Autohand Code / JetBrains IDEs

Features

A complete guide to Autohand Code features in JetBrains IDEs. Deep integration with IntelliJ platform inspections, refactoring, and project indexing for intelligent AI assistance.

IntelliJ platform integration

Autohand integrates directly with the IntelliJ platform, giving it access to the same deep language understanding that powers your IDE's own features.

Benefits of platform integration

  • Deep language analysis - Leverages IntelliJ's PSI tree for accurate code understanding
  • Project-wide refactoring - Works with the IDE's refactoring engine for safe renames, extractions, and moves
  • Framework-aware suggestions - Understands Spring, React, Django, Rails, and other frameworks your project uses
  • Built-in inspections - Integrates with IntelliJ's inspection system to catch issues before they reach production

Plugin architecture

  • Runs as a Tool Window inside the IDE
  • Uses IntelliJ's indexing for fast file navigation and symbol lookup
  • Integrates with the editor's action system for keyboard shortcuts and menus
  • Supports all IntelliJ-based IDEs: IntelliJ IDEA, WebStorm, PyCharm, GoLand, PhpStorm, and others

Tool window

The tool window is your conversation interface with Autohand, designed to fit naturally into your JetBrains workspace.

Dockable positions

Configure the tool window position by dragging it to any dock area:

  • Right - Default position, alongside your code
  • Bottom - Horizontal layout below your editor
  • Left - Alternative side panel position

Conversation features

  • Multi-turn conversations with full context retention
  • Code blocks with syntax highlighting
  • Inline diff previews for proposed changes
  • One-click apply for code modifications

Context indicators

The tool window shows what Autohand knows about:

  • Current file and selection
  • Referenced files
  • Project structure from AGENTS.md
  • Recent conversation history

Inline assist

Get AI help directly in your code without leaving your current position.

Triggering inline assist

  • Alt+Enter - Open inline prompt at the current cursor position
  • Type your request and press Enter
  • Autohand shows changes inline in your code

Use cases

// Select a function, press Alt+Enter, then type:
Add error handling for null parameters

// Select a block of code:
Convert this callback to a coroutine

// At the end of a test file:
Add unit tests for the above class

Accepting changes

Action Shortcut
Accept all changes Tab or Enter
Reject changes Escape

Code completions

Autohand provides intelligent code completions that work alongside IntelliJ's native completion system.

How completions work

As you type, Autohand considers:

  • Current file content and cursor position
  • Language semantics from IntelliJ's type system
  • Project conventions from AGENTS.md
  • Common patterns in your codebase

Completion shortcuts

Action Shortcut
Accept full completion Tab
Dismiss completion Escape

Configuration

Configure completions in Settings > Tools > Autohand. Toggle inline completions on or off, and adjust the completion delay to control how quickly suggestions appear after you stop typing.

Multi-file editing

Edit multiple files at once with Autohand's multi-file support, backed by IntelliJ's project model.

How it works

  1. Describe a change that spans multiple files
  2. Autohand identifies all affected files
  3. Changes are shown in a diff view
  4. Accept changes per-file or all at once

Example requests

Rename the ApiClient class to HttpClient across all files

Add logging to all service layer methods

Update the error handling pattern in all REST controllers

Git integration

Autohand works with IntelliJ's built-in VCS support for version control workflows.

Commit generation

Ask Autohand to create commits:

Commit these changes with a descriptive message following conventional commits

Change review

Have Autohand review your changes before committing:

Review my staged changes and suggest improvements

Git commands

  • /commit - Generate commit message and commit
  • Request branch operations in natural language
  • Ask for help resolving merge conflicts

Slash commands

Quick commands for common operations in the tool window.

Available commands

Command Description
/new Start a new conversation
/sessions List recent sessions
/resume Resume previous session
/init Generate AGENTS.md
/commit Create git commit
/model Change AI model
/automode Toggle autonomous mode

See the Slash Commands Reference for the complete list.

Auto mode

Enable autonomous operation for complex, multi-step tasks.

Enable auto mode

  • Use /automode in the tool window
  • Or configure in Settings > Tools > Autohand

How it works

  1. Describe your goal
  2. Autohand creates an execution plan
  3. Executes steps autonomously
  4. Verifies and iterates as needed
  5. Reports completion

Safety features

  • Iteration limits prevent runaway operations
  • Permission prompts for destructive actions
  • Checkpoints allow reverting changes
  • Progress visible in the tool window

Tip: Auto mode works best with clear, well-defined tasks. For exploratory work, use interactive mode to guide the process.

Skills

Extend Autohand with specialized capabilities.

Built-in skills

  • Frontend - React, Vue, Svelte patterns
  • Backend - API design, database queries
  • Systems - Rust, Go, C++ best practices
  • DevOps - CI/CD, infrastructure as code
  • Testing - Unit and integration tests

Using skills

Skills activate automatically based on context, or request them explicitly: 

Using the systems skill, optimize this memory allocation

Custom skills

Define project-specific skills in your AGENTS.md. See the Skills documentation.

Settings reference

Configure Autohand Code through the IDE settings UI at Settings > Tools > Autohand.

Setting Description Default
model AI model to use z-ai/glm-4.7
inline_completions Enable inline completions true
tool_window_position Default dock position right
completion_delay_ms Delay before showing completions 200

All settings are managed through the IDE settings UI. There is no separate JSON configuration file.

Troubleshooting

Plugin not loading

  • Check that your IDE version meets the minimum requirement
  • Verify plugin compatibility in Settings > Plugins
  • Try reinstalling the plugin from the JetBrains Marketplace
  • Check the IDE log: Help > Show Log in Explorer/Finder

Slow completions

  • Increase completion_delay_ms to reduce request frequency
  • Check your network connection
  • Large projects may take longer to index initially

Getting help