v0.102

devrig is the recommended entry point. Direct use of the MCP Steroid plugin's HTTP server is still supported (now explicitly marked deprecated in the settings UI), but devrig owns installation, the bundled Java runtime, agent registration, updates, and backend lifecycle.

Independent project. MCP Steroid / Devrig is an independent open-source project. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by JetBrains.

One name, one home. What started as MCP Steroid at mcp-steroid.jonnyzzz.com now lives at devrig.dev — devrig is the product; MCP Steroid remains the name of the IDE plugin it talks to.

Release Date: August 7, 2026

Highlights

Headless Remote Development backends — the strategy milestone

devrig launches a downloaded IDE as a headless managed Remote Development backend with MCP Steroid pre-provisioned. Agents bootstrap the whole discover → download → start flow themselves, and clean-machine Claude/Codex Docker scenarios validate it end to end. Background story: devrig: MCP Steroid Goes Level 3.

One devrig CLI, generated from the tools’ own schemas

Every steroid_* MCP tool is a first-class devrig subcommand auto-generated from its own schema — the CLI and the served MCP surface can never drift. Consistent help that routes you to the exact allowed values, sysexits exit codes, --json output you can pipe to jq without double-decoding, and an open_project --wait that waits for the project route. The whole surface is a written contract (docs/devrig-cli-contract.md), pinned by tests and live agent experiments.

devrig keeps itself up to date

When the published version.json promotes a newer version, running sessions download and run the official installer — coordinated across processes with per-pid markers, no lock files, and a launcher replacement that survives Windows file locks. Design story: Install, Launch, Update: Shipping a CLI on Five Platforms.

3×–10× faster steroid_execute_code on the Kotlin Build Tools API

The fixed 7.8-second per-call compiler startup is gone: compilation runs in-process on the Kotlin Build Tools API with one shared session per project — contributed by Yahor Berdnikau and the Kotlin team. Warm compiles drop from 367 ms to 218 ms; the plugin no longer downloads a kotlinc distribution at all.

Ready for IntelliJ 2026.3 EAP and Android Studio

The bundled kotlinc is 2.4.20-RC, scripts default to Kotlin 2.3, and the plugin + devrig emit JVM 21 bytecode — so everything loads on Android Studio’s JBR 21 and on the 2026.3 EAP.

devrig install plugin and 14 downloadable IDE products

devrig install plugin installs or updates MCP Steroid in your running JetBrains IDEs over each IDE’s built-in REST endpoint, with the IDE’s own dialog as the consent gate. PhpStorm, RubyMine, DataGrip, RustRover, and MPS join the download catalog — 14 IDE products total.

Machine-parseable results and honest identity

steroid_execute_code output is exactly your script’s printed output again, and list_projects / list_windows carry a backends[] lookup with the host IDE’s identity — one cheap call identifies a fresh IDE.

Windows, validated on real Windows

The devrig launcher, managed backends, and the test infrastructure run on real Windows agents (TeamCity + GitHub windows-latest), with a dedicated cross-OS agent-launch matrix.

Download

Custom Plugin Repository (Recommended)

Add this URL in Settings -> Plugins -> ⚙️ -> Manage Plugin Repositories…:

https://devrig.dev/updatePlugins.xml

The IDE will find the plugin and notify you when updates are available.

JetBrains Marketplace

Search for MCP Steroid in Settings -> Plugins -> Marketplace.

Manual Download

• Download the plugin ZIP from the release page
• Download the devrig CLI ZIP from the same release page
• Release page on GitHub

1. Download the plugin .zip from the GitHub release page above
2. In IntelliJ IDEA, go to Settings -> Plugins -> ⚙️ -> Install Plugin from Disk…
3. Select the downloaded ZIP file
4. Restart the IDE

End User License Agreement (EULA) - By downloading and using this plugin, you agree to the terms of the EULA.

Connecting to Cloud Agents

See Getting Started.

Supported AI Agents

Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, Cursor, and any other coding agent that supports the latest MCP via HTTP Streaming — or, with devrig, over stdio.

