Explore IntelliJ IDEA 2024.3 EAP: Built‑in AI Assistant and Java Enhancements

0 Introduction

IntelliJ IDEA 2024.3 EAP (Early Access Program) has been released, offering a preview of upcoming features for the next major IDE version.

Stay tuned for more updates in the coming weeks and share feedback to help improve the IDE.

1 AI Assistant

1.1 Embedded AI Prompt

An experimental feature lets you interact with an AI assistant directly in the editor. When you type a natural‑language prompt and press Tab , the assistant parses the intent and generates the corresponding code change. The feature currently supports Java. If the result is unsatisfactory, you can undo with Ctrl+Z and try a revised prompt.

2 Java

2.1 Constant‑Condition Improvements

The data‑flow engine has been significantly enhanced, especially in handling aliasing scenarios. It now provides more accurate analysis when references may point to the same instance.

Example:

Previously, IntelliJ IDEA treated a1 and a2 as completely separate instances, which is often a reasonable assumption. However, when the same reference is passed to two parameters, the function may output “ALIASED!”, indicating that a1 and a2 are actually the same instance.

With the improved data‑flow engine, IntelliJ IDEA now handles such aliasing more accurately, reducing false positives and providing a more reliable coding experience.

3 User Experience

3.1 Spell and Grammar Check During Indexing

Building on the 2024.2 release, project model construction and indexing wait times have been further optimized. Spell and grammar checking is now available while indexing, allowing errors in Markdown files and tags to be caught without waiting for indexing to finish.

3.2 Branch Name in Welcome Screen

The Welcome screen now displays the current Git branch name, helping you stay organized when working with multiple project versions and switch directories more easily.

3.3 Workspaces in IntelliJ IDEA

The EAP version includes a newly introduced workspace feature that allows simultaneous management of multiple projects, each with its own technology stack and build tools, running independently. To set up a workspace, install the corresponding plugin from the JetBrains Marketplace. This feature is still in early development.