Skip to main content

Prerequisites

Before using MCP JetBrains Code Inspections, ensure your system meets these requirements.

System Requirements​

Operating System​

  • macOS: 10.15 (Catalina) or later
  • Windows: Windows 10 or later
  • Linux: Ubuntu 18.04+, Debian 10+, Fedora 32+, or equivalent

Software Requirements​

Node.js​

  • Version: 20.0.0 or higher
  • Verification: Run node --version
  • Installation: Download from nodejs.org

JetBrains IDE​

At least one of the following IDEs must be installed:

IDESupported Languages/Frameworks
IntelliJ IDEAJava, Kotlin, Scala, Groovy
WebStormJavaScript, TypeScript, React, Vue, Angular
PyCharmPython, Django, Flask
PhpStormPHP, Laravel, Symfony
GoLandGo
RubyMineRuby, Rails
CLionC, C++, Rust
DataGripSQL, Database
Rider.NET, C#, F#

IDE Configuration​

Command Line Support​

Your JetBrains IDE must have command-line launcher installed:

macOS/Linux:

# Check if inspect tool is available
ls /Applications/[YourIDE].app/Contents/bin/inspect.sh

Windows:

# Check in installation directory
dir "C:\Program Files\JetBrains\[YourIDE]\bin\inspect.bat"

Installing Command Line Tools​

  1. Open your JetBrains IDE
  2. Go to Tools → Create Command-line Launcher (macOS/Linux)
  3. Or during installation, select "Add launchers dir to the PATH" (Windows)

MCP Client Requirements​

To use this server, you need an MCP-compatible client:

  • Claude Code (Anthropic's official CLI)
  • Any other MCP-compliant client

Hardware Requirements​

Minimum​

  • RAM: 4GB (8GB recommended)
  • Disk Space: 500MB for the server + space for inspection results
  • CPU: Any modern processor (2+ cores recommended)
  • RAM: 16GB or more
  • SSD: For faster file analysis
  • CPU: 4+ cores for parallel inspections

Project Requirements​

Project Structure​

Your project should have:

  • A .idea directory (created by JetBrains IDE)
  • Proper project configuration for your language/framework
  • Valid source files in supported languages

Inspection Profiles​

  • Default profiles work out of the box
  • Custom profiles can be created in the IDE
  • Profiles are stored in .idea/inspectionProfiles/

Environment Setup​

Environment Variables (Optional)​

These can be configured in your .mcp.json file:

# Increase timeout for large projects (milliseconds)
export INSPECTION_TIMEOUT=300000

# Force specific IDE path (if not auto-detected)
export FORCE_INSPECT_PATH="/path/to/inspect.sh"

# Force project root directory (disables auto-detection)
export FORCE_PROJECT_ROOT="/path/to/project"

# Force inspection profile path (disables default profile detection)
export FORCE_PROFILE_PATH="/path/to/profile.xml"

# Comma-separated inspection codes to exclude
export EXCLUDE_INSPECTIONS="UnusedDeclaration,TypeScriptValidateTypes"

# Comma-separated inspection codes to include only
export ONLY_INSPECTIONS="UnusedDeclaration,DuplicatedCode"

# Output format: 'markdown' or 'json' (default: 'markdown')
export RESPONSE_FORMAT="json"

# Enable debug logging ('true' to enable)
export DEBUG="true"

File Permissions​

Ensure the current user has:

  • Read access to project files
  • Write access to temp directory for results
  • Execute permission for IDE inspect tool

Verification Checklist​

Before proceeding with installation:

  • Node.js 20+ is installed
  • At least one JetBrains IDE is installed
  • IDE has been opened at least once
  • Command-line tools are accessible
  • Project has .idea directory
  • Sufficient disk space available

Common Issues​

IDE Not Found​

If the server can't find your IDE:

  1. Check IDE is properly installed
  2. Verify installation path
  3. Set FORCE_INSPECT_PATH environment variable

Permission Denied​

If you get permission errors:

  1. Check file permissions
  2. Run with appropriate user privileges
  3. Ensure temp directory is writable

Next Steps​

Once all prerequisites are met: