v0.89.0

Release Date: February 26, 2026

Note: this plugin is currently tested only on macOS.

Demo: Codex Debugs in IntelliJ IDEA

In this video, Codex debugs an application in IntelliJ IDEA. The demo is powered by the MCP Steroid plugin for IntelliJ-based IDEs.

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.

Download

Custom Plugin Repository (Recommended)

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

https://mcp-steroid.jonnyzzz.com/updatePlugins.xml

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

Manual Download

• Download mcp-steroid-0.89.0.zip — Plugin ZIP
• Release page on GitHub

SHA-256: 71e50254953e90189f26a1149bb976731a0fef82c1961cbb7c102864c6f904a9

1. Download the .zip file 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.

What’s New in v0.89.0

Codex Agent Output Support

Full support for Codex NDJSON output format — handles mcp_tool_call items with their distinct field names, structured result objects, and reasoning items rendered as [thinking] blocks. Raw and decoded agent logs are now saved per prompt run.

Prompt System Overhaul

• Migrated all articles from multi-file (header + kts) to single-file .md format
• Merged -see-also.md files into main article files
• Added ###_NO_AUTO_TOC_### / ###_EXCLUDE_FROM_AUTO_TOC_### directives for fine-grained TOC control
• Per-article read tests are now auto-generated
• Removed old-format article support from buildSrc codegen
• Migrated tool descriptions to prompt article resources

Docker Test Infrastructure Refactoring

Major refactoring of the Docker container process runner and agent infrastructure:

• Replaced runInContainer with startProcessInContainer across all drivers
• Channel-driven stdin for ConsoleDriver (replacing per-line docker exec)
• Real-time console pumping with raw + decoded log files
• Coroutines Channel for ProcessRunner output (no busy loop)

DPAIA Arena Testing

Introduced Docker-based A/B comparison testing infrastructure (DPAIA — Developer Productivity AI Assessment) for measuring agent effectiveness with vs without MCP Steroid. Includes automated test pipeline with iterative improvement loops, bare git repo caching, JDK auto-configuration, and per-product smoke tests.

Plugin & Build Improvements

• Extracted plugin build into dedicated ij-plugin/ subproject
• MCP server now starts at IDE startup via AppLifecycleListener
• execution_id made optional in steroid_execute_feedback
• Release builds only include release notes in plugin.xml (skip for snapshots)

Settings & UI

• New MCP Steroid project settings page (Tools > MCP Steroid) with copy buttons and structured connection info
• Human review workflow reworked with Always Allow option
• Screenshot capture now includes modal dialogs

Agent Compatibility

• Claude Code 2.1.x new structured event format support (handles both old streaming and new structured formats)
• Output filters pass through unknown JSON events (future-proof)

Stability & Bug Fixes

• Fixed AIPromoWindowAdvisor 8-minute startup deadlock in Docker containers
• Fixed Islands Theme onboarding dialog blocking test containers
• Fixed CodeButcher import extraction from triple-quoted string literals
• Fixed AiAgentDriver NPE with lazy property ordering
• Fixed DISPLAY env var propagation in container processes
• Renamed “IntelliJ MCP Steroid” to “MCP Steroid” across codebase

Build & Infrastructure

• KtBlocks compilation test infrastructure for verifying code examples in prompt articles
• Compilation tests made stable across build re-runs
• Increased IDE window detection timeout with better diagnostics

Feedback

We’re actively learning what content and features work best for the plugin. 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.