box. The workshop presenter lost 30 minutes to that box. Also check Pass custom MCP servers in the IDE's agent settings. Team-level servers from the Cursor dashboard aren't supported over ACP.
Is Debug mode available in the JetBrains integration?
No. Cursor's ACP docs list Agent, Plan and Ask as the modes for ACP sessions, and you can switch modes and models mid-chat. Debug mode is in the Cursor desktop app and the CLI, so use one of those when you need it.
How is the JetBrains integration related to the Cursor CLI?
It runs on the Cursor CLI's ACP mode. In the workshop's telling, MCP configuration, slash commands, the rules, skills and subagents primitives and model selection all behave as they do in the CLI, including the manual mcp.json setup.
Is anything different from the Cursor desktop app?
The agent is the same, but JetBrains runs it as an ACP extension while the desktop app is AI-native, so the desktop flow is smoother. The specific gaps are that JetBrains has no Debug mode and that MCP setup is manual instead of one-click.
Sources & last verified
- Cursor: JetBrains integration
- Cursor: download
- Cursor: CLI docs
- Cursor: docs
- Cursor: ACP docs
- JetBrains: Agent Client Protocol in AI Assistant
- Cursor: using the CLI (worktrees)
Cursor ships frequently. Last updated October 28, 2026.