Hello, I'm running my agent in a sandbox, what do I need to open to be able to have it communicate with NetBeans ? Cheers, Emmanuel
Le lun. 19 oct. 2026 à 09:40, Anton Epple <[email protected]> a écrit : > Hi all, > > > > Following up on the discussion around Emmanuel's PR #9712: the Java tools > I mentioned there are now available as a NetBeans plugin, and I'd be glad > if some of you tried them. I’m looking forward to integrate them with > Emmanuel’s work once that is ready, but even without that you can use them > already. > > > > The plugin starts an MCP server inside the running IDE. A coding agent in > a terminal (Claude Code, Codex, Copilot CLI, ...) connects to it and uses > NetBeans' Java infrastructure instead of grep and text edits. It sees the > same index and the projects you have open, and refactorings appear in the > editor right away. The tools: > > > > - find_usages (optionally grouped by calling method), find_implementations > with the override chain, outline (library types included), diagnostics > > - Refactorings: rename, move, change_signature, safe_delete, inline. After > each one the compile check reports any new errors. > > - apply_rule: Jackpot rules written by the agent, or ready-made packs for > JUnit 4→5, javax→jakarta and Java modernization > > - debug: one call that runs a test, stops at a breakpoint or exception and > returns the stack with locals > > > > Addressing Michael's point about harness permissions: Writes stay inside > the agent's working folder. > > > > To try it (NetBeans 31 or newer): > > > > 1. Download dukehoff-mcp-netbeans-0.9.1.nbm from > https://github.com/dukehoff-gmbh/dukehoff-mcp/releases and install it via > Tools > Plugins > Downloaded > Add Plugins..., then restart if asked. > > 2. From the same release, download dukehoff-mcp-launcher-<version>.jar and > print the client configuration with java -jar > dukehoff-mcp-launcher-<version>.jar --config claude --ide. > > 3. Open your project in NetBeans and start the agent in its folder. > > > > There is also a standalone headless runtime for agents without an IDE, and > a VS Code extension built on the Apache NetBeans Java extension. The code > is Apache 2.0. Most of it was written with an AI assistant (Claude) under > my direction and review, and the commits disclose that. > > > > A question on distribution: today users install the NBM by hand from > GitHub. I'd like to offer an update center, so they can add it once and get > updates. Where would you recommend hosting it? > > > > - The Plugin Portal (plugins.netbeans.apache.org): is it still the > recommended route for third-party plugins? What does verification per > NetBeans release involve today, and are there signing requirements? > > - A self-hosted catalog (updates.xml next to the GitHub releases, added > under Tools > Plugins > Settings): fine for now, or are there pitfalls > (signing, trust dialogs)? > > - An official plugin repository for faster-moving features like AI > integration, as Neil suggested on the PR thread: is anything like that > planned? Jaroslav, I think you had something in mind as well. > > > > Feedback of any kind is welcome: on the list, as GitHub issues, or > directly to me. > > > > Thanks, > > Toni > >
