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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchTo let an external MCP client use tools from IntelliJ IDEA, enable the IDE’s integrated MCP Server at Settings | Tools | MCP Server, review the access notice, and configure the client to connect. If instead you want IntelliJ AI Assistant to use tools from a separate MCP server, add that server under Settings | Tools | AI Assistant | Model Context Protocol (MCP). Those are opposite connection directions.
JetBrains’ IntelliJ IDEA 2026.2 documentation says its integrated MCP Server is available in JetBrains IDEs starting with version 2025.2 and is bundled and enabled by default. The steps below follow that current documentation; labels and available transports can vary by IDE release and external client. JetBrains MCP documentation
Choose which direction the MCP connection should go
“Run an MCP server in IntelliJ” can mean either of two setups. Decide which one you need before changing settings:
| Setup | What connects to what | Where to configure it |
|---|---|---|
| IntelliJ as the server | An external MCP client, such as an AI agent, connects to tools exposed by the IDE. | Settings | Tools | MCP Server in IntelliJ, then the external client’s configuration. |
| IntelliJ AI Assistant as the client | The IDE’s AI Assistant connects to a separate MCP server and uses its tools. | Settings | Tools | AI Assistant | Model Context Protocol (MCP). |
The first setup is the main walkthrough here. Enabling IntelliJ’s integrated server does not, by itself, add a third-party MCP server to AI Assistant.
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Enable IntelliJ IDEA’s integrated MCP Server
- Open Settings | Tools | MCP Server. On macOS, the application’s settings command may be named Preferences rather than Settings.
- If the MCP Server page is missing, open Settings | Plugins | Installed and check that the bundled MCP Server plugin is enabled. Also check your IDE version: JetBrains documents the integrated server for JetBrains IDEs from version 2025.2 onward.
- Select Enable MCP Server.
- Read the dialog explaining that third-party applications can access tools for projects open in the IDE. Enable the server only if that access is appropriate for the projects and client you intend to use, then click Enable.
- Click Apply.
- Configure the external client as described below, then restart that client so it reloads its MCP configuration.
The enablement dialog matters: this is not simply a local feature toggle. A connected client may be able to invoke the tools that IntelliJ exposes for open projects, so consider the client’s trustworthiness and the projects’ sensitivity before connecting it.
Connect an external MCP client to IntelliJ
Use automatic configuration when the client is detected
In Settings | Tools | MCP Server, use Clients Auto-Configuration if your client appears there. Follow the IDE’s prompts to write the connection settings for that client. Availability depends on whether IntelliJ detects the client and on the client’s supported configuration method.
Copy a configuration manually
If the client is not listed, use Manual Client Configuration and choose the configuration format it supports. JetBrains’ current documentation describes options for SSE, STDIO, and HTTP Stream. Copy the provided configuration into the client’s MCP settings, save it, and restart the client. Do not substitute one transport’s configuration for another: use the format offered for the transport the client actually accepts.
Some clients can store this connection at project level. If you choose that scope, IntelliJ writes the configuration in the current project’s working-directory context so the endpoint is associated with that project rather than being generally available to the client. The exact file or UI location is client-specific; follow that client’s instructions.
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Open Settings | Tools | MCP Server | Exposed Tools to inspect and toggle the capabilities made available to external clients. JetBrains describes tools for code analysis, file modification, running IDE configurations, and terminal command execution. Keep enabled only the capabilities the connected client needs, especially when working in projects where file changes or command execution have consequences.
Optional: connect IntelliJ AI Assistant to a separate MCP server
- Open Settings | Tools | AI Assistant | Model Context Protocol (MCP).
- Add a server configuration and choose the connection type supported by that server.
- For a local STDIO server, enter the executable command and any required arguments. IntelliJ launches it as a local subprocess.
- For Streamable HTTP, enter the server’s URL. JetBrains also documents SSE for legacy servers.
- Choose whether the configuration applies globally or only to the current project, then click OK and Apply.
- Check the Status column. If needed, use the reconnect control available in MCP settings.
