IntelliJ IDEA 2026.1 EAP 3: Recycle Bin Deletions, AI Boosts, and Git Worktree Support

IntelliJ IDEA 2026.1 EAP 3 brings a collection of focused enhancements that address everyday developer pain points, ranging from file‑deletion safety to AI‑assisted coding and Git workflow improvements.

Delete Files to Recycle Bin

Previously, IntelliJ relied on Local History, which automatically cleaned up and could lose data across IDE upgrades. The new behavior moves deleted files to the system recycle bin, preserving them until the user empties it and providing a visual, intuitive recovery path.

Local History: auto‑cleans, may be lost after IDE upgrade, hard to locate, undo not always available, newcomers unaware of location.

System Recycle Bin: retained until user empties, persists across IDE versions, visual and intuitive, aligns with user expectations, operates at system level.

Combined with Local History and Git, IDEA now offers three‑layer protection:

误删文件 → 回收站
细粒度回滚 → Local History
长期版本 → Git

MCP Deep Integration

The update deepens integration with AI assistants such as Claude Code. The new Roots capability lets the IDE inform the AI about project roots and boundaries, preventing the assistant from getting lost in large monorepos.

The replace_text_in_file command now handles empty text without failing, improving the stability of LLM workflows that create a file before populating it. The get_file_problems tool has been optimized to avoid full project refresh on each call, reducing UI lag in large Java projects.

Spring Development Experience

SQL Dialect Auto‑Detection

IDEA can now automatically detect the SQL dialect used in a project based on its dependencies, fixing the frequent loss of syntax highlighting in MyBatis or JPA code.

Bean Inline Display

When debugging, the IDE can now show the concrete type and source of injected beans directly in the editor without pausing execution.

@Service
public class UserService {
    // Injected Bean now shows type and source inline
    private final UserRepository userRepository;
}

API Version Control

Spring API versioning now supports selectable version resolvers, helping developers manage multiple API versions within the same codebase.

Git Worktree Support

What Is a Worktree?

Traditional git checkout changes the current src directory, causing frequent re‑indexing. Git Worktree creates separate working directories for each branch, eliminating the need for repeated stash/pop cycles.

git checkout hotfix → edit → commit → stash
git checkout feature → git stash pop

IDE Integration

IDEA now includes a Git Worktree registry toggle, allowing direct “fixup” actions from the Git history view. The following scenarios illustrate the benefit:

Hotfix + development: separate directories, no interference.

Code review: verify changes in an isolated worktree.

Multi‑version compilation: shared .git saves space.

Typical commands to create worktrees:

git worktree add ../project-hotfix hotfix-branch
git worktree add ../project-feature feature-branch

Resulting directory layout:

project/          # main branch
project-hotfix/  # hotfix branch
project-feature/ # feature branch

When paired with AI assistants, each session can use its own worktree, ensuring complete context isolation.

Editor Experience

Visual tweaks include smooth cursor animations and rounded UI elements, reducing eye strain during long coding sessions.

Esc key no longer shifts focus from the terminal to the editor when using Claude Code.

Vi mode in the built‑in terminal now activates correctly.

Other Changes

HTTP Client

Fixed multipart requests where multiple files shared the same name.

RSA/DSA algorithms now report clear errors when parameters are missing.

RS512 JWT signature support restored.

Containers & Cloud

Docker over SSH connection failures resolved.

Docker Compose on Linux now correctly updates UID.

Kubernetes floating toolbar now supports pinning namespaces.

Java & Kotlin

Terminal javac completion now supports standard and extra options.

ImportHelper optimized for faster imports.

Kotlin Maven can specify version with a single property.

K2 IDE adds constructor‑parameter property checks.

Summary

While the 2026.1 EAP 3 release does not introduce a single “big” feature, each change solves a concrete developer pain point. Moving deletions to the recycle bin, AI‑assistant enhancements, automatic SQL dialect detection, Spring debugging improvements, and built‑in Git Worktree support collectively make the IDE more reliable and productive. Users on the EAP channel should consider upgrading now; stable‑track users can wait for the final 2026.1 release.