Improve workflow description when using the JetBrains plugin

Resolves #942
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Dominik Jain authored and Dominik Jain committed 2026-01-18 22:56:05 +01:00
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@@ -17,7 +17,21 @@ especially for users of JetBrains IDEs.
**Purchasing the JetBrains Plugin supports the Serena project.**
The proceeds from plugin sales allow us to dedicate more resources to further developing and improving Serena.
## Configuring Serena
## Advantages of the JetBrains Plugin
There are multiple features that are only available when using the JetBrains plugin:
* **External library indexing**: Dependencies and libraries are fully indexed and accessible to Serena
* **No additional setup**: No need to download or configure separate language servers
* **Enhanced performance**: Faster tool execution thanks to optimized IDE integration
* **Multi-language excellence**: First-class support for polyglot projects with multiple languages and frameworks
* **Enhanced retrieval capabilities**: The plugin supports additional retrieval tools for type hierarchy information as well as fast and reliable documentation/type signature retrieval
We are also working on additional features like a `move_symbol` tool and debugging-related capabilities that
will be available exclusively through the JetBrains plugin.
## Configuring Serena to Use the JetBrains Plugin
After installing the plugin, you need to configure Serena to use it.
@@ -44,18 +58,20 @@ you will see `Languages:
Using JetBrains backend` in the configuration overview.
You will also notice that your client will use the JetBrains-specific tools like `jet_brains_find_symbol` and others like it.
## Workflow
## Advantages of the JetBrains Plugin
Having installed the plugin in your IDE and having configured Serena to use the JetBrains backend,
the general workflow is simple:
1. Open the project you want to work on in your JetBrains IDE
2. Open the project's root folder as a project in Serena (see [Project Creation](project-creation-indexing) and [Project Activation](project-activation))
3. Start using Serena tools as usual
There are multiple features that are only available when using the JetBrains plugin:
Note that the folder that is open in your IDE and the project's root folder must match.
* **External library indexing**: Dependencies and libraries are fully indexed and accessible to Serena
* **No additional setup**: No need to download or configure separate language servers
* **Enhanced performance**: Faster tool execution thanks to optimized IDE integration
* **Multi-language excellence**: First-class support for polyglot projects with multiple languages and frameworks
We are also working on additional features like a `move_symbol` tool and debugging-related capabilities that
will be available exclusively through the JetBrains plugin.
:::{tip}
If you need to work on multiple projects in the same agent session, create a monorepo folder
containing all the projects and open that folder in both Serena and your IDE.
:::
## Usage with Other Editors
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@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ setting up a project with Serena typically involves the following steps:
(project-creation-indexing)=
## Project Creation & Indexing
Project creation is the process of defining fundamental project settings that are relevant to Serena's operation.
You can create a project either
* implicitly, by just activating a directory as a project while already in a conversation; this will use default settings for your project (skip to the next section).
* explicitly, using the project creation command, or
@@ -72,6 +74,7 @@ While in the project directory, run this command:
Indexing has to be called only once. During regular usage, Serena will automatically update the index whenever files change.
(project-activation)=
## Project Activation
Project activation makes Serena aware of the project you want to work with.
@@ -89,6 +92,8 @@ You can either choose to do this
* when the MCP server starts, by passing the project path or name as a command-line argument
(e.g. when using a single-project mode like `ide` or `claude-code`): `--project <path|name>`
When working with the JetBrains plugin, be sure to have the same project folder open as a project in your IDE,
i.e. the folder that is activated in Serena should correspond to the root folder of the project in your IDE.
## Onboarding & Memories