JetBrains has announced two new tools aimed at making software development easier with AI. These tools are called Air and Junie CLI. They were revealed on March 9 and are designed to help developers work smarter by integrating AI-powered coding assistants into their workflows.

Introducing Air: An AI-Powered Development Environment

Air is a new environment built for managing multiple AI agents at once. It allows developers to delegate coding tasks to different AI agents and run them simultaneously. Currently in public preview, Air can be downloaded from air.dev. A Linux version and Windows support are expected soon. The tool is free for Mac users now.

JetBrains describes Air as an agentic development environment, or ADE. It combines essential tools for working with AI agents into one seamless workspace. Developers can see different AI agents like Claude Agent, Gemini CLI, Codex, and Junie CLI working side-by-side. This setup makes it easier to navigate complex codebases and switch between different AI helpers quickly.

One of Air’s key features is precise task definition. Developers can specify a particular line of code, commit, class, method, or other symbol when giving instructions. This helps the AI understand exactly what part of the code to work on, instead of just pasting large chunks of text. Once a task is completed, Air shows the changes in the context of the whole project. It also includes tools like a terminal, Git, and a built-in preview, making it a comprehensive environment for AI-assisted coding.

JetBrains plans to expand Air’s capabilities by adding support for more AI agents through the Agent Client Protocol (ACP). This will allow developers to bring in additional tools via the ACP Agent Registry, increasing flexibility and options for AI integration in their projects.

Junie CLI: An Open and Flexible Coding Assistant

Junie CLI is another new tool designed to keep AI-generated code grounded in the existing codebase. It is a standalone command-line interface that works with various large language models (LLMs). Unlike some AI tools that rely on a specific model, Junie CLI is open to all high-performing models, making it very flexible.

Built by JetBrains, Junie CLI is designed to be reliable, secure, and context-aware. It can help solve complex problems by understanding the code’s context and providing relevant suggestions. The tool is currently in beta and planned for release in March. It can be used directly from the terminal, integrated into any IDE, or plugged into continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD) pipelines. Developers can also use it on platforms like GitHub and GitLab.

Junie CLI already supports top models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Grok. JetBrains plans to keep updating it with the latest models as they become available. This ensures developers always have access to cutting-edge AI capabilities for coding assistance, regardless of the model they prefer to use.

Both Air and Junie CLI reflect JetBrains’ focus on making AI a productive part of the development process. By providing flexible, secure, and integrated tools, JetBrains aims to streamline how developers collaborate with AI and improve coding efficiency overall.

Inspired by

• https://www.infoworld.com/article/4142675/jetbrains-launches-air-and-junie-cli-for-ai-assisted-development.html

Sources

• jetbrains.com
• jetbrains.com
• jetbrains.com
• agentclientprotocol.com