JetBrains redesigned the IntelliJ Platform debugger architecture in version 2026.1 to support remote development scenarios. The debugger is now split into frontend (UI rendering) and backend (session management) components communicating via RPC. This architectural change deprecates several APIs that directly access debugger UI, introduces asynchronous UI creation, and replaces direct plugin entity access with frontend wrappers. Plugin developers need to migrate from deprecated APIs like `XDebugSession#getUI` and `XDebugSession#getRunContentDescriptor` to alternatives such as `runWhenUiReady` and `XDebuggerTreeBackendOnlyActionBase`. The guide provides two migration paths: local-only mode with minimal changes, or full remote development support requiring more extensive updates.
Table of contents
Why split the debugger?What’s changed?What should I do?Which APIs are affected in Local IDE mode?Which APIs are safe to use in Local IDE mode?Remote Development mode migration stepsSort: