Bridge Suite MCP Server
   
Give AI agents full access to your IntelliJ IDE.
Bridge Suite is a free, open-source MCP server that connects AI coding assistants to IntelliJ IDEA through four specialized plugins. Run commands in terminals, trigger builds, push notifications into the IDE, and query project context — all through a single MCP server.
Works with Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, Continue, and any MCP-compatible client.
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Why Bridge Suite?
JetBrains' built-in MCP server handles file operations and basic code inspection, but it doesn't expose what makes IntelliJ powerful for AI workflows:
| Capability | JetBrains Built-in | Bridge Suite | |---|:---:|:---:| | Read/write files | Yes | - | | Run terminal commands with live output | - | Yes | | Trigger specific run configurations | - | Yes | | Push notifications into the IDE | - | Yes | | Show progress bars for long tasks | - | Yes | | Get full project context (SDK, frameworks, deps) | - | Yes | | Stream real-time output via WebSocket | - | Yes | | Multi-terminal management | - | Yes |
Bridge Suite and the built-in MCP are complementary — install both for complete IDE control.
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Quick Start
1. Install the MCP server
Add to your MCP client configuration:
Claude Code (.mcp.json): ``json { "mcpServers": { "bridge-suite": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@llitd/bridge-suite-mcp"] } } } ``
Claude Desktop (claude_desktop_config.json): ``json { "mcpServers": { "bridge-suite": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@llitd/bridge-suite-mcp"] } } } ``
Cursor (Settings > MCP Servers): `` Name: bridge-suite Command: npx -y @llitd/bridge-suite-mcp ``
2. Install at least one plugin
The MCP server connects to plugins running inside IntelliJ. Install them from the JetBrains Marketplace:
| Plugin | What It Does | Free Tier | Marketplace | |---|---|---|---| | Terminal Bridge | List, create, send commands to IDE terminals | List, read, send | Install | | Run Configuration Bridge | Execute run/debug configs, track processes | List, run | Install | | Notification Bridge | Push notifications, progress bars, status widgets | Send notifications, history | Install | | Project Intelligence | Project context, dependencies, frameworks | Full context snapshot | Install |
Each plugin runs a lightweight HTTP server on localhost. The MCP server auto-discovers which plugins are running.
3. Verify
Ask your AI assistant:
"Check which Bridge Suite plugins are available"
It will call bridge_status and show you what's running.
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Tools
bridge_status
Check which plugins are installed, running, and licensed. Call this first to see what's available.
bridge_status()Returns: ``json { "terminal-bridge": { "name": "Terminal Bridge", "running": true, "version": "2.4.2", "licensed": true }, "notification-bridge": { "name": "Notification Bridge", "running": true, "version": "1.0.0", "licensed": false }, ... } ``
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terminal — Terminal Bridge
Manage IntelliJ terminal tabs. Create terminals, send commands, read output.
| Action | Description | Tier | |---|---|---| | status | Plugin health | Free | | list | List all terminal tabs | Free | | read | Read recent output (id required) | Free | | send | Send command to terminal (id, command required) | Free | | create | Create new terminal tab | Pro | | close | Close terminal tab (id required) | Pro | | focus | Focus terminal in IDE (id required) | Pro | | rename | Rename terminal tab (id, name required) | Pro |
Examples:
// List terminals
terminal({ action: "list" })
// Run a command
terminal({ action: "send", id: "terminal-1", command: "npm test" })
// Read output
terminal({ action: "read", id: "terminal-1", max_lines: 50 })---
run_config — Run Configuration Bridge
Execute IntelliJ run/debug configurations. Start builds, run tests, launch servers — any run config defined in your project.
