How to run an agent in Docker on Air plugin? – Support | JetBrains

Question

Where did the ability to run agents inside Docker sandboxes go in the JetBrains Air plugin, and how can I run an agent in Docker now?

Answer

The Air plugin for IntelliJ-based IDEs currently does not provide a Docker run mode. In the plugin, Air sessions can run in:

Local
Temporary Worktree
Cloud

The Docker environment was available in the standalone Air desktop app. That app still has Docker support, but it is in maintenance mode (no new feature updates planned).

Feature request

A Docker run mode for the Air plugin is tracked as:

Air plugin: run agent sessions in Docker/alternatives: https://youtrack.jetbrains.com/issue/IJAI-2118

Vote for and follow the issue to receive updates.

Workaround: run an agent in a container as a custom ACP agent

Until Docker run mode is available in the plugin, run your agent in Docker by registering it as a custom ACP agent.

This was tested with the Air plugin in PyCharm 2026.3 EAP (Air 263.6259.38). Local and Temporary Worktree sessions worked, and files written by the agent appeared in the IDE.

1) Prepare a Docker image that can run your agent + ACP adapter

Use an image that contains:

Your agent runtime
The ACP adapter/entrypoint needed to connect to Air

The agent must be able to authenticate from inside the container (for example, via an API key passed with -e).

2) Register the containerized agent in `~/.jetbrains/acp.json`

Add an entry under agent_servers. Use the output of which docker for the command path, and update volume mounts and image/command placeholders.

Example:

{
  "agent_servers": {
    "Agent in Docker": {
      "command": "/usr/local/bin/docker",
      "args": [
        "run", "-i", "--rm",
        "-v", "/Users/you/projects:/Users/you/projects",
        "-v", "/Users/you/.air:/Users/you/.air",
        "<image>", "<agent ACP command>"
      ]
    }
  }
}

3) Start a session in Air and select the custom agent

In Air, start a new session and select "Agent in Docker" from the agent menu.

Important notes and limitations

Mount the same absolute paths as on the host. Air sends the host project path as the working directory. If the path differs inside the container, the agent will not resolve it correctly.
Air may start the agent outside the project directory, so mount a parent folder that contains your projects.
~/.air is used for temporary worktrees, so mount it if you use Temporary Worktree sessions.
IDE tools are not available inside the container. Air passes the IDE MCP server path as a host command path, which does not exist inside the container.