Agents, Protocols, and Why We’re Not Playing Favorites

Denis Shiryaev

Over the past few weeks, after we announced ACP protocol support, I’ve gotten lots of messages asking something along these lines: “Microsoft just launched AgentHQ for GitHub and VS Code. So, does this mean JetBrains will drop ACP? Will you only support your own thing now?”

The quick answer: We’re not picking sides.

Here’s why – and what it means for you.

ACP and AgentHQ: What’s the difference?

First, let’s clear up a common confusion:

• ACP (Agent Client Protocol) is something on which JetBrains is working with Zed. It’s an open, neutral way for IDEs and editors (like IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, Zed) to talk directly to coding agents – letting them open files, suggest edits, run tests, and more. Think of it like LSP (Language Server Protocol), but designed specifically for AI agents. Cool, right?
  
• AgentHQ, launched by GitHub, is different. It’s yet a centralized system – like mission control – for managing AI agents inside the GitHub ecosystem and VS Code. It handles tasks, permissions, governance, and integration deeply tied to GitHub services. Also cool, but different cool, right?
  

In short: ACP is an open “language” any IDE or agent can speak. AgentHQ is a GitHub-specific platform for managing agents.

Our stance at JetBrains

Very simply: We’re committed to openness.

We want you to use any agent you prefer, whether it comes from us, GitHub, or anywhere else. That means:

• We’ll support multiple protocols. ACP is open and neutral, but if another standard (like those from Microsoft or others) becomes popular with developers, we’ll happily integrate it too.
  
• No lock-in. We built ACP because we believe in portable agents. Your agent shouldn’t be trapped in one IDE or cloud – it should work everywhere you need it to.
  
• No secrets. We have no inside track on Microsoft’s future plans regarding ACP or their own protocols. We’re making our choices based on what’s available now, not speculation.

What this means for agent builders

If you’re currently building agents, here’s the practical advice:

• Use whatever works best for your users. If they’re heavy GitHub users, integrate with AgentHQ. If they use multiple IDEs and editors (like JetBrains IDEs, Zed, or others), ACP is a straightforward way to ensure your agent works everywhere.
  
• Don’t wait around for “one protocol to rule them all.” Technology evolves quickly. ACP is stable, open, and usable now. Microsoft’s stack is also real and viable now. Support both if needed – do what serves your users best.

The future we’re building

Our vision at JetBrains is straightforward:

• Agents should be portable. Your agents should easily move between JetBrains IDEs, VS Code, and beyond.
  
• You shouldn’t be locked into a single vendor. Competing should be about creating great user experiences, not proprietary walls – and we’re committed to support what is adopted by the market.
  

ACP is our way to make sure agents and IDEs communicate openly. GitHub’s AgentHQ contributes to managing agents at scale. These things don’t conflict – they complement each other.

We’re here to help you do your best work, wherever and however you want to do it.

We’ll keep our protocols open, our integrations flexible, and our focus on what’s best for developers – no exceptions.

Denis, Head of AI DevTools Ecosystem

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