New in Air: Claude Subscriptions, Multiproject View, and Improved Markdown

You can now use Air with your existing Claude Pro, Max, or Team subscription. Usage counts against your subscription quota – there’s no need to purchase API credits and no per-token Console billing.

Login goes through Anthropic’s own authentication flow. Air never sees or stores your credentials.

This was our most-requested feature and it took longer to implement than anyone wanted, including us. But our delay wasn’t without good reason: We weren’t prepared to ship an OAuth workaround that could put your Anthropic account at risk, so we waited until we could build on Anthropic’s documented authentication method.

Download the latest Air release

Claude Subscriptions in Air

Air never touches your credentials

When you click Connect Claude.ai Account, Air doesn’t run its own OAuth flow. It invokes Claude’s native login interface – the same one that opens when you run Claude in a terminal. Your browser opens, you authorize the connection, and your token stays where Anthropic designed it to stay: with Claude. Claude owns the credential, Claude refreshes it, and Air only ever learns one thing – that you’re logged in.

Air’s implementation follows Anthropic’s documented flow for exactly this use case. Your credentials are handled by Claude itself, end to end.

Claude in Air is the full first-party experience

Some of you have already connected Claude to Air yourselves through ACP. However, this bundled Claude Agent in Air is a first-party integration with:

• Current models, selectable in Air, with reasoning effort control
• Slash commands
• MCP servers
• Skills
• Permissions and session state
• Usage and status reporting

For clarity, we’ve called it Claude Agent – the first-party agent, powered by your Claude subscription.

If you have Claude set up to work in Air via ACP, we suggest switching to the bundled Claude Agent for better functionality and an enhanced experience.

Docker environments still require API billing or JetBrains AI credits

You can’t currently run Claude Agent in Docker environments without API billing. Because your subscription token lives with Claude on your machine and Air never holds a copy, there’s no credential Air could hand into an isolated container. Containerized runs have to go through API billing or JetBrains AI credits.

Your projects now share one window

Until now, opening another repository in Air meant opening another Air window. The new multiproject view puts multiple projects and their tasks in one place. The sidebar groups tasks by project, search covers the full task list, and each task keeps its project and branch visible as you move between them.

This changes the unit of navigation in Air from windows to tasks. Start an agent in your backend repo, switch to the frontend while it runs, and then jump to a completed task in a third project – all without losing track of which agent is working where. Running and completed tasks stay visible together, so you can coordinate multirepo work as one workflow instead of several disconnected Air sessions.

Markdown files now read like documents

Air now renders any .md file with clear heading hierarchy, formatted lists, distinct code blocks, and syntax highlighting for commands, paths, and inline code.

It is still an ordinary Markdown file. The syntax recedes while you read and appears when you edit, making READMEs, plans, notes, and documentation easier to scan without parsing the formatting first.

FAQ

Does it work on macOS, Windows, and Linux?
Yes.

I already connected Claude via ACP. Should I switch?
Yes. Remove the ACP entry and log in through the bundled Claude Agent – you’ll get correct model reporting, slash commands, and all the other first-party features.

My company has Claude Team seats and no API budget. Will this implementation work for me?
Yes, it will. You can use your Claude Team seat with a subscription.

Is this permitted by Anthropic?
It follows Anthropic’s documented authentication flow – credentials are handled by Claude itself, never by Air.

Do I need JetBrains AI or a paid Air plan?
No and no. The desktop version of Air is free, and you are welcome to bring your own subscription from external AI providers. We won’t charge you anything extra for using it.

What are the advantages and limitations of using a Claude subscription?
The advantage is that you get everything your Claude plan already includes – its models, quota, and limits apply in Air exactly as they do everywhere else – combined with the first-party Claude Agent experience. No API credits, no Console billing, nothing extra to set up or pay for.

The limitations follow from the design: your token stays with Claude on your machine, and Air never holds a copy. So anything that runs outside your machine can’t use it. Docker environments, cloud agents, and automations require API billing or JetBrains AI credits, and subscription-powered tasks can’t yet be shared across surfaces like the IDE or mobile.

Try the new release

Download the latest Air release at air.dev/download or update through JetBrains Toolbox. Try it with your existing Claude subscription, then tell us how it works for you.