How to Use JetBrains AI for Frontend Development

8/12/2025

Level Up Your Frontend Workflow: How to REALLY Use JetBrains' Built-in AI

Hey there, fellow coder! Let's be honest, the world of frontend development is a whirlwind. New frameworks, libraries, & tools pop up faster than we can learn them. It’s a constant race to stay on top of our game, ship clean code, & build amazing user experiences. But what if I told you there's a secret weapon hiding in plain sight, right within your favorite JetBrains IDE? I'm talking about the JetBrains AI Assistant, & it’s a game-changer.

I’ve been in the trenches of frontend development for years, & I’ve seen my fair share of tools that promise to revolutionize my workflow. Some live up to the hype, others… not so much. So, when JetBrains rolled out its AI Assistant, I was cautiously optimistic. I’ve been putting it through its paces in my daily work with WebStorm, & honestly, it's pretty impressive. It’s more than just a fancy autocomplete; it's like having a super-smart pair programmer by your side, ready to help you tackle everything from a tricky React component to a gnarly debugging session.

In this deep dive, I'm going to show you how to properly utilize the built-in AI features in JetBrains for your frontend development. We'll go beyond the marketing fluff & get into the nitty-gritty of how this AI can make you a more efficient & effective developer. So, grab your coffee, fire up your IDE, & let's get started.

The AI Assistant: Your New Best Friend

First things first, what exactly is the JetBrains AI Assistant? In a nutshell, it's a suite of AI-powered features integrated directly into JetBrains IDEs like WebStorm, IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate, & others. It's designed to help you with a wide range of tasks, including code completion, refactoring, debugging, writing tests, & even generating documentation. The assistant is powered by a combination of JetBrains' own models, like Mellum for code completion, & other large language models (LLMs) from providers like OpenAI. This gives you a ton of flexibility & power, right where you need it most – in your editor.

What I love about the JetBrains AI Assistant is how seamlessly it's integrated into the IDE. You don't have to switch between different apps or windows to get AI-powered help. It's all right there, a keyboard shortcut away. This context-aware approach means the AI understands your code, your project structure, & what you're trying to accomplish, leading to more relevant & helpful suggestions.

Now, let's break down how you can use this AI to supercharge your frontend development workflow.

Supercharge Your Coding with AI-Powered Code Completion

We all know the drill: you're in the zone, typing away, & you hit a mental roadblock. What's that prop called again? How do you structure this component? This is where AI-powered code completion comes in, & it's a HUGE time-saver.

Full-Line & Multi-Line Code Completion

JetBrains' AI Assistant takes code completion to the next level. It doesn't just suggest single words or methods; it can autocomplete entire lines or even blocks of code. This is particularly handy when you're writing repetitive boilerplate code or working with complex APIs. The AI analyzes the context of your code & suggests completions that match your coding style & conventions.

For example, if you're creating a new React component, the AI can help you scaffold out the basic structure, including the function definition, props, & JSX. It can even suggest class names for your CSS based on the component's name. It's like the IDE is reading your mind & finishing your thoughts for you.

React Component Generation

Let's get more specific. Say you're building a new card component for your e-commerce site. Instead of writing it from scratch, you can use the AI Assistant to generate it for you. You can give it a prompt like, "Create a React component for a product card with an image, title, price, & 'Add to Cart' button." The AI will then generate the JSX & even some basic styling for you.

What's really cool is that the AI is context-aware. It will look at your existing components & try to match the style & structure, making the generated code feel right at home in your project. This is a massive productivity boost, especially when you're working on a large project with a consistent design system.

Here's how you can make the most of it:

Be specific with your prompts: The more detail you provide, the better the result will be. Instead of "create a button," try "create a primary button component with a blue background, white text, & a subtle hover effect."
Iterate on the results: The AI's first attempt might not be perfect, but it's a great starting point. You can easily tweak the generated code to fit your exact needs.
Use it for inspiration: Sometimes, you're not sure how to approach a particular component. The AI can give you some ideas & show you different ways to structure your code.

Refactor Your Code with Confidence

Refactoring is a crucial part of maintaining a healthy codebase, but it can also be a tedious & error-prone process. The JetBrains AI Assistant can help you refactor your code with confidence, suggesting improvements & automating repetitive tasks.

Suggesting Refactorings

One of my favorite features is the "Suggest Refactoring" action. You can select a block of code, right-click, & choose "AI Actions > Suggest Refactoring." The AI will then analyze the code & offer suggestions for how to improve it. For example, it might suggest extracting a complex piece of logic into a separate function, or it might recommend a more efficient way to write a loop.

This is incredibly useful for a few reasons:

It helps you learn: The AI's suggestions can teach you new ways to write cleaner, more maintainable code.
It saves you time: Instead of manually refactoring your code, you can let the AI do the heavy lifting.
It reduces the risk of errors: The AI is less likely to introduce bugs during the refactoring process than a human is.

