JetBrains IDE Setup Guide | Bootspring Docs

Complete guide to integrating Bootspring with JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ IDEA, WebStorm, PyCharm, and others).

Overview#

JetBrains IDEs are powerful development environments. Bootspring integrates through:

Terminal - CLI access within IDE
External Tools - Custom Bootspring commands
Context File - CLAUDE.md for AI plugins
Run Configurations - Workflow automation

Supported IDEs#

IDE	Languages	Best For
IntelliJ IDEA	Java, Kotlin, Scala	Backend, Android
WebStorm	JavaScript, TypeScript	Frontend, Node.js
PyCharm	Python	Data science, Django
PhpStorm	PHP	Laravel, WordPress
RubyMine	Ruby	Rails
GoLand	Go	Microservices
Rider	C#, .NET	.NET development
CLion	C, C++	Systems programming

Prerequisites#

JetBrains IDE installed
Bootspring CLI installed (npm install -g bootspring)
Node.js 18+ installed

Installation#

JetBrains Toolbox (Recommended)#

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Direct Installation#

Download from jetbrains.com.

Bootspring Setup#

Initialize Project#

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Open in IDE#

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Terminal Integration#

Configure Terminal#

Open Settings (Ctrl+Alt+S / Cmd+,)
Navigate to: Tools → Terminal
Set shell path:
- macOS/Linux: /bin/zsh or /bin/bash
- Windows: pwsh.exe or cmd.exe

Shell Integration#

For Zsh:

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For Bash:

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Use Terminal#

Open terminal: Alt+F12 (Windows/Linux) or Option+F12 (macOS)

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External Tools#

Add Bootspring Commands#

Settings → Tools → External Tools
Click "+" to add new tool

Generate Context Tool#

Name: Bootspring Generate
Program: bootspring
Arguments: generate
Working directory: $ProjectFileDir$

Invoke Agent Tool#

Name: Bootspring Agent
Program: bootspring
Arguments: agent invoke $Prompt$ "$Prompt$"
Working directory: $ProjectFileDir$

Quality Check Tool#

Name: Bootspring Quality
Program: bootspring
Arguments: quality pre-commit
Working directory: $ProjectFileDir$

Access External Tools#

Menu: Tools → External Tools → [Tool Name]
Shortcut: Assign via Settings → Keymap
Context Menu: Right-click → External Tools

Run Configurations#

Create Bootspring Configurations#

Run → Edit Configurations
Click "+" → Shell Script

Generate Configuration#

Name: Bootspring: Generate
Script path: /usr/local/bin/bootspring
Script options: generate
Working directory: $ProjectFileDir$

Workflow Configuration#

Name: Bootspring: Feature Workflow
Script path: /usr/local/bin/bootspring
Script options: workflow start feature-development
Working directory: $ProjectFileDir$
Execute in terminal: checked

Run Configurations#

Use Run menu (Shift+F10)
Or toolbar dropdown

Keyboard Shortcuts#

Add Custom Shortcuts#

Settings → Keymap → search "External Tools"

Action	Suggested Shortcut
Bootspring Generate	Ctrl+Alt+B G
Bootspring Agent	Ctrl+Alt+B A
Bootspring Quality	Ctrl+Alt+B Q
Bootspring Status	Ctrl+Alt+B S

Keymap Configuration#

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File Templates#

CLAUDE.md Template#

Settings → Editor → File and Code Templates
Add new template

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Config Template#

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Live Templates#

Create Bootspring Snippets#

Settings → Editor → Live Templates

Agent Comment#

Abbreviation: bsagent
Template text:
// @bootspring-agent: $AGENT$
// $PROMPT$
$END$

Skill Reference#

Abbreviation: bsskill
Template text:
// @bootspring-skill: $PATTERN$
$END$

Variables#

$AGENT$ : Expression enum("frontend-expert","backend-expert","database-expert")
$PATTERN$ : Expression enum("patterns/api-endpoint","patterns/react-component")

AI Assistant Integration#

JetBrains AI Assistant#

If using JetBrains AI Assistant:

Context from CLAUDE.md improves responses
Reference Bootspring patterns in prompts

GitHub Copilot#

If using Copilot plugin:

CLAUDE.md provides context
Copilot reads project patterns
Suggestions follow your standards

Custom AI Integration#

For custom AI plugins, point them to:

CLAUDE.md for context
bootspring.config.js for configuration

Project Structure#

.idea Directory#

JetBrains stores settings in .idea/:

.idea/
├── bootspring.xml        # Bootspring run configs
├── externalTools.xml     # External tool definitions
├── runConfigurations/    # Run configurations
└── workspace.xml         # Workspace settings

Shared Configurations#

Share with team by including:

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Inspections#

Custom Inspections#

Create inspections for Bootspring patterns:

Settings → Editor → Inspections

CLAUDE.md Validation#

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Tasks Integration#

Link to Bootspring Todos#

Settings → Tools → Tasks → Servers

Configure to read bootspring todo list:

Server URL: local
Pattern: bootspring todo list --json

File Watchers#

Auto-Generate Context#

Settings → Tools → File Watchers

Name: Bootspring Context
File type: Any
Scope: Project Files
Program: bootspring
Arguments: generate --quiet
Output paths to refresh: CLAUDE.md

Watch Patterns#

Working directory: $ProjectFileDir$
Environment variables: BOOTSPRING_QUIET=1
Auto-save edited files: unchecked
Trigger on external changes: checked

Database Integration#

IntelliJ/DataGrip Database Tools#

When using Bootspring with databases:

Generate schema context:

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Invoke database expert:

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Connect to DataGrip#

DataGrip reads CLAUDE.md for schema documentation.

Debugging Integration#

Debug Bootspring Commands#

Run Configuration for debugging:

Type: Node.js
Node parameters: --inspect
JavaScript file: $(which bootspring)
Application parameters: generate --verbose

Attach Debugger#

Start Bootspring with --inspect
Run → Attach to Node.js Process
Debug MCP or CLI operations

Plugin Development#

Create IDE Plugin#

For custom Bootspring integration:

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Action Example#

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Troubleshooting#

Terminal Not Found#

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External Tools Not Working#

Check program path is absolute
Verify working directory
Check PATH includes npm global

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Node.js Not Detected#

Settings → Languages & Frameworks → Node.js:

Set Node interpreter path
Enable Node.js coding assistance

Slow Performance#

Exclude node_modules from indexing
Mark large directories as excluded
Increase IDE memory in Help → Change Memory Settings

IDE-Specific Notes#

WebStorm#

Best for TypeScript/JavaScript projects:

Full TypeScript support
Built-in Node.js tools
npm/yarn integration

IntelliJ IDEA#

For full-stack or backend projects:

Enable JavaScript/TypeScript plugin
Configure Node.js interpreter
Use Ultimate for full web support

PyCharm#

For Python projects:

Configure Python interpreter
Use terminal for Bootspring
Context includes Python patterns

Uninstalling#

Remove External Tools#

Settings → Tools → External Tools → Delete

Remove Run Configurations#

Run → Edit Configurations → Delete

Remove Bootspring Files#

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