Why CC GUI Is the Must‑Have Free Open‑Source Companion for Claude Code and Codex in IDEA

JetBrains users who rely on Claude Code often face the awkward workflow of writing code in IDEA while having to switch to a separate terminal window to interact with the AI agent, which disrupts thinking and makes it hard to resume work.

CC GUI (originally Claude Code GUI) is an open‑source IDEA plugin (MIT license, 3.3k Stars) that repackages the Claude Code and Codex CLI agents into a complete graphical workbench, bringing all operations—chat, file references, image input, diff display—back into the IDE.

Core capabilities:

Dual engine support: Claude Code and Codex can be switched with a single click.

Context‑aware conversation using @file for file references, image input and conversation rollback.

Built‑in Skill and MCP extensions for custom commands.

Embedded diff view that jumps directly to the changed lines in IDEA’s Diff panel.

Session management with token and cost statistics, history search and export.

Comparison with the official ACP route: ACP is a lightweight protocol that only embeds the CLI into the IDE, lacking GUI features such as session management, image input, and a visual workbench. CC GUI adds a full visual layer while remaining compatible with ACP.

Installation (≈10 minutes):

Open Settings → Plugins, search for “CC GUI” and install.

On first launch, the plugin guides you to install the Claude Code or Codex SDK (≈20 seconds).

Configure a provider via one of four methods: Anthropic API key, import local settings.json, import from cc-switch, or custom third‑party endpoint. Most users simply import the existing settings.json for zero‑config.

Usage example – /plan mode: Running /plan 设计下银联的接入方案 makes the AI scan the project, read relevant PaymentService code, consult UnionPay documentation, and output a structured plan that lists files to modify, new classes, SDK dependencies, signature handling, and callback design. The plan can be reviewed before any code is changed, reducing the risk of breaking critical payment integration.

The plugin also offers handy built‑in tools such as token/fee statistics, AI‑generated commit messages following Conventional Commits, AI code review before PRs, a Skill browser for one‑click activation, MCP server configuration panel, and searchable conversation history.

How CC GUI compares with other JetBrains AI agents:

Qoder (Alibaba) – closed‑source, free tier, deep Java ecosystem integration.

CodeBuddy (Tencent) – closed‑source, personal‑free version, strong Tencent cloud integration.

CC GUI – MIT‑open source, requires Claude/Codex subscription, provides dual‑engine, rich GUI features, and community‑driven extensions.

Choosing a solution depends on existing subscriptions (reuse Claude/Codex → CC GUI), desire for free usage (Qoder), or alignment with Tencent cloud services (CodeBuddy). All three can coexist and be switched per scenario.

In summary, CC GUI eliminates the “where to use AI” problem by embedding Claude Code and Codex fully inside IDEA, enforces disciplined AI‑assisted development through /plan and AI review stages, and shares a unified code‑review standard via Skills. For JetBrains enthusiasts already using Claude Code or Codex, the plugin is a quick, free, and community‑backed addition worth trying.