AssistAI - Eclipse IDE as an MCP Server for AI Agents

Add this URL to your Eclipse Installation to reach this solution's update site.

2025-06 (4.36), 2025-03 (4.35)

https://gradusnikov.github.io/eclipse-chatgpt-plugin/
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Solution Description

AssistAI - Eclipse IDE as an MCP Server for AI Agents

AssistAI is an Eclipse IDE plugin that exposes your entire development environment as an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server. External AI agents — Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, Claude Desktop, or any MCP-compatible client — can read, navigate, edit, build, test, run, and debug your Java projects directly through Eclipse, preserving workspace sync, local history, and incremental compilation.

AssistAI also includes a built-in LLM chat view for quick inline interactions with any supported model, as well as in-editor code completion.

Why MCP through Eclipse?

When AI agents edit files through the filesystem directly, Eclipse doesn't know anything changed. Editors show stale content, incremental compilation misses updates, and local history gaps appear.

AssistAI solves this by routing all operations through Eclipse APIs:

  • Edits go through JDT — incremental compilation fires immediately, errors update in real time
  • Refactorings use Eclipse's refactoring engine — renames, moves, and package restructures update all references across the workspace
  • File reads reflect the editor buffer — agents always see the latest unsaved content, not the on-disk version
  • Local history is preserved — every change is tracked, undoable through Eclipse's local history
  • Tests run inside Eclipse — JUnit results, console output, and compilation errors are accessible as tool responses

What Agents Can Do

With the MCP tools, an external agent can:

  • Read and navigate code — project layout, class outlines, method source, type hierarchies, call hierarchies, find references
  • Edit code — create files, apply unified diffs, replace strings, delete lines, replace entire files
  • Refactor — rename types/packages, move types, organize imports — all through Eclipse's refactoring engine
  • Build and test — run Maven builds, execute JUnit tests (all, by package, class, or method), read compilation errors, get quick-fix suggestions
  • Search — text search, regex search, file glob search, search-and-replace across the workspace
  • Run and debug — launch Java applications, set breakpoints (including conditional), step through code, inspect stack traces, evaluate expressions, hot-swap code
  • Access context — read JavaDoc, console output, editor selection, effective POM, project dependencies
  • Browse and restore file history — list Local History versions, view old content, restore to any previous version, diff current vs. historical
  • Inspect the resource cache — see what files/classes are loaded in the conversation context, read cached content without I/O

Built-in Chat View

AssistAI includes a built-in LLM chat panel for direct interaction without external agents. Open it via Window > Show View > Other > Code Assist AI > AssistAI Chat.

Features:

  • Refactor, document, or generate tests for selected code via context menu
  • Fix compilation errors with LLM guidance
  • Discuss code with full file context
  • Generate git commit messages from staged changes
  • Drag-and-drop images for vision model discussions
  • LaTeX and table rendering in responses
  • In-text code completion with Alt+/
  • Smart resource caching — LLM always sees the latest version of attached files
  • Customizable pre-defined prompts
  • Switch between models on the fly

Plugin webpage: https://github.com/gradusnikov/eclipse-chatgpt-plugin

Update site URL: https://gradusnikov.github.io/eclipse-chatgpt-plugin/

Categories: Documentation, General Purpose Tools, Source Code Analyzer, Tools

Tags: chatgpt, AI code analysis, chat, claude-code, Claude, codex

Additional Details

Eclipse Versions: 2025-06 (4.36), 2025-03 (4.35)

Platform Support: Windows, Mac, Linux/GTK

Development Status: Beta

Date Created: Wednesday, May 17, 2023 - 07:16

License: MIT

Date Updated: Monday, April 20, 2026 - 07:49

Submitted by: Wojciech Gradkowski

Screenshot
Date Ranking Installs Clickthroughs
April 2026 26/567 518 27
March 2026 19/627 1160 55
February 2026 24/620 859 65
January 2026 31/631 637 47
December 2025 36/621 557 38
November 2025 34/626 665 30
October 2025 42/637 569 25
September 2025 50/653 485 29
August 2025 46/615 458 48
July 2025 58/636 379 35
June 2025 66/627 335 31
May 2025 69/634 345 37
View Data for all Listings