| Action | Description | Tier | |---|---|---| | status | Plugin health | Free | | list | List all run configurations | Free | | types | List configuration types | Free | | details | Get config details (id required) | Free | | run | Start a configuration (id required) | Free | | processes | List running processes | Free | | debug | Start with debugger (id required) | Pro | | stop | Stop process (id required) | Pro | | restart | Restart process (id required) | Pro | | output | Read process output (id required) | Pro | | wait | Wait for process to finish (id required) | Pro | | env | Get environment variables (id required) | Pro | | refresh | Force cache refresh | Pro |
Examples:
// List all run configurations
run_config({ action: "list" })
// Run "Backend Server" configuration
run_config({ action: "run", id: "backend-server" })
// Check process output
run_config({ action: "output", id: "process-1", max_lines: 100 })---
notify — Notification Bridge
Push notifications, progress bars, and status bar widgets directly into the IDE. Perfect for long-running AI tasks, CI/CD results, or monitoring alerts.
| Action | Description | Tier | |---|---|---| | status | Plugin health | Free | | channels | List notification channels | Free | | send | Send balloon notification (title, content required) | Free | | history | Read notification history | Free | | sticky | Sticky notification (stays until dismissed) | Pro | | action | Notification with clickable buttons | Pro | | channel_create | Register notification channel | Pro | | channel_delete | Remove channel (id required) | Pro | | progress_create | Create IDE progress bar (title required) | Pro | | progress_update | Update progress (id, fraction required) | Pro | | progress_complete | Complete/cancel progress bar (id required) | Pro | | statusbar_create | Create status bar widget (id, text required) | Pro | | statusbar_update | Update widget text (id required) | Pro | | statusbar_remove | Remove widget (id required) | Pro |
Examples:
// Send a notification
notify({ action: "send", title: "Build Complete", content: "All 42 tests pass", type: "INFORMATION" })
// Warning notification
notify({ action: "send", title: "Memory High", content: "Heap usage at 89%", type: "WARNING" })
// Create a progress bar (Pro)
notify({ action: "progress_create", title: "Deploying to Production", fraction: 0.0 })
// Update progress
notify({ action: "progress_update", id: "abc123", text: "Stage 2/3", fraction: 0.66 })
// Complete it
notify({ action: "progress_complete", id: "abc123" })
// Notification with action buttons (Pro)
notify({
action: "action",
title: "PR #42 Ready",
content: "All checks pass. Merge?",
type: "INFORMATION",
actions: [
{ label: "Open PR", id: "open", url: "https://github.com/org/repo/pull/42" },
{ label: "Merge", id: "merge" }
]
})
// Status bar widget (Pro)
notify({ action: "statusbar_create", id: "api-health", text: "API: 200ms", tooltip: "Average response time" })---
project_intel — Project Intelligence Bridge
Get rich project context — SDK version, detected frameworks, dependency tree, file structure. Useful for AI agents that need to understand the project before making changes.
| Action | Description | Tier | |---|---|---| | status | Plugin health | Free | | context | Full project snapshot (SDK, frameworks, VCS, deps) | Free | | dependencies | Dependency tree with conflicts | Free | | file_tree | Source/test/resource file classification | Free | | frameworks | Detected frameworks and versions | Free | | summary | LLM-optimized text summary | Free | | refresh | Force refresh cached data | Free |
Examples:
// Get full project context
project_intel({ action: "context" })
// Quick summary for LLM context windows
project_intel({ action: "summary" })
// Check frameworks
project_intel({ action: "frameworks" })---
Architecture
┌──────────────────────────────────┐
│ AI Assistant (Claude, Cursor) │
│ Uses MCP tools to control IDE │
└──────────────┬───────────────────┘
│ MCP Protocol (stdio)
┌──────────────▼───────────────────┐
│ Bridge Suite MCP Server │
│ Free, open-source (this repo) │
│ Auto-discovers running plugins │
└──────────────┬───────────────────┘
│ HTTP (localhost)
┌───────────┼───────────┬───────────────┐
▼ ▼ ▼ ▼
┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐
│:9876 │ │:9877 │ │ :9878 │ │ :9885 │
│Term │ │ Run │ │ Notif │ │ Project │
│Bridge│ │Config│ │ Bridge │ │ Intel │
└──┬───┘ └──┬───┘ └────┬─────┘ └────┬─────┘
│ │ │ │
└─────────┴────────────┴──────────────┘
│
IntelliJ IDEA (IDE APIs)Each plugin runs an embedded HTTP server on localhost. The MCP server probes ports to discover which plugins are available. If a plugin isn't installed, its tools return a helpful message with an install link.