From jQuery to Modern JavaScript

Let's say you're working on a legacy project that's full of old-school jQuery. You want to modernize the codebase, but you don't have the time to manually rewrite everything. This is a perfect job for the AI Assistant. You can select a block of jQuery code & ask the AI to refactor it to modern vanilla JavaScript or a framework like React.

This is a HUGE win for productivity. It allows you to quickly modernize your codebase without having to spend weeks or even months on a manual rewrite.

Debugging Made Easy (Well, Easier)

Debugging is often the most frustrating part of a developer's job. Staring at a screen, trying to figure out why your code isn't working, can be a soul-crushing experience. While the JetBrains AI Assistant can't magically fix all your bugs, it can definitely make the process a lot less painful.

Explaining Errors

When you encounter a runtime error, the AI Assistant can help you understand what's going on. It can analyze the error message & the surrounding code & provide a plain-English explanation of the problem. It can even suggest possible fixes that you can apply with a single click. This is especially helpful when you're dealing with cryptic error messages that don't give you much to go on.

Finding & Fixing Problems

The AI can also proactively identify potential problems in your code before they even become bugs. It can flag things like missing error handling, inefficient code, & potential security vulnerabilities. This helps you write more robust & reliable code from the get-go.

Level Up Your Testing Game

Writing tests is essential for building high-quality software, but it's often a task that gets pushed to the back burner. The JetBrains AI Assistant can help you write tests more quickly & easily, ensuring that your code is well-tested & ready for production.

Generating Unit Tests

You can place your cursor on a function or class, right-click, & select "AI Actions > Generate Unit Tests." The AI will then generate a set of unit tests for that code, covering different scenarios & edge cases. This is a fantastic way to quickly get test coverage for your code without having to write all the tests yourself.

Of course, the generated tests might not be perfect, but they're a great starting point. You can easily review & modify them to fit your specific needs. This feature has saved me countless hours of tedious test-writing, allowing me to focus on the more creative aspects of my job.

Mastering the Art of the Prompt

To get the most out of the JetBrains AI Assistant, you need to master the art of prompt engineering. A well-crafted prompt can be the difference between a helpful response & a useless one.

Be Specific & Provide Context

The key to a good prompt is to be specific & provide as much context as possible. Instead of asking a vague question like "how do I fix this bug?", try something more specific like, "I'm getting a 'TypeError: Cannot read properties of null' error on this line of code. It seems like the 'user' object is sometimes null. How can I add a check to prevent this error?"

You can also provide the AI with additional context by including relevant code snippets or even entire files. This helps the AI understand the bigger picture & provide a more accurate & helpful response.

Customizing Prompts

The AI Assistant also allows you to create your own custom prompts. This is a powerful feature that lets you tailor the AI's responses to your specific needs. For example, you could create a custom prompt for generating commit messages in a specific format, or for writing documentation that follows your company's style guide.

This level of customization is what sets the JetBrains AI Assistant apart from other AI coding tools. It allows you to create a truly personalized AI assistant that's perfectly suited to your workflow.

The Bigger Picture: AI in Your Business

The benefits of using AI in your development workflow extend beyond just individual productivity. By empowering your developers with tools like the JetBrains AI Assistant, you can improve the overall quality of your software, ship new features faster, & ultimately, deliver a better experience for your customers.

And when it comes to customer experience, the conversation doesn't end with the code you ship. It's about how you engage with your users, answer their questions, & provide them with the support they need. That's where a tool like Arsturn comes in. Just as the JetBrains AI Assistant helps you build better software, Arsturn helps you build better relationships with your customers.

With Arsturn, you can create custom AI chatbots trained on your own data. These chatbots can be embedded on your website to provide instant customer support, answer frequently asked questions, & even generate leads. It's like having a 24/7 customer service agent that's always ready to help. By automating these tasks, you can free up your team to focus on more complex issues & provide a more personalized experience for your users.

The combination of a powerful development tool like the JetBrains AI Assistant & a customer engagement platform like Arsturn can be a game-changer for any business. It's about using AI to streamline your entire workflow, from the first line of code you write to the last customer interaction you have.

Final Thoughts

The JetBrains AI Assistant is a seriously powerful tool for frontend developers. It's not just another gimmick; it's a legitimate productivity booster that can help you write better code, faster. From smart code completion & refactoring to debugging & test generation, the AI Assistant is a versatile tool that can help you with almost every aspect of your job.

But like any tool, it's only as good as the person using it. To get the most out of the AI Assistant, you need to learn how to use it effectively. That means mastering the art of the prompt, understanding its strengths & weaknesses, & integrating it into your existing workflow in a way that makes sense for you.

So, if you haven't already, I highly recommend giving the JetBrains AI Assistant a try. It might just be the secret weapon you need to take your frontend development skills to the next level.

Hope this was helpful! Let me know what you think.