JetBrains folds coding agents into its IDE: Air runs several sessions side by side and keeps their diffs next to the code
Synopsis
JetBrains has introduced Air inside its IDEs, bringing coding agents into the environment where developers already write, review, run and test code. Previously, once several tasks were dispatched, the harder part was knowing where each task stood, what each agent had changed, and what still needed attention. Air gathers agent sessions as editor tabs, keeps changed files and diffs with each session, and lets developers inspect diffs, run tests and send feedback back to the agent with familiar JetBrains tools.
Interpretation
JetBrains connects coding agents to the IDE workspace, so a developer can manage several agent sessions, track progress and review changes in one place. The stated difficulty was not dispatching tasks but knowing, once several run at once, where each task stands, what each agent has changed, and what still needs human attention. Air ships as a plugin from JetBrains Marketplace and is built into JetBrains IDEs in the 2026.3 EAP; the official walkthrough starts from an existing project, asks agents to extend it, reviews the changes and tests the result.
Each task can use a different agent, and sessions open as editor tabs with changed files and diffs kept in the session, close to the code they affect. Air detects compatible agents already installed on the machine, and Manage Agents can install them from the registry or connect custom ones. Codex, Gemini, GitHub Copilot, Claude Agent and Junie are supported, along with other agents connected through the Agent Client Protocol (ACP); compatible agents can be used through chat or terminal interfaces.
Review stays with the IDE's own tools: move from the session into the project, inspect the diff, navigate related code, run tests, and send feedback on the diff back to the agent when something needs changing. Session-level cost estimates sit alongside the sessions, showing how agent and model choices affect usage. Installing Air does not install or activate any agents or send project code to an AI provider; connecting a third-party agent sends data directly to that provider under the existing agreement.
Perspective
The demonstrated scope is the Air plugin in JetBrains IDEs and the version built into the 2026.3 EAP, with a walkthrough that starts from an existing project and has agents extend, review and test it; JetBrains says later parts will cover advanced workflows including worktrees, code notes and commit-message generation.
JetBrains gives no efficiency or quality data for running several agents in parallel; installing Air from the AI Assistant notification turns AI Assistant off, and it is reopened by pressing Shift twice or through the Agent Sessions options; only Claude Agent requires a JetBrains AI subscription in Chat view, while its terminal interface can use a Claude subscription.