Claude Code in JetBrains IDEs: the Illustrated Setup Guide

Part 1 — Install the plugin from the Marketplace

Settings → Plugins → Marketplace, and pick the one publisher that matters.

1. 1

   Open Settings and go to Plugins

   In IntelliJ IDEA, open the settings icon at the top of the window and choose Plugins. The video also stresses updating IntelliJ IDEA to the latest version first. Switch to the Marketplace tab and start typing claude in the search box.

   

2. 2

   Pick the Anthropic PBC entry

   The search returns 220 results, and many are lookalikes from third-party publishers — Claude Code with GUI, CC GUI, Claude Codex AiGo123 and more. The video's rule: only trust what comes from Anthropic PBC. The official entry is called Claude Code [Beta], with 4.2M downloads.

   

3. 3

   Check the detail page, then Install

   The detail page lists the publisher (Anthropic PBC), the version (0.1.14-beta in the recording) and an IMPORTANT note that is easy to skip: this plugin requires Claude Code to be installed separately. Click Install, Accept, then Apply and OK.

   

Part 2 — The plugin is not enough: install the CLI

Until the claude CLI exists, the toolbar icon fails on first launch.

1. 4

   Find the new toolbar icon

   Once the install finishes, a Claude Code starburst icon appears in IntelliJ's top toolbar (keyboard: Ctrl+Escape). Hovering it shows the tooltip. One click should open a Claude Code terminal inside the IDE.

   

2. 5

   Expect an error on first launch

   In the recording, clicking the icon opens a terminal where claude fails with: The term 'claude' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet... That is because the plugin talks to the claude CLI, and the CLI is not installed yet. This is the moment the docs link is for.

   

3. 6

   Get the native install command

   Open the Claude Code docs (code.claude.com/docs) and find the install methods. The docs list a Native Install (Recommended) plus Homebrew and WinGet, with commands for macOS/Linux/WSL, Windows PowerShell and Windows CMD. For this Windows session, copy the PowerShell line: irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex.

   

4. 7

   Run the installer in PowerShell

   Open PowerShell, paste the command and press Enter. The installer prints Setting up Claude Code..., then Installing Claude Code native build latest..., and finishes after a short wait. Be patient here — the recording cuts the download.

   

Part 3 — Put claude on Path

Add the install location to your environment variables and verify it works.

1. 8

   Add the install location to Path

   The installer prints the location — in the recording C:\Users\kcprp\.local\bin\claude.exe — and the video copies it, then searches Windows for edit system environment variables. In Environment Variables, edit Path and add that location, then OK your way out of every dialog.

   

2. 9

   Verify claude from a command prompt

   Open a fresh Command Prompt and type claude. Instead of an error, the Claude Code mascot appears with Let's get started and the theme picker — proof the Path edit works. Close this window and restart IntelliJ IDEA so it picks up the new environment.

   

Part 4 — Sign in inside IntelliJ

Theme, login method and the folder-trust prompt.

1. 10

   Back in IntelliJ, the panel onboards you

   After the IDE restart, clicking the Claude Code icon opens the same onboarding inside a docked terminal tool window: Welcome to Claude Code v2.1.195, then Choose the text style that looks best with your terminal. Use the arrow keys and Enter — you can change it later with /theme.

   

2. 11

   Choose how you log in

   Next the panel asks to select a login method: 1) a Claude account with subscription (Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise), 2) an Anthropic Console account billed per API usage, or 3) a 3rd-party platform (Amazon Bedrock, Microsoft Foundry, Vertex AI). Press Enter and your browser opens to log in with the Claude account.

   

3. 12

   Trust the project folder

   After login, Claude Code shows an Accessing workspace check for the folder IntelliJ has open — in the recording C:\Users\kcprp\IdeaProjects\Demo. It warns that Claude will be able to read, edit and execute files here. Pick 1. Yes, I trust this folder for your own project.

   

Part 5 — First commands and first prompt

The slash menu, /model, and asking Claude to explain code.

1. 13

   Type / to see every command

   The panel greets you with Welcome back Coder! and tips (run /init to create a CLAUDE.md). Typing / in the input opens the command menu with descriptions — the same slash commands Claude Code has in any terminal, now one keystroke away in IntelliJ.

   

2. 14

   Switch models with /model

   Run /model to open the model picker. The recording lists Default (recommended) Opus 4.8 at $5/$25 per Mtok, Opus, Sonnet 4.6 at $3/$15, Sonnet (1M context) and Haiku 4.5 at $1/$5 — and picks Haiku for quick answers. Your pick becomes the default for new sessions.

   

3. 15

   Ask Claude to explain code

   With the for loop visible in Main.java, the creator types explain the code. Claude replies that it needs to know which file to look at and offers options: give it a file path (like src/main.js) or paste a snippet. The answer here: main.java.

   

4. 16

   Read the walkthrough

   After a quick search (Searched for 1 pattern, read 2 files), Claude explains the code line by line: what line 6 prints, how the loop initializes a counter at 1, runs while i is less than or equal to 5, increments after each pass — and the output you'll see when you run it, i = 1 through i = 5. That's the full loop working inside IntelliJ.

   

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