Getting Started with Autohand for JetBrains

Requirements

IntelliJ IDEA 2024.1+, WebStorm 2024.1+, PyCharm 2024.1+, GoLand 2024.1+, or any JetBrains IDE 2024.1+
Autohand account (free tier available)
Internet connection for AI features

Why JetBrains? JetBrains IDEs provide deep language understanding through their built-in inspections and refactoring engine. Autohand leverages this for more accurate code suggestions.

Installation

Install from JetBrains Marketplace

Open your JetBrains IDE
Go to Settings > Plugins > Marketplace
Search for "Autohand"
Click Install
Restart the IDE when prompted

Manual installation

If you prefer to install manually or need an older version:

Download the plugin from the JetBrains Marketplace
Go to Settings > Plugins
Click the gear icon and select Install Plugin from Disk
Select the downloaded plugin file
Restart the IDE

Verify installation

Go to Settings > Tools > Autohand. If the settings page appears, the plugin is installed correctly.

Authentication

Connect your Autohand account to enable AI features.

Browser authentication

Open Settings > Tools > Autohand
Click Sign In
Your browser will open the authentication page
Sign in with your Autohand account
Return to the IDE - you will see a confirmation

API key authentication

If you prefer using an API key, enter it in the plugin settings:

Go to Settings > Tools > Autohand
Enter your key in the API Key field

Alternatively, set the AUTOHAND_API_KEY environment variable before launching the IDE.

Security note: Never commit API keys to version control. Use environment variables or the IDE's built-in credential storage instead.

Your first conversation

Start using Autohand in your JetBrains IDE with these basic interactions.

Open the Autohand panel

Go to View > Tool Windows > Autohand
Or use keyboard shortcut: Alt+A

Ask a question

Type a question or request in the Autohand panel:

What does this function do and how can I improve it?

Autohand will analyze the current file and provide insights.

Request changes

Ask Autohand to modify your code:

Add null checks and input validation to this method

Autohand proposes changes that you can accept, modify, or reject.

Inline assist

Trigger inline assistance directly in the editor:

Press Alt+Enter in the editor
Type your request in the popup
Autohand applies changes inline

Set up project context

Help Autohand understand your project with an AGENTS.md file.

Generate automatically

Open the Autohand panel (Alt+A)
Type "Initialize project context"
Review and customize the generated file

Create manually

Create an AGENTS.md file in your project root:

# AGENTS.md

## Project overview
A Rust CLI tool for managing cloud infrastructure.

## Tech stack
- Rust 1.75+
- Tokio for async runtime
- Clap for argument parsing

## Commands
- `cargo build` - Build the project
- `cargo test` - Run tests
- `cargo run -- --help` - Show CLI help

## Code style
- Use Result types for error handling
- Prefer explicit types over inference
- Write integration tests for CLI commands

Keyboard shortcuts

Action	Windows / Linux	Mac
Toggle panel	Alt+A	Alt+A
Inline assist	Alt+Enter	Alt+Enter
Accept suggestion	Tab	Tab
Dismiss	Escape	Escape
New conversation	Ctrl+N (in panel)	Ctrl+N (in panel)

Customize shortcuts in Settings > Keymap.

Settings

Configure Autohand under Settings > Tools > Autohand.

Setting	Description	Default
`Model`	AI model to use	z-ai/glm-4.7
`Inline completions`	Enable inline suggestions while typing	Enabled
`Panel position`	Tool window dock position (left/right/bottom)	Right
`Indexing`	Index project files for context-aware suggestions	Enabled

Example configuration

The plugin stores settings in the IDE's configuration. You can also export them as XML:

<component name="AutohandSettings">
  <option name="model" value="z-ai/glm-4.7" />
  <option name="inlineCompletions" value="true" />
  <option name="panelPosition" value="right" />
  <option name="indexing" value="true" />
</component>

Next steps

Explore JetBrains features - Learn about all available features
AGENTS.md guide - Write effective project context
Skills system - Extend capabilities with skills
Best practices - Work effectively with AI agents