JetBrains forces AI freemium plugin that cannot be completely removed into IDEs

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

JetBrains has bundled its new paid AI Assistant plugin into IntelliJ-based IDEs in a way that many users say cannot be fully removed, and in some cases appears to re-enable itself after being disabled or “uninstalled.” Critics argue this behavior is hostile, raises trust and privacy concerns, and can put developers in violation of strict corporate policies that ban AI tools or external code transmission, even if the plugin is inactive. Others counter that it’s likely a UI bug, note that the AI features do nothing until explicitly activated, and see the move as JetBrains trying to stay competitive as AI-assisted coding becomes more common.

Plugin behavior and removal issues

  • JetBrains bundled a new AI Assistant plugin into recent IDE versions.
  • It cannot be fully uninstalled via normal means because it is a built‑in/bundled plugin; users can generally only disable it.
  • Several users report a bug:
    • Disabling then uninstalling the plugin update causes an older bundled version to reappear and be enabled on restart, prompting to update again.
    • Some say simply disabling it persists; others report it being re‑enabled, especially due to related ML plugins that depend on it.
  • A linked JetBrains issue tracker thread describes this as a UX/upgrade bug rather than an intentional design.

Data, security, and corporate policy concerns

  • Many workplaces explicitly forbid any AI/LLM tools or sending code to third‑party services.
  • For some organizations, the mere presence of an AI plugin (regardless of activation) violates policy; deactivation is not sufficient.
  • Others respond that the plugin does not send any data unless explicitly activated (e.g., starting a trial), so they view risk as minimal.

Trust, UX, and “enshitification” concerns

  • Some see the non‑removable, self‑reappearing plugin as “hostile,” eroding long‑standing trust in JetBrains.
  • Comparisons are made to broader patterns of “enshitification,” dark‑pattern upselling, and ad‑like nags in paid tools.
  • Critics argue features like this should be opt‑in and installable as a separate plugin, not bundled and auto‑enabled.
  • Defenders view it as a minor bug and marketing choice; they argue outrage is disproportionate.

Usefulness of AI assistants

  • Experiences are mixed:
    • Some claim large productivity gains (especially for boilerplate, migrations, and unfamiliar tools).
    • Others find suggestions noisy, wrong, or harmful for learning, preferring to disable in‑editor AI.
  • JetBrains’ AI Assistant is often described as underwhelming compared to GitHub Copilot; limited project context reduces usefulness.

Alternatives and ecosystem direction

  • Several commenters consider pinning older JetBrains versions or switching to VSCode, Vim, or Emacs for more control and fewer cloud ties.
  • Some worry this AI integration signals a shift toward service‑based, cloud‑dependent IDEs; others note JetBrains also works on local ML features.
  • A .noai file can disable AI Assistant per project, even for users with active subscriptions.