Marketplace Drag to Install Button

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Drag to your running Eclipse* workspace. *Requires Eclipse Marketplace Client

Reviews Add new review

Submitted by Herchi . on Tue, 03/25/2025 - 19:02

Unable to create the selected preference page.

com.github.gradusnikov.eclipse.assistai.preferences.ModelPreferencePage cannot be found by com.github.gradusnikov.eclipse.plugin.assistai.main_1.0.5.202503252330

Submitted by taehyung kang on Mon, 03/24/2025 - 05:34

I installed AssistAI Plugin in eclipse 2024-03 / 2020-03 version, but after installation successfully, no AssistAI Preferences menu on any toolbars. On marketplace tab > installed, I can find AssistAI installed successfully. 

 I spend a lot of time for (re-)installation & uninstallation for testing. Please help for this. Thank you.

Submitted by Rocky M on Wed, 12/04/2024 - 04:29

I have installed the plugin & configured the AssistAI (Chapt-GPT) in Eclipse IDE. I also have API Key setup. Written a simple "Hello World" program. Selected the code & right click - Assist AI (which has Discuss, Refactor, Document etc). When asked ChatGPT to Discuss, Refactor etc, there is NO Response.. Its blank. 

Do I need to do any further setup or why is it not responding ? Please help me.  

Submitted by Amit Kumar Mondal on Fri, 01/26/2024 - 12:58

Tried all the options from the file menu (Assist AI) but the ChatGPT view never got opened automatically if it is not opened before. Thereafter, tried to chat with the agent but no response has been returned, whereas the API key works perfectly (tried using CURL).

Submitted by Marius Brebulet on Fri, 12/08/2023 - 03:22

Hi,

After selecting a piece of code, I selected the -Discuss option, as well as the other options, and gave the prompt, but no response.

Could you please help me with this issue?


I would like to attach a screenshot but I don't see the option.

Thanks,

Marius

Submitted by Amit Kumar Mondal on Fri, 11/17/2023 - 07:08

An error occurred while collecting items to be installed

session context was:(profile=_Users_amit_eclipse_osgifx_Eclipse.app_Contents_Eclipse, phase=org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.engine.phases.Collect, operand=, action=).

Artifact not found: https://eclipse-chatgpt-plugin.lm.r.appspot.com/plugins/com.github.gradusnikov.eclipse.plugin.assistai.dependencies_1.0.0.jar.

https://eclipse-chatgpt-plugin.lm.r.appspot.com/plugins/com.github.gradusnikov.eclipse.plugin.assistai.dependencies_1.0.0.jar

Submitted by Manu KM on Mon, 10/09/2023 - 08:04

Hello sir,
I am getting ('Installing Software' has encountered a problem. An Error occurred while collecting items to be Installed) while installing the plugins. i have tried all possible ways to install such as Market place, drag the Installer button from the documentation. but noting working for me. i was wander if you could help out of this. Thank You

Submitted by Billy Simmons on Tue, 09/19/2023 - 14:09

<p>Getting the following error when trying to install from market place. Note I changed https to xxxx because this editor doesn&#39;t allow urls.</p>

<p>An error occurred while collecting items to be installed<br />
session context was:(profile=C__Users_billy_eclipse_jee-2023-09_eclipse, phase=org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.engine.phases.Collect, operand=, action=).<br />
Artifact not found: xxxx://eclipse-chatgpt-plugin.lm.r.appspot.com/plugins/com.github.gradusnikov.eclipse.plugin.assistai.dependencies_1.0.0.jar.<br />
xxxx://eclipse-chatgpt-plugin.lm.r.appspot.com/plugins/com.github.gradusnikov.eclipse.plugin.assistai.dependencies_1.0.0.jar</p>

Submitted by David Gilbert on Fri, 08/18/2023 - 14:38

I installed the plugin, and and accepted the license, it all looks fine, I see it listed as installed software... but there is no menu item for it to be configured with, nor is there any window to add to my display... literally, it is like I never installed it.  Have restarted the IDE and uninstalled/reinstalled, no luck.  Any help greatly appreciated, thanks.