Security: Everything runs on localhost. No data leaves your machine. No authentication needed for local-only access.
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Plugin Availability
When a tool targets a plugin that isn't running, you get a clear message:
{
"success": false,
"error": "Notification Bridge is not running. Install it from JetBrains Marketplace: https://plugins.jetbrains.com/plugin/30984-notification-bridge — then restart IntelliJ IDEA.",
"code": "PLUGIN_NOT_AVAILABLE"
}When a tool requires a paid feature on the free tier:
{
"success": false,
"error": "This feature requires a paid Notification Bridge license. Upgrade at: https://plugins.jetbrains.com/plugin/30984-notification-bridge",
"code": "LICENSE_REQUIRED"
}---
Configuration
Custom Ports
If your plugins run on non-standard ports, set environment variables:
TERMINAL_BRIDGE_PORT=9876 # default
RUN_CONFIG_BRIDGE_PORT=9877 # default
NOTIFICATION_BRIDGE_PORT=9878 # default
PROJECT_INTELLIGENCE_PORT=9885 # defaultPlugin Settings
Each plugin has its own settings in IntelliJ: Settings > Tools > [Plugin Name]
Common settings across all plugins:
- Port — HTTP server port
- Auto-start — Start server when IDE opens
- CORS Origins — Allowed origins for cross-origin requests
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Use Cases
AI-Driven Development Workflow
1. project_intel({ action: "context" }) → Understand the project
2. terminal({ action: "send", ... }) → Run commands
3. run_config({ action: "run", ... }) → Build/test
4. run_config({ action: "output", ... }) → Check results
5. notify({ action: "send", ... }) → Report completionCI/CD Notification Pipeline
1. notify({ action: "channel_create", id: "ci", name: "CI Pipeline" })
2. notify({ action: "progress_create", title: "Deploying v2.1" })
3. notify({ action: "progress_update", id: "...", fraction: 0.5 })
4. notify({ action: "progress_complete", id: "..." })
5. notify({ action: "action", title: "Deploy Complete", actions: [...] })Multi-Terminal Orchestration
1. terminal({ action: "create", name: "backend" })
2. terminal({ action: "create", name: "frontend" })
3. terminal({ action: "send", id: "backend", command: "mvn spring-boot:run" })
4. terminal({ action: "send", id: "frontend", command: "npm run dev" })
5. terminal({ action: "read", id: "backend" }) → Check startup---
Requirements
- IntelliJ IDEA 2025.3+ (Ultimate or Community)
- Node.js 18+ (for the MCP server)
- At least one Bridge Suite plugin installed
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Pricing
The MCP server is free and open-source (MIT license).
Each plugin uses a freemium model on the JetBrains Marketplace:
| | Personal | Commercial | |---|---|---| | Monthly | $1.90/mo | $4.90/mo | | Annual | $19/yr | $49/yr |
Free tiers include essential read/execute operations. Pro tiers unlock creation, streaming, and advanced features. See the tool tables above for tier details.
JetBrains community programs (students, open-source, startups) provide free licenses.
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Development
git clone https://github.com/llitd/bridge-suite-mcp.git
cd bridge-suite-mcp
npm install
npm run buildRun locally: ``bash node dist/index.js ``
Project Structure
src/
index.ts Entry point (stdio transport)
discovery.ts Plugin auto-discovery (port probing)
http-client.ts Shared HTTP client with error handling
tools/
bridge-status.ts Meta tool: plugin discovery
terminal.ts Terminal Bridge proxy
run-config.ts Run Configuration Bridge proxy
notify.ts Notification Bridge proxy
project.ts Project Intelligence Bridge proxy
registry.ts Tool registration---
Links
- LLITD on JetBrains Marketplace
- Terminal Bridge
- Run Configuration Bridge
- Notification Bridge
- Project Intelligence Bridge
- Model Context Protocol
- Report Issues
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License
MIT — see LICENSE
