Boost Your Java Development with CC GUI: A Dual‑AI IDE Plugin Review

Overview

CC GUI (Claude Code GUI) is an IntelliJ IDEA plugin that integrates two AI coding assistants—Claude Code and Codex—into the IDE. It enables visual interaction, multimodal queries, and automation through built‑in agents.

Key Features

Dual‑AI engine : Switch between Claude Code and Codex models on demand.

Context‑aware conversation : Supports @‑file references, image uploads, and multi‑modal prompts.

Agent system : Built‑in automation agents and slash‑command skill system, extensible via the MCP (Machine Code Provider) service.

Developer experience : Code diff view, navigation, and multilingual themes.

Session management : History, search, bookmarking, and usage statistics.

Installation & Configuration

Open the IntelliJ IDEA plugin marketplace, search for Claude, and install the plugin.

After installation, open CC GUI from the right‑hand panel. On first launch the plugin prompts to install the AI SDK dependency package; select the Claude Code SDK option.

In Vendor Management settings, grant CC GUI read access to the Claude Code configuration file so the plugin can locate the model credentials.

Enable the IDEA MCP service (Settings → Tools → Machine Code Provider) to allow the AI to compile, run, and manipulate projects directly from the IDE.

Usage Example – Spring Boot Upgrade

Project: mall‑tiny (a Spring Boot scaffold). Goal: upgrade from Spring Boot 3.1.5 to 3.5.13 .

Enter planning mode (via the CC GUI toolbar) and ask Claude Code to generate an upgrade plan. The AI returns a Markdown document that lists:

Execute the generated plan directly from CC GUI. The AI applies the changes, updates pom.xml, and modifies source files as described.

Refactor an existing JWT utility class to use Hutool’s built‑in JWT helpers. The AI replaces custom token handling with cn.hutool.jwt.JWTUtil calls, updating imports and method signatures.

Run automated API tests. Claude Code inspects the project’s test suite, discovers database credentials, and infers default passwords to perform login tests without explicit prompts.

All actions are performed through the MCP service, which provides over 40 built‑in tools (file operations, compilation, execution, database queries, etc.), allowing the AI to fully control the IDE.

CC GUI’s file‑level context awareness means the AI operates on the exact code snippet selected in the editor, a capability not available via a CLI.

Model Comparison

Haiku : Entry‑level, ultra‑fast, lowest cost – suitable for quick syntax look‑ups and simple comment generation.

Sonnet : Mainstream speed, medium cost – ideal for everyday coding, debugging, documentation, and typical logical reasoning.

Opus : Top‑tier, slower, highest cost – best for complex refactoring, multi‑file deep analysis, and heavyweight code transformations.

Repository

https://github.com/zhukunpenglinyutong/jetbrains-cc-gui