Activate AI Assistant
AI Assistant provides flexibility in how it can be activated. You can use it with a JetBrains AI subscription, connect external AI models using your own API keys, sign in to supported coding agents with provider accounts, or configure custom agents.
This section provides an overview of the available activation options and how they differ. For setup instructions, refer to the corresponding sections.
Activation options
After installation, you can choose how you want to use AI Assistant:
JetBrains AI subscription – a ready-to-use setup with full feature access managed by JetBrains.
Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) – use your own API key with supported third-party AI providers.
OAuth – sign in with a supported provider account to use integrated agents.
ACP-compatible agents – connect custom or external agents that provide AI capabilities through the Agent Client Protocol (ACP).
You can use these options independently or combine them. The available features depend on your configuration.
How activation options differ
The selected activation option determines which AI Assistant features are available and how usage is billed. The following table summarizes the differences:
Activation option | Requires JetBrains AI subscription | Available features | Billing |
|---|---|---|---|
JetBrains AI subscription | Yes | All features | JetBrains AI subscription |
API Key (BYOK) | No | Most features [1] | Selected AI provider |
OAuth | No | Specific agent only | Account provider |
ACP-compatible agent | No | Specific agent only | Agent provider (if applicable) |
Combined configurations
Multiple activation options can be enabled at the same time. When several options are active, AI Assistant selects a provider according to a predefined priority order.
Active scenarios | Priority order | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
JetBrains AI | JetBrains AI | All features are available because the required models are provided by the JetBrains AI service. |
BYOK | BYOK | Features work only if compatible models are available from the configured third-party provider. |
OAuth | OAuth | The authorized agent uses the provider account. |
ACP-compatible agent | ACP agent | Requests to the ACP-compatible agent are handled by the agent provider. |
JetBrains AI + BYOK |
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JetBrains AI + OAuth |
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OAuth + BYOK |
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JetBrains AI + BYOK + OAuth |
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How data is handled in different scenarios
Depending on the selected activation scenario, data may be handled differently:
The IDE sends prompts and context to the JetBrains AI service, which coordinates the request but does not store or process the data. The request is then forwarded to the LLM provider, and the response returns along the same path.
Prompts and context are sent directly to the BYOK-configured LLM provider using the user's API key.
If the feature is supported by the models from a third-party provider, prompts and context are sent directly to the BYOK-configured LLM provider.
If the feature is not supported by the models from a third-party provider, prompts and context are sent to the JetBrains AI service, which coordinates the request but does not store or process the data. The request is then forwarded to the LLM provider, and the response returns along the same path.
Prompts and context are sent directly to the agent provider.
Prompts and context are sent directly to the ACP agent provider using the user's API key (if applicable).
Choose your setup
Pick the option that best matches your needs:
JetBrains AI subscription – if you want full feature access with a ready-to-use setup.
Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) – if you want to use your own API keys and external models.
OAuth authorization – if you want to use supported integrated agents with your provider account.
ACP-compatible agents – if you want to connect custom or external agents.