IDE Detection System

The MCP JetBrains Code Inspections server includes a sophisticated IDE detection system that automatically finds and selects the most appropriate JetBrains IDE for code analysis.

Detection Process

1. Platform Detection

The system first identifies the operating system and searches IDE installation locations:

macOS

• Applications Directory: /Applications/[IDE Name].app/Contents/bin/inspect.sh
• User Applications: ~/Applications/[IDE Name].app/Contents/bin/inspect.sh
• Homebrew Installs: /usr/local/Caskroom/[ide]/*/[IDE Name].app/Contents/bin/inspect.sh

Windows

• Program Files: C:\Program Files\JetBrains\[IDE Name]\bin\inspect.bat
• Program Files (x86): C:\Program Files (x86)\JetBrains\[IDE Name]\bin\inspect.bat
• User AppData: %LOCALAPPDATA%\JetBrains\Toolbox\apps\[ide]\ch-0\*\bin\inspect.bat

Linux

• Snap Packages: /snap/[ide]/current/bin/inspect.sh
• Flatpak: ~/.local/share/flatpak/app/com.jetbrains.[IDE]/current/active/files/bin/inspect.sh
• Manual Installs: /opt/[ide]/bin/inspect.sh
• Home Directory: ~/[ide]/bin/inspect.sh

2. IDE Discovery

The system searches for these JetBrains IDEs in priority order:

Priority	IDE	Binary Pattern	Languages Supported
1	IntelliJ IDEA	idea*/bin/inspect.*	Java, Kotlin, Scala, JavaScript, TypeScript, and more
2	WebStorm	webstorm*/bin/inspect.*	JavaScript, TypeScript, HTML, CSS, Vue, React
3	PyCharm	pycharm*/bin/inspect.*	Python, Django, Flask, HTML, CSS, JavaScript
4	PhpStorm	phpstorm*/bin/inspect.*	PHP, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SQL
5	GoLand	goland*/bin/inspect.*	Go, JavaScript, TypeScript, HTML, CSS
6	RubyMine	rubymine*/bin/inspect.*	Ruby, Rails, JavaScript, HTML, CSS
7	CLion	clion*/bin/inspect.*	C, C++, Rust, Python, JavaScript
8	Rider	rider*/bin/inspect.*	C#, F#, VB.NET, JavaScript, TypeScript
9	DataGrip	datagrip*/bin/inspect.*	SQL, JavaScript, Python
10	DataSpell	dataspell*/bin/inspect.*	Python, Jupyter, Data Science
11	AppCode	appcode*/bin/inspect.*	Swift, Objective-C, C, C++
12	Android Studio	android-studio/bin/inspect.*	Kotlin, Java, C++, XML
13	RustRover	rustrover*/bin/inspect.*	Rust
14	Aqua	aqua*/bin/inspect.*	Test Automation, Various Languages
15	Writerside	writerside*/bin/inspect.*	Markdown, Technical Documentation

3. IDE Validation

For each discovered IDE, the system validates:

1. File Existence: Verify the inspect tool exists
2. Execute Permissions: Check if the tool is executable
3. Version Compatibility: Ensure minimum version requirements

4. Selection Logic

The system selects an IDE using priority-based logic:

function selectIDE(detectedIDEs: IDE[]): IDE | null {
    // Sort by priority (lower number = higher priority)
    const sortedIDEs = detectedIDEs.sort((a, b) => a.priority - b.priority);

    // Return the highest priority IDE
    // All IDEs work thanks to isolated configuration
    return sortedIDEs[0] || null;
}

Note: The system uses isolated configuration directories, so inspections always work regardless of whether the IDE is already running.

Configuration Override

Manual IDE Selection

Force specific IDE using environment variable:

{
    "env": {
        "FORCE_INSPECT_PATH": "/Applications/WebStorm.app/Contents/bin/inspect.sh"
    }
}

Project Root Override

Force specific project root:

{
    "env": {
        "FORCE_PROJECT_ROOT": "/path/to/project"
    }
}

Advanced Features

1. Multi-Version Support

The system can detect and use multiple versions of the same IDE:

/Applications/IntelliJ IDEA.app/Contents/bin/inspect.sh (2023.3)
/Applications/IntelliJ IDEA 2024.1.app/Contents/bin/inspect.sh (2024.1)

Selection preference:

1. Latest version (based on path/name analysis)
2. Currently installed version
3. Version with best language support for the project

2. Instance Isolation

The system always uses isolated configuration directories for inspections:

inspect.sh \
  -Didea.config.path=/tmp/mcp-jetbrains-config-12345 \
  -Didea.system.path=/tmp/mcp-jetbrains-system-12345 \
  /path/to/project \
  /path/to/profile.xml \
  /tmp/results-67890

This ensures:

• ✅ Inspections work even if the IDE is already running
• ✅ No conflicts with development IDE instances
• ✅ Multiple concurrent inspections are possible
• ✅ Clean temporary directories that are automatically cleaned up

3. Toolbox Integration

Special handling for JetBrains Toolbox installations:

macOS Toolbox

~/Library/Application Support/JetBrains/Toolbox/apps/[ide]/ch-0/*/Contents/bin/inspect.sh