Share your execution history

Real ~/.mcp-steroid/runs sessions are exactly what we analyze to adjust and fine-tune the tools, prompts, and recipes — see how the learning loop works and what to send. We are also looking for proof-of-concept customers and enterprise relationships: if you want devrig evaluated on your repositories with us alongside, see how you can help and get in touch.

Reporting issues

Use “Collect Logs and Diagnostics Data” action in IntelliJ to collect information about the problem. Review the log file for specific problem.

Discord Community

Message Eugene on LinkedIn for a Discord invite: linkedin.com/in/jonnyzzz

Direct invite link: discord.gg/e9qgQ7NeTC

That is the best place to discuss the plugin, ideas, features.

Feedback

We’re actively learning what content and features work best. Your feedback is invaluable!

If you encounter any issues or have suggestions, please let us know in GitHub Issues! Your feedback directly shapes the development of MCP Steroid.

Fixed Issues

• #78 — Windows-side IDE + WSL-hosted project: in-process compilation and shared storage under ~/.mcp-steroid end the kotlinc misrouting; the registry workaround is no longer needed.
• #154, #159 — steroid_execute_code results are exactly the script’s printed output; stage framing no longer corrupts JSON payloads.
• #155 — the host IDE’s identity is back via backends[] in list_projects / list_windows.
• #156 — findProjectFile accepts absolute paths and refreshes stale VFS entries (the #1 execute_code failure class).
• #207, #361 — the 7.8-second per-call compiler startup is gone; compilation is in-process.
• #357, #359, #377 — works on IntelliJ 2026.3 EAP; a metadata-version mismatch fails fast with one actionable message.
• #157, #181–#184 — JVM 21 bytecode: the plugin and devrig load on Android Studio’s bundled JBR 21.
• #213, #229 — executions are visible, cancellable IDE tasks; client disconnect cancels the script.
• #214 — one hung script no longer wedges every other MCP tool.
• #318 — a 31-second UI freeze from syncDocuments on the EDT is gone.
• #309 — steroid_input / steroid_take_screenshot work correctly against modal dialogs.
• #169 — long indexing returns “keep polling” instead of a hard failure.
• #221 — kotlinc diagnostics point at the agent’s actual script lines.
• #93, #69, #94 — inspections are crash-isolated, additive, and cancellable.
• #280, #414, #436 — execution history in collision-safe shared storage with deterministic, honest event logs.
• #132, #387 — orphaned devrig mcp sessions self-terminate; every process wait is bounded.
• #150, #160 — the Windows user-PATH registration hang and false devrig status drift are fixed.
• #360, #358 — version comparison is correct across all build lanes; no more false update nags.
• #385, #374 — rename-aside launcher replacement handles Windows file locks; an older devrig never overwrites a newer launcher.
• #273, #274, #275, #278, #320, #362 — install scripts: PowerShell 5.1 compatibility, session PATH, non-interactive curl|sh / irm|iex, agent-qualified next steps, honest JDK naming.
• #342, #277, #398 — devrig install fails friendly, previews all targets, and does exactly one thing per verb.
• #423, #432 — IDE downloads resume stalled connections; Android Studio resolution picks the newest advertised version; stale EAP channels fall back to the newest available build.
• #206, #209 — the failure-prone applyPatch { } DSL is removed in favor of documented IntelliJ APIs (breaking).
• #381 — steroid_list_windows keys are snake_case, matching its sibling tools (breaking).
• #406, #409, #459 — prompt recipes work on every IDE and describe their actual contracts.

Known issue: #259 — devrig install plugin targets running IDEs only; closed-IDE installs are the recorded follow-up.

Known issue: #267 — devcontainers: the client project root is not yet configurable.

Contributors

Thank you to the contributors in this release:

• Eugene Petrenko (@jonnyzzz)
• Matvei Ludzskii (@matveidetonator)
• Grigory Gulyuk (@BraindeadDogge)
• Yahor Berdnikau (@Tapchicoma) — with the Kotlin team, who contributed the Build Tools API migration
• Aleksei Priakhin (@aleksei-priakhin)
• Serge Baranov (@CrazyCoder)
• Igor Engel (@gt22)
• Dmitriy Zharikhin (@dzharikhin)