JetBrains Index MCP — Install & Live Demo

Why use it

Key features

IntelliJ plugin that exposes the IDE's code index over MCP so coding agents can leverage IDE intelligence.
Maintained by hechtcarmel (community)
Written in Kotlin
218+ GitHub stars at last check
Open source on GitHub

Live Demo

What it looks like in practice

jetbrains-index-mcp.replay ▶ ready

0/0

Install

Pick your client

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json · Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jetbrains-index-mcp": {
      "command": "TODO",
      "args": [
        "See README: https://github.com/hechtcarmel/jetbrains-index-mcp-plugin"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Restart after saving.

~/.cursor/mcp.json · .cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jetbrains-index-mcp": {
      "command": "TODO",
      "args": [
        "See README: https://github.com/hechtcarmel/jetbrains-index-mcp-plugin"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Cursor uses the same mcpServers schema as Claude Desktop. Project config wins over global.

VS Code → Cline → MCP Servers → Edit

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jetbrains-index-mcp": {
      "command": "TODO",
      "args": [
        "See README: https://github.com/hechtcarmel/jetbrains-index-mcp-plugin"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Click the MCP Servers icon in the Cline sidebar, then "Edit Configuration".

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jetbrains-index-mcp": {
      "command": "TODO",
      "args": [
        "See README: https://github.com/hechtcarmel/jetbrains-index-mcp-plugin"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Same shape as Claude Desktop. Restart Windsurf to pick up changes.

~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "jetbrains-index-mcp",
      "command": "TODO",
      "args": [
        "See README: https://github.com/hechtcarmel/jetbrains-index-mcp-plugin"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Continue uses an array of server objects rather than a map.

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "jetbrains-index-mcp": {
      "command": {
        "path": "TODO",
        "args": [
          "See README: https://github.com/hechtcarmel/jetbrains-index-mcp-plugin"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.

claude mcp add jetbrains-index-mcp -- TODO 'See README: https://github.com/hechtcarmel/jetbrains-index-mcp-plugin'

One-liner. Verify with claude mcp list. Remove with claude mcp remove.

Use Cases

Real-world ways to use JetBrains Index MCP

Use JetBrains Index MCP for its primary workflow

👤 Developers using AI coding agents ⏱ ~10 min beginner

When to use: You need the capability: IntelliJ plugin that exposes the IDE's code index over MCP so coding agents can leverage IDE intelligence.

Prerequisites

MCP server installed — See https://github.com/hechtcarmel/jetbrains-index-mcp-plugin for install instructions

Flow

Install

Install JetBrains Index MCP following the README at https://github.com/hechtcarmel/jetbrains-index-mcp-plugin✓ Copied

→ MCP server appears in your client's available tools/skills
Invoke

Use JetBrains Index MCP to complete the task described in its docs.✓ Copied

→ Agent calls the relevant tool/skill and returns a result

Outcome: Working integration with the capabilities advertised by the project.

Pitfalls

README is the source of truth; details here may lag upstream — Check https://github.com/hechtcarmel/jetbrains-index-mcp-plugin for the latest setup steps and tool list

More

Resources

📖 Read the official README on GitHub

🐙 Browse open issues

🔍 Browse all 400+ MCP servers and Skills