Windows Toolbox

%LOCALAPPDATA%\JetBrains\Toolbox\apps\[ide]\ch-0\*\bin\inspect.bat

Linux Toolbox

~/.local/share/JetBrains/Toolbox/apps/[ide]/ch-0/*/bin/inspect.sh

Error Handling

No IDEs Found

When no JetBrains IDEs are detected:

{
    "error": "No suitable JetBrains IDE found. Please install a JetBrains IDE or set FORCE_INSPECT_PATH environment variable.",
    "suggestions": [
        "Install IntelliJ IDEA, WebStorm, PyCharm, or another JetBrains IDE",
        "Set FORCE_INSPECT_PATH to point to your IDE's inspect tool",
        "Verify IDE installation and command-line tools are available"
    ]
}

IDE Selection Success

When an IDE is selected:

{
    "selectedIDE": "IntelliJ IDEA",
    "isolationMode": true,
    "note": "Using isolated configuration - works regardless of IDE state"
}

Invalid IDE Path

When forced IDE path is invalid:

{
    "error": "Forced IDE path does not exist or is not executable: /invalid/path/inspect.sh",
    "suggestion": "Verify the FORCE_INSPECT_PATH points to a valid JetBrains IDE inspect tool"
}

Platform-Specific Considerations

macOS

• App Bundle Structure: IDEs are packaged as .app bundles
• Code Signing: Inspect tools may require proper code signing
• Gatekeeper: First-time execution may require security approval
• Symlinks: Some installations use symlinks to binaries

Windows

• Registry Detection: Check Windows Registry for installation paths
• UAC Permissions: May require elevated permissions for some operations
• Path Length Limits: Handle long path names in deep directory structures
• File Extensions: Use .bat files instead of shell scripts

Linux

• Package Managers: Support for snap, flatpak, AppImage
• Distribution Variations: Different default installation paths
• Permissions: Ensure execute permissions on install binaries
• Desktop Integration: Check desktop entry files for IDE locations

Performance Optimization

1. Caching

IDE detection results are cached to improve performance:

interface IDECache {
    timestamp: number;
    detectedIDEs: IDE[];
    selectedIDE: IDE | null;
    ttl: number; // Time to live in milliseconds
}

Cache is invalidated:

• After 5 minutes (default TTL)
• When environment variables change
• When forced IDE path is updated

2. Parallel Detection

Multiple IDE locations are searched in parallel:

async function detectIDEs(): Promise<IDE[]> {
    const searchPaths = getPlatformSearchPaths();

    const detectionPromises = searchPaths.map(async (path) => {
        try {
            return await validateIDEPath(path);
        } catch (error) {
            return null; // IDE not found at this path
        }
    });

    const results = await Promise.allSettled(detectionPromises);

    return results
        .filter((result): result is PromiseFulfilledResult<IDE> => result.status === 'fulfilled' && result.value !== null)
        .map((result) => result.value);
}

3. Lazy Loading

IDE validation is performed lazily to reduce startup time:

1. Quick path existence check during discovery
2. Full validation (permissions, version) only when selecting
3. All IDEs work regardless of running status thanks to isolation

Debugging IDE Detection

Enable Debug Logging

{
    "env": {
        "DEBUG": "true"
    }
}

Debug Output Example

[DEBUG] IDE Detection starting...
[DEBUG] Platform: darwin
[DEBUG] Search paths: [
  "/Applications/IntelliJ IDEA.app/Contents/bin/inspect.sh",
  "/Applications/WebStorm.app/Contents/bin/inspect.sh",
  "/Applications/PyCharm.app/Contents/bin/inspect.sh"
]
[DEBUG] Found IDE: IntelliJ IDEA at /Applications/IntelliJ IDEA.app/Contents/bin/inspect.sh
[DEBUG] Found IDE: WebStorm at /Applications/WebStorm.app/Contents/bin/inspect.sh
[DEBUG] Validating IDEs...
[DEBUG] IntelliJ IDEA: ✓ exists, ✓ executable
[DEBUG] WebStorm: ✓ exists, ✓ executable
[DEBUG] Selected IDE: WebStorm (priority: 2)
[DEBUG] Using isolated configuration for conflict-free execution

Extending IDE Detection

Adding New IDEs

To add support for a new JetBrains IDE:

1. Add IDE Definition:

const NEW_IDE: IDEDefinition = {
    name: 'DataSpell',
    priority: 10,
    binaryPatterns: ['dataspell*/bin/inspect.*'],
    supportedLanguages: ['python', 'jupyter', 'sql'],
    searchPaths: {
        darwin: ['/Applications/DataSpell.app/Contents/bin/inspect.sh'],
        win32: ['C:/Program Files/JetBrains/DataSpell/bin/inspect.bat'],
        linux: ['/opt/dataspell/bin/inspect.sh'],
    },
};

2. Register IDE:

registerIDE(NEW_IDE);

Custom Detection Logic

Implement custom detection for special cases:

class CustomIDEDetector implements IDEDetector {
    async detect(): Promise<IDE[]> {
        // Custom detection logic
        return detectedIDEs;
    }

    async validate(ide: IDE): Promise<boolean> {
        // Custom validation logic
        return isValid;
    }
}

The IDE detection system is designed to be robust, extensible, and provide the best possible development experience across different platforms and IDE configurations.