There is no universal command or URL for an MCP server. Use the individual server maintainer’s instructions for executable names, arguments, environment variables, authentication, and permissions. JetBrains’ examples include local executables, npx, Docker, and remote HTTP URLs; these are configuration patterns, not endorsements of a particular server. For a filesystem server, for example, the directory path supplied to the server determines which files it can reach, so verify that boundary before connecting.
Understand the transport choice
- STDIO: IntelliJ starts a local process and communicates with it through standard input and output. This is appropriate only when the configured command and its environment are available on the machine running the IDE.
- Streamable HTTP: IntelliJ connects to an HTTP endpoint provided by the server. Use the exact URL and access requirements from that server’s documentation.
- SSE: JetBrains retains support for legacy SSE servers. Choose it only when the server and client configuration both support that transport.
Transport support is not interchangeable. The server’s documentation and the client’s current settings determine which option will work.
Permissions, confirmations, and safer defaults
By default, connected clients may encounter confirmation prompts for sensitive actions. JetBrains provides an optional Brave mode setting that lets connected clients execute terminal commands or run IDE configurations without asking for confirmation each time. It is not required to start the MCP Server. Because it changes the confirmation boundary for consequential actions, leave it off unless you specifically need that behavior and understand which clients can use it.
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- Review the enablement dialog before granting third-party access to open projects.
- Use Exposed Tools to limit available capabilities to the ones required.
- Prefer project-scoped client configuration when the connection should be limited to a particular project and the client supports that scope.
- Be especially deliberate before permitting file modification, terminal execution, or IDE run configurations.
Troubleshoot common IntelliJ MCP problems
The MCP Server settings page is missing
Check Settings | Plugins | Installed for the bundled MCP Server plugin and enable it if disabled. Then verify the IDE release: JetBrains documents the integrated server starting with version 2025.2. If the setting remains unavailable, check the help documentation for your specific IDE and release.
The external client does not connect
- Confirm that the server is enabled in Settings | Tools | MCP Server.
- Check whether the client expects a global or project-level configuration and that you edited that same scope.
- Verify that you copied the transport the client supports, rather than a different format.
- Restart the external client after changing its configuration.
- For AI Assistant connections to an external server, inspect the Status column in MCP settings and try reconnecting there.
A tool is unavailable or access is broader than expected
Review Settings | Tools | MCP Server | Exposed Tools and check the enabled capabilities. Also review the external client’s own permissions and the projects open in the IDE; the integrated server provides tools in the context of the IDE, not a blanket guarantee that a client is limited to one file.
Commands or run configurations keep asking for confirmation
That prompt behavior is controlled by the optional command-execution setting. Brave mode removes repeated confirmations for terminal commands and IDE run configurations. Enable it only when the reduction in prompts is worth the increased risk for the clients you have connected.
You need server logs
In IntelliJ, open Help | Show Log in Explorer/Finder and inspect the mcp subdirectory in the IDE log directory for logs from spawned servers.
Historical compatibility note
A May 2025 JetBrains post described IntelliJ IDEA 2025.1 as MCP-client-compatible and gave IntelliJ IDEA 2025.1 plus AI Assistant build 251.26094.80.5 as the minimum setup at that time. Its PostgreSQL example used read-only queries and required Codebase mode or edit mode for MCP calls in that example. Those details describe the historical setup in that post, not universal current requirements; use the current IDE help and the specific server’s instructions for present-day configuration. JetBrains’ May 2025 post
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curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpSee the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for setup and options. ScreenshotNeo includes 1,000 screenshots per month free with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 screenshots. Learn about ScreenshotNeo, or sign up for 1,000 free screenshots a month with no card.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can IntelliJ IDEA use an MCP server without AI Assistant?
The integrated MCP Server is an IDE feature for external clients; the separate AI Assistant MCP settings are for configuring AI Assistant as a client.
Where can I find logs for an MCP server IntelliJ started?
Open Help | Show Log in Explorer/Finder and inspect the mcp subdirectory in the IDE log directory.
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