It replaced the old IDE plugin generator and the IntelliJ Platform Plugin Template with the new web-API-based IDE plugin generator, which combines the best parts of the previous approaches. The new IDE plugin generator is intended to reduce maintenance overhead and provide a smoother, more consistent experience for all plugin developers. Plugin creation before the generatorBefore the new generator, there were two recommended approaches to creating IntelliJ Platform plugins:IDE plugin generator – working offline in the IDE IntelliJ Platform Plugin Template on GitHubIDE plugin generatorThe IDE plugin generator was available after installing the Plugin DevKit plugin in IntelliJ IDEA 2025.3 and older. The IDE plugin generator was a part of the Plugin DevKit plugin, and any change to the generator required a new release of the plugin. The new generator is the best of both worlds, combining features from the two old approaches:Feature Old IDE plugin generator IntelliJ Platform Plugin Template New IDE plugin generator IDE access ✅ ❌ ✅ Browser access ❌ ✅ ✅ Plugin dependency selection ✅ ❌ ✅ GitHub integration ❌ ✅ ✅The new generator can be accessed via two clients:IntelliJ IDEA versions 2026.1 and newer (requires having the Plugin DevKit plugin installed).