Submitted by Steve L on Thu, 08/10/2023 - 11:20

Spring Tool Suite v4.19.1  (Eclipse 4.28)

The following error occurs when trying to use any of the assistai tools on a file or segment of code:

Unable to run the task: java.lang.RuntimeException: java.io.IOException: Request failed with status code: 404 and response body: jdk.internal.net.http.ResponseSubscribers$HttpResponseInputStream@3c3865b4
java.lang.RuntimeException: java.io.IOException: Request failed with status code: 404 and response body: jdk.internal.net.http.ResponseSubscribers$HttpResponseInputStream@3c3865b4

Submitted by Aarya Deshpande on Sun, 07/23/2023 - 18:59

Hi,

I installed the plug-in in my Eclipse IDE (2022-09 version). However, upon installation (including IDE restart), nothing happened. My IDE tells me it is installed, but I have no idea how to activate and use it. Where or what do I click to make it "start"? Like there is no AI window or anything showing different in my Eclipse that is popping up for me to use. Please help! (I read the description of it being tested with 2022-03, but still.)

Submitted by Wojciech Gradkowski on Tue, 07/25/2023 - 03:57

After installing the plugin, configure access to the OpenAI API:

Open Window > Preferences > Assist AI preferences

Input your OpenAI API key (you can find your keys at https://platform.openai.com/account/api-keys)

Input the model name. By default, the plugin uses the gpt-4 model, but you can also utilize gpt-3.5-turbo or any available ChatGPT model. To check which models are available to you, go to https://platform.openai.com/playground?mode=chat and check the Model drop list.

Submitted by Tran Quoc Tran on Thu, 06/22/2023 - 06:14

Hello Sir,

I have just installed AssistAI - A ChatGPT Plugin for Eclipse IDE in my Eclipse version 2023/06 and trying to play around with that 

on my code, I tried to access the plugin and got the following error 

Unable to run the task: java.lang.RuntimeException: java.io.IOException: Request failed with status code: 429 and response body: jdk.internal.net.http.ResponseSubscribers$HttpResponseInputStream@6a7d1fed

java.lang.RuntimeException: java.io.IOException: Request failed with status code: 429 and response body: jdk.internal.net.http.ResponseSubscribers$HttpResponseInputStream@6a7d1fed

Submitted by Jose Javier Gá… on Mon, 06/05/2023 - 04:36

Hello,

I can't install the plugin in my Eclipse 2021-12. The following error pops up, which prevents me from proceeding to configure the plugin:

An error occurred while collecting items to be installed
session context was:(profile=epp.package.jee, phase=org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.engine.phases.Collect, operand=, action=).
Result of processing steps.
OK
OK
OK
Public key not found for 810cecf8ba271008.
OK
Result of processing steps.
OK
OK
OK
Public key not found for 810cecf8ba271008.
OK

 

Thanks,

Submitted by Aamirkhan Pathan on Wed, 05/31/2023 - 04:01

Hello Sir,

I have just installed AssistAI - A ChatGPT Plugin for Eclipse IDE in my Eclipse version 2023/03 and trying to play around with that 

on my code, I tried to access the plugin and got the following error 

Unable to run the task: java.lang.RuntimeException: java.io.IOException: Request failed with status code: 404 and response body: jdk.internal.net.http.ResponseSubscribers$HttpResponseInputStream@529ac2b7

java.lang.RuntimeException: java.io.IOException: Request failed with status code: 404 and response body: jdk.internal.net.http.ResponseSubscribers$HttpResponseInputStream@529ac2b7

I feel like this is related to Chat GPT API key error. Can you assist me with where do I need to enter the API key on my already installed plugin?

Hoping for a prompt response ,

Thanks,

Aamir