Air (JetBrains)

Executive Summary

Air is JetBrains' agentic development environment (ADE) that lets developers delegate coding tasks to AI agents working in parallel while maintaining full control through IDE-like code review. Built on the discontinued Fleet codebase, Air was announced in December 2025 and launched as a public preview in March 2026 — JetBrains' response to the wave of AI-native coding tools like Cursor and Warp Oz. As of June 2026, Air supports four agents — Claude Agent, OpenAI Codex, Gemini CLI, and JetBrains' own Junie — making it the most agent-diverse standalone ADE, and it runs on both macOS and Linux.

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Product Overview

Air represents a fundamental shift in how JetBrains approaches AI-assisted development. Rather than adding AI features to existing IDEs like IntelliJ IDEA or PyCharm, Air is purpose-built for a workflow where the developer guides and reviews rather than writes code directly.

The core premise: delegate complex tasks to AI agents that work asynchronously, potentially on multiple tasks simultaneously, then review their output in a dedicated diff interface before committing changes. This positions Air for developers comfortable with significant AI autonomy — closer to code review than pair programming.

Key Capabilities

Product Surfaces / Editions

Releases Since March 2026

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Technical Architecture

Air inherits Fleet's architecture — a modern codebase built from scratch, separate from the 25-year-old IntelliJ platform. This gives it performance characteristics closer to VS Code than traditional JetBrains IDEs, though some users report memory concerns similar to Fleet.

Isolation Modes

Air offers three execution environments for agent tasks:

Cloud execution sandboxing is in tech preview and rolling out — agents continue working even when your machine is off.

Agent Support

Air supports two authentication paths: a JetBrains AI Pro or Ultimate subscription covers all four agents at no additional cost, or you can bring your own key/subscription and authenticate directly with Anthropic, OpenAI, or Google.

Permission Modes

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Strengths

• JetBrains Backing — Unlike indie tools, Air comes from a profitable company with $800M+ annual revenue and 25 years of developer tooling experience. No VC runway concerns.

• Most Flexible Isolation — The only leader offering Docker, Git worktrees, AND local workspace options per task. Pick the right isolation level for each job.

• IDE-Like Review Experience — Code review interface with inline comments feels familiar to developers. Feedback loops back into agent prompts for refinement.

• Flexible Pricing Paths — Use an existing Anthropic/OpenAI/Google subscription (BYOK) or a single JetBrains AI Pro/Ultimate subscription that covers all four agents.

• Agent Client Protocol (ACP) — JetBrains is co-developing the open ACP standard with Zed, which could enable broader agent compatibility across IDEs. Cursor joined the ACP Registry in March 2026, validating the protocol's adoption.

• Four Agents Supported — Air now supports Claude Agent, Codex, Gemini CLI, and Junie — the widest agent selection of any standalone ADE. Most competitors are locked to 1-2 providers.

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Cautions

• Preview Stability Risks — JetBrains discontinued Fleet after 4 years in preview without ever reaching GA. Air inherits some of that uncertainty.

• No Windows Yet — Linux arrived in June 2026, but Windows users are still waiting. Cloud execution remains in tech preview.

• AI Fatigue Among the Base — Some longtime JetBrains users want core IDE investment instead; one HN commenter: "JetBrains should stop building stupid AI shit and fix their IDEs."

• No Issue Tracker Integration — Unlike Emdash (Linear, Jira, GitHub) or Warp Oz (Slack, Linear), Air lacks workflow integrations. Tasks are manually defined.

• Requires External Subscription — Unlike bundled options like Cursor's included models, Air needs a separate Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, or JetBrains AI account.

• Fleet's Memory Footprint — Some users report Air inherits Fleet's RAM consumption issues, with one noting "doing nothing takes up 1GB of RAM."

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What Developers Say

From the Hacker News discussion of Air's announcement (74 comments):

"Finally a step in the right direction. This brings the best of two worlds: the lightweightness of Fleet and agents battle-tested with Junie/IntelliJ." — cheptsov

"I think the biggest value here isn't the multiple sessions or worktrees, but an interoperable protocol between these coding agents." — hmokiguess

"I would have expected some of the common jetbrains value adds like some deep debugger integration or some fancy test runner view." — faizshah

"I do find it at least a little bit funny that Kotlin Multiplatform is JetBrains's prerogative and the app is Mac only." — gavinray

As of June 2026, post-launch discussion volume remains modest — Air hasn't generated the sustained community buzz of Cursor or Claude Code.

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Pricing & Licensing

Agent costs (pick one path):

• JetBrains AI Pro or Ultimate subscription — covers all four agents (Claude, Codex, Gemini, Junie) at no additional cost
• OR BYOK: Anthropic Claude subscription ($20/month Pro), OpenAI ChatGPT subscription ($20/month Plus), or Google Gemini subscription

Hidden costs: None currently. JetBrains is absorbing Air development costs during preview. Enterprise offerings are "coming soon."

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Competitive Positioning

Direct Competitors

When to Choose Air Over Alternatives

• Choose Air when: You want JetBrains backing, need Docker isolation, or prefer IDE-like code review
• Choose Cursor when: Enterprise adoption and VS Code familiarity matter most
• Choose Claude for Mac when: You're all-in on Anthropic and want first-party integration
• Choose Warp Oz when: Slack/Linear integration is essential
• Choose Emdash when: You need maximum agent flexibility (20+) or issue tracker integration

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Ideal Customer Profile

Best fit:

• JetBrains/IntelliJ users wanting familiar paradigms in an agentic tool
• Developers comfortable with significant AI autonomy
• Teams needing Docker isolation for untrusted agent execution
• Users already paying for Anthropic or OpenAI subscriptions

Poor fit:

• Developers needing Windows support today
• Teams requiring issue tracker integration (Linear, Jira)
• Organizations needing enterprise SSO/SAML (enterprise offering still "coming soon")

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Viability Assessment

JetBrains' financial stability is unquestionable — they're a profitable, bootstrapped company with 25 years of history. The concern is execution: Fleet, Space, Aqua, and Writerside have all been discontinued in recent years. Air represents JetBrains' bet that agentic development is the future, but the company's track record with new product categories is mixed.

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Bottom Line

Air is a credible entry from a stable company, offering the most flexible isolation options of any market leader and a familiar review-first workflow. JetBrains' financial health removes the VC runway concerns that affect many competitors.

Recommended for: JetBrains loyalists (especially JetBrains AI Pro/Ultimate subscribers, who get all four agents at no extra cost), developers needing Docker isolation, macOS and Linux users wanting BYOK flexibility with Claude, Codex, Gemini, or Junie

Not recommended for: Windows-only teams, developers requiring issue tracker integration, organizations needing enterprise SSO/SAML today

Outlook: Air is executing — monthly releases since the March 2026 public preview delivered Linux support, 1M-token contexts, Claude subagents, and a cloud execution tech preview. The ACP ecosystem is gaining real traction — Cursor joining the registry in March 2026 validates the protocol and JetBrains' open ecosystem strategy. Watch for GA, Windows, and the enterprise offering — if those land in 2026, Air could challenge Cursor for enterprise adoption.

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Research by Ry Walker Research • methodology

Disclosure: Author is CEO of Tembo, which offers agent orchestration as an alternative to individual developer tools.