Whether you want to build entire applications from scratch or refactor legacy codebases, running autonomous AI agents is the new standard. The brand-new JetBrains Air agentic development environment has officially dropped for Windows! Think of it as a dedicated IDE space built entirely around running autonomous AI agents (like Claude Agent, Gemini, and Junie).
If you want to see the full setup process in action, you can watch the complete video guide right here:
While JetBrains heavily pushes their paid commercial options, you can easily use the Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) model, standard OAuth, or your active educational profile to run these high-powered coding loops entirely for free.
Here is exactly how to set it up for zero cost on Windows.
🛠️ Step-by-Step Installation & Free Setup
Step 1: Download the Installer
Head over to the official download page (air.dev). Grab the Windows installer executable. Choose the standard x64 version, or select the ARM64 option if you are running on an ARM-based Windows device.
Step 2: Run the Setup Wizard
- Double-click the downloaded installation file.
- Follow the prompt to choose your preferred installation directory.
- Check the box to Create a desktop shortcut and click Install.
- Once completed, launch the application using the desktop shortcut.
Step 3: Unlocking Free Agent Access (BYOK & License Methods)
When you launch Air for the first time, a Connect your agents window will pop up. To bypass standard commercial subscriptions and use the platform for free, configure it using one of these methods:
🎒 METHOD A: THE ALL-ACCESS FREE STUDENT PACK (RECOMMENDED)
If you have an active university email address, an ISIC card, or a GitHub Student Developer Pack, you can log in directly using your JetBrains Account linked to the Free JetBrains Student Pack. This natively grants you 100% full, unlimited free access to all four built-in agents (including Claude Agent and Junie) at no cost.🤖 METHOD B: GEMINI / GOOGLE ECOSYSTEM (NO KEY REQUIRED)
Click on the Gemini CLI option and select your standard Google account. Your default web browser will open automatically. Simply sign in, click Allow, and you will be redirected back to the app with active base free agent credits.🔑 METHOD C: CLAUDE / ANTHROPIC KEYS (BYOK)
Close the initial sign-in pop-up to access the main workspace. Head over to Settings (Ctrl + ,), navigate to Account | AI Providers, and paste your personal free-tier Anthropic API key. This hooks up the Claude Agent natively using your own developer quotas instead of a JetBrains AI Pro subscription.
💻 Running Your First Autonomous Coding Task
Once configured, click Open to load an existing project directory from your PC, or clone a project directly from a Git repository.
- Open the Chat agent window on the right side of the interface.
- Select your preferred free agent from the dropdown (e.g., Gemini or Claude).
- In the input bar, type out a prompt describing what you want built. For example:
text
Create an index.html file with a clean layout and title it Code Setup Lab
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