What’s New in IntelliJ IDEA 2026.1? AI Agents, Git Worktrees, and Free WebStorm Features

ACP Protocol: Plug Any AI Agent into the IDE

IntelliJ IDEA 2026.1 adds the open ACP (Agent Communication Protocol) so any agent that implements ACP—such as OpenAI Codex, Cursor, or other compatible tools—can be installed via the new ACP Registry and used directly inside the IDE for tasks like database queries and Git operations.

Git Worktree Support: Parallel Branch Workspaces

The release adds full Git worktree support, allowing multiple branches to be checked out simultaneously into separate directories that share a single .git history, eliminating the need to stash or commit before switching. A branch cannot be checked out in two worktrees at once.

Database Access: Agents Query Your Data

Agents like Codex or Claude can now connect to data sources configured in IDEA, execute queries, and modify data. For example, you can ask an agent to find anomalous orders from the last seven days and receive an analysis without leaving the IDE. Production databases should be given read‑only access.

Completion and Edit Suggestions

IDEA’s AI‑based completion no longer consumes a quota; the new "next edit suggestion" feature is native to the IDE and driven by static analysis. When you rename a method, the IDE automatically highlights all call sites that need updating. Command completion is expanded: typing .. opens a searchable command list that includes AI actions and configuration files.

Spring Developer Updates

Spring Runtime Insight now shows bean injection details, interface security configurations, and property values directly in the editor without needing to pause the application, streamlining debugging and configuration inspection.

Goodbye WebStorm: Community Edition Gains Front‑End Power

From 2026.1 onward, the free Community edition includes JavaScript, TypeScript, HTML, CSS completion and navigation, basic React support, automatic import management, built‑in Prettier/ESLint/TSLint/StyleLint, NPM script execution, and a Vite project generator—features that previously required an Ultimate subscription.

For projects that combine Spring Boot back‑ends with React or Vue front‑ends, the Community edition now provides a single IDE solution, provided you don’t need the specialized debugger or full Angular/Vue support.

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