Kotlin External FIR Support

Run Kotlin compiler plugins in the IDE.

TLDR

• Automatic Plugin Resolution and Safe Loading
• Exception Analysis
• Diagnostics & Management UI
• Manual Control
• No Additional Configuration Required

Guides

Check out our advanced usage guide: GUIDE.md

If you are a compiler plugin developer, check out our plugin development guide.

Use Any Kotlin Compiler Plugin Inside IDE

By default, the IDE cannot safely run external Kotlin compiler plugins that are not bundled with the compiler itself (like kotlinx-rpc) because their version often conflicts with the IDE's internal Kotlin compiler. This incompatibility can lead to exceptions that freeze your UI, syntax highlighting, and code analysis.

This plugin enables you to use these compiler plugins safely in your IDE

1. It enables plugins: KEFS intercepts requests for plugins and automatically finds, downloads, and loads an IDE-compatible version in the background.
2. It improves stability: Even if a compatible plugin breaks and throws an exception, KEFS detects it, notifies you via a banner, and provides actions (like disabling the plugin) to restore your IDE's functionality immediately.

This solves the core instability problem and allows you to benefit from your compiler plugins' IDE-specific features, like custom diagnostics, all within the editor.

No Additional Configuration Required!.

Core Features

1. Automatic Plugin Resolution

KEFS automatically detects the compiler plugins used in your project. It then finds and downloads a compatible version from a configurable list of Maven repositories (including local ones).

• Flexible Version Matching: Configure how the plugin finds compatible versions with strategies like Exact, Same Major, or Latest.
• Background Caching: All downloads and resolutions happen in the background to never block your UI. Resolved plugins are cached locally for instant access.
• Local Development Hot-Reload: Actively watches local Maven repositories for changes. When you re-publish a new version of your plugin locally, KEFS detects the file change and reloads it in the IDE automatically.

2. Exception Analysis

Compiler plugins should never throw exceptions, as this can freeze IDE analysis. KEFS actively monitors the IDE for exceptions thrown by loaded compiler plugins.

When a failure is detected, KEFS provides immediate, actionable solutions:

• Editor Banner: A non-intrusive banner appears at the top of your editor, identifying the failing plugin.
• Disable Plugin: Instantly disable the failing plugin from the banner to restore your IDE's highlighting and analysis.
• Auto-Disable: A "set it and forget it" option that will automatically disable any plugin that throws an exception, notifying you with a small pop-up.

3. Diagnostics & Management UI

KEFS provides a full suite of UI tools to give you complete visibility and control over your compiler plugins.

• "Kotlin Plugins Diagnostics" Tool Window: A dedicated window that shows you every detected plugin and its status.
  • See which plugins were successfully loaded, which failed (e.g., Failed To Fetch, Not Found), and which haven't been requested yet.
  • Inspect detailed error messages for fetch/resolution failures.
  • View detailed reports for runtime exceptions, including stack traces, to help debug plugin failures.
• Settings Page (Tools > Kotlin Plugins): A new settings panel to manage all plugin behavior.
  • Artifacts: Configure your plugin "bundles" (e.g. if a plugin consists of multiple jars), set their version-matching strategy, and assign them to specific repositories, or use the default.
  • Repositories: Add, edit, and remove remote (URL) or local (file path) Maven repositories.
  • General: Toggle the Exception Analyzer on/off and manage the "auto-disable" feature.

4. Manual Control

Quickly manage the plugin's state from the Find Action (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+A) menu:

• Update Plugins: Forces a check for new plugin versions in your repositories.
• Refresh Plugins: Clears the in-memory state and re-runs resolution.
• Clear Caches: Deletes all downloaded plugin jars from the disk cache.

Support

If you encounter any issues, report them on GitHub.

If any exceptions are thrown, you can use the built-in Report to the 3rd Party action to send a bug report to us.

Installation

• Using the IDE built-in plugin system:

  Settings/Preferences > Plugins > Marketplace > Search for "Kotlin External FIR Support" > Install

• Using JetBrains Marketplace:

  Go to JetBrains Marketplace and install it by clicking the Install to ... button in case your IDE is running.

  You can also download the latest release from JetBrains Marketplace and install it manually using Settings/Preferences > Plugins > ⚙️ > Install plugin from disk...

• Manually:

  Download the latest release and install it manually using Settings/Preferences > Plugins > ⚙️ > Install plugin from disk...

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Plugin based on the IntelliJ Platform Plugin Template.