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Prerequisites

Before wiring JetBrains to Factory Droid, make sure you have:
  1. Factory account and API key
  2. Factory CLI installed (supported on all operating systems except Windows ARM machines)
    • Install via: 
      curl -fsSL https://app.factory.ai/cli | sh
    • Set the FACTORY_API_KEY environment variable in your shell (for example, add export FACTORY_API_KEY=your_key_here to your shell profile).
    • Ensure the droid binary is on your PATH (or note its full path).
  3. JetBrains IDE with AI Assistant
    • Any modern JetBrains IDE that supports AI Assistant / AI Chat and custom agent servers.
You cannot sign up for Factory or manage billing entirely inside JetBrains. Account creation and API key management always happen in the web app.

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Configure Factory Droid as an AI Agent

Add a Factory Droid entry to your JetBrains AI agent server configuration so the AI Assistant can launch the CLI in ACP mode. 
{
  "agent_servers": {
    "Factory Droid": {
      "command": "*path/to/droid/cli*",
      "args": ["exec", "--output-format", "acp"],
      "env": {
        "FACTORY_API_KEY": "*get this from inside our web portal*"
      }
    }
  }
}

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Start a Droid Session in JetBrains

Once the agent server is configured, you interact with Droid entirely through the AI Assistant UI.

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Open the AI Chat Panel

  • Search Everywhere: Press Shift+Shift, type “AI Assistant”, and open the tool window.
  • Menu: Go to View → Tool Windows → AI Assistant (exact name may vary slightly by IDE).

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Start a New Chat with Factory Droid

  1. In the AI Chat panel, click + New Chat.
  2. In the bottom-left agent dropdown, choose Factory Droid.
  3. Start chatting as you would in the CLI.
The session uses your last-selected settings for Factory Droid (model, autonomy level, etc.). AI Chat panel with + New Chat clicked and Factory Droid selected in the bottom-left dropdown

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Resume Existing Sessions

JetBrains manages sessions through the AI Chat UI rather than CLI commands.
  • In the AI Chat panel, click the clock icon in the top-right corner.
  • Choose a past conversation to reopen it.
AI Chat session history dropdown (clock icon) with previous Factory Droid sessions listed

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Models and Autonomy Controls

You can change models and autonomy levels directly from the AI Chat footer.

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Switch Models

  • Use the model dropdown at the bottom of the AI Chat panel.
  • Pick any Factory-supported model (for example, Claude Opus/Sonnet, GPT-5.1 variants, or others configured via BYOK).
AI Chat footer showing model dropdown expanded

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Change Autonomy Level

  • Use the autonomy dropdown next to the model selector.
  • Choose the autonomy level that matches your risk tolerance and workflow.
Recommended pattern:
  • Start with a planning-first flow (low autonomy, spec-style prompts) for medium and large tasks.
  • Once you are happy with the plan, increase autonomy to Auto low or Auto medium so Droid can execute more steps without constant confirmation.
AI Chat footer showing autonomy dropdown expanded

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Editor Context and Limitations

The current JetBrains integration speaks ACP but does not yet expose full editor context to Droid.
  • No automatic sharing of open files, selections, or diagnostics
  • No IDE-native diff viewer wired directly to Droid patches
Treat this like a rich chat front-end to the CLI:
  • Use clear prompts, reference files by path, and rely on autonomy modes and spec-style planning to manage larger changes.

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Troubleshooting

If Factory Droid does not appear or respond in AI Chat:
  • Verify the CLI:
    • Run droid exec --output-format acp in a regular terminal to confirm the binary and API key work.
  • Double-check the agent server configuration:
    • Correct path to droid
    • args includes both exec and --output-format acp
    • FACTORY_API_KEY is present and valid
  • Confirm you are not on Windows on ARM, which is not yet supported.
For MCP-related issues, check that each MCP server’s command, arguments, and environment variables are valid when run outside JetBrains.