---
title: "Java and Kotlin by IntelliJ IDEA: The LSP-Based Extension Reaches Release Candidate"
description: "JetBrains announced that Java and Kotlin by IntelliJ IDEA, an LSP-based extension, has reached Release Candidate stage. The extension brings IntelliJ IDEA’s Java and Kotlin language intelligence to third-party editors like VS Code and Cursor. Since the preview, it has been downloaded over 20,000 times and includes features such as smart code completion, navigation, inspections, quick-fixes, project-wide refactorings, DAP-based debugging, Maven, Gradle, and Bazel project support, built-in test running, and Spring tooling interoperability. The RC is the final EAP build and will be available for 30 days without a license; after the stable release, a 30-day free trial will be offered, then an IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate subscription is required. The extension also makes its intelligence available to coding agents in Cursor, enabling semantic code search and analysis."
---

# Java and Kotlin by IntelliJ IDEA: The LSP-Based Extension Reaches Release Candidate

[Jetbrains](https://yomu.fyi/company/jetbrains) · Maria Kosukhina · Oct 6, 2026

**Type:** Announcement

## Summary

JetBrains announced that Java and Kotlin by IntelliJ IDEA, an LSP-based extension, has reached Release Candidate stage. The extension brings IntelliJ IDEA’s Java and Kotlin language intelligence to third-party editors like VS Code and Cursor. Since the preview, it has been downloaded over 20,000 times and includes features such as smart code completion, navigation, inspections, quick-fixes, project-wide refactorings, DAP-based debugging, Maven, Gradle, and Bazel project support, built-in test running, and Spring tooling interoperability. The RC is the final EAP build and will be available for 30 days without a license; after the stable release, a 30-day free trial will be offered, then an IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate subscription is required. The extension also makes its intelligence available to coding agents in Cursor, enabling semantic code search and analysis.

## Context

JetBrains is extending IntelliJ IDEA’s Java and Kotlin language intelligence to third-party editors via an LSP-based extension. The extension targets VS Code and its forks like Cursor, aiming to provide accurate, project-aware code understanding for developers and coding agents. The Release Candidate is the final Early Access Program build before the stable 1.0 release.

## Approach / What changed

The extension implements the Language Server Protocol to expose IntelliJ IDEA’s Java and Kotlin language features in editors like VS Code and Cursor. It includes core coding assistance, project-wide refactorings, DAP-based debugging, Maven/Gradle/Bazel support, test running, and Spring tooling. For Cursor, the extension’s language server is used by Cursor Agent for semantic code search and analysis.

## Takeaways

- The extension has been downloaded over 20,000 times across Visual Studio Marketplace and Open VSX Registry.
- The RC build is available for 30 days without a license; after the stable release, a 30-day free trial is offered, then an IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate subscription is required.
- In Cursor, the extension enables Cursor Agent to use the same language server for semantic code search, navigation, and analysis, leading to faster and more deterministic results.

## FAQ

### What editors are supported by the extension?

The extension supports VS Code and its forks such as Cursor, and is available from Visual Studio Marketplace and Open VSX Registry.

### What features does the extension provide?

It provides IntelliJ IDEA's core coding assistance including smart code completion, navigation, inspections, quick-fixes, project-wide refactorings, DAP-based debugging, Maven/Gradle/Bazel project support, built-in test running, and Spring tooling interoperability.

### How does licensing work for the extension?

The RC build is part of the EAP and can be used for 30 days without a license. After the stable release, new users get a 30-day free trial, after which an IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate subscription is required.

**Tags:** [IntelliJ IDEA](https://yomu.fyi/topic/intellij-idea), [Java](https://yomu.fyi/topic/java), [Kotlin](https://yomu.fyi/topic/kotlin), [LSP](https://yomu.fyi/topic/lsp), [VS Code](https://yomu.fyi/topic/vs-code)

- Source: [Jetbrains](https://blog.jetbrains.com/idea/2026/10/java-and-kotlin-by-intellij-idea-the-lsp-based-extension-reaches-release-candidate)
- Source URL: https://blog.jetbrains.com/idea/2026/10/java-and-kotlin-by-intellij-idea-the-lsp-based-extension-reaches-release-candidate
- Ingested by Yomu: 2026-10-06T12:00:13.208Z

[Read original post](https://blog.jetbrains.com/idea/2026/10/java-and-kotlin-by-intellij-idea-the-lsp-based-extension-reaches-release-candidate)