JetBrains Matter

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At JetBrains, we’ve spent 25 years building tools for developers. Over the past two years, we’ve seen that AI isn’t just changing how developers write code – it’s beginning to reshape the entire process of product development.

Not only is AI making developers more productive, helping with everything from code completion to testing and deployment, but we’re also seeing the rise of tools like Lovable, Replit, and Bolt, which enable people without coding skills to create simple apps. 

While these tools are great for building MVPs or quick prototypes, they hit a wall the moment you need multiple services, non-trivial business logic, or complex frontend operations. They’re built for solo creators, not teams working on production codebases.

At JetBrains, we believe great products still require teams. They depend on the work of product managers who understand the business, designers who craft great user experiences, and engineers who build solid architecture. They are built on collaboration, creative thinking, and the unique expertise and experience each role brings to the table.

That’s why we built Matter – an AI development companion for product teams working on complex codebases.

Today, we’re opening the Early Access Program for Matter, and we would love for your team to check it out!

At this stage, Matter works with web-based projects only.

What is Matter?

Matter is an AI-powered, cloud-based tool that allows your team to prototype and test new ideas directly in your existing codebase without writing code.

It enables real-time collaboration with teammates and live preview sharing – providing an experience similar to what you get with a design tool.

Matter connects to your GitHub repository, where it provides an isolated environment for safe experimentation and allows you to see and share changes in real time. You can also create GitHub pull requests directly from its interface.

How it works:

1. Connect your project

Link Matter to your existing repository and get a live preview running in minutes. Everything happens in an isolated environment, so there’s no risk to your production code.

2. Invite your teammates

Add your teammates, including product managers, designers, and developers, to the project, where you can all collaborate on prototypes.

3. Modify with Matter

Use simple prompts like “Make this a single-page checkout“ or “Add a product review section“ to modify your app instantly. Matter’s AI agent handles the implementation so you don’t have to do any coding.

4. See changes instantly

Every change appears immediately in your live preview. Test interactions, click through flows, and see exactly how your ideas work in real-world implementations. 

5. Collaborate in real time

Say goodbye to localhost:3000 – Matter lets you share working prototypes instantly with teammates and stakeholders. Whether you’re explaining ideas to decision-makers or validating ideas with customers, you get feedback in minutes with functional demos instead of static mockups.

6. Hand off what you built

Matter integrates directly with GitHub and allows you to create a GitHub pull request from its interface. Used to a more traditional handoff? No problem – Matter can create an issue draft, generating both the code and the documentation for you.

For developers: Focus on what matters most

Developers, what if your team’s designers could work on that “update button color” ticket themselves? What if the product manager could prototype the new checkout flow without pulling you into yet another alignment meeting?

You’d have more time for the things you enjoy the most – architectural decisions, performance optimizations, or other tasks that require deep engineering work.

With Matter, your non-technical teammates can work directly in the codebase. They can iterate on the UI, test interactions, and hand you a working prototype by creating a GitHub pull request. Everything happens in an isolated environment, so there’s no risk to your production code.

This changes the way you work, allowing you to:

• Join design discussions earlier – When everyone works with actual code instead of specs and mockups, you can contribute to feature design from the start.

• Reclaim your focus – No more P3 bug fixes for typos and padding tweaks. No more rebuilding Figma mockups from scratch. Designers iterate on the UI, while you focus on the architecture and complex challenges that require your expertise.
• Ship faster, together – Tighter feedback loops mean faster iteration. When PMs and designers can validate ideas in hours, the whole team moves faster.

The best part? Your expertise remains essential, but is focused where it has the greatest impact.

For product managers and designers: Build independently

You’ve been designing in Figma, writing specs in Notion, and hoping developers interpret your vision correctly. Then comes the feedback: “This will take three sprints” or “We can’t do that with our current architecture”.

What if you could test your ideas directly in the real codebase instead of just writing a spec?

With Matter, you can build functional prototypes and working features without having to do any coding.

This unlocks your ability to:

• Ship faster – Speed up the time-to-market for new features and test product hypotheses faster.
• Speak the same language – Hand off working prototypes simply by creating GitHub pull requests.
• Move independently – Make UI changes, fix copy, and adjust layouts without waiting for a developer’s calendar to open up.

The JetBrains way

At JetBrains, we’ve always believed in empowering people to do their best work. We build tools that enhance creativity and make the hard things easier.

Matter is built on this same principle. We’re giving PMs and designers the ability to test ideas without creating bottlenecks for engineering. We’re giving developers the freedom to focus on the problems that most require their expertise. And we’re giving your business a more effective team thanks to a tighter feedback loop.

Whether you’re a developer who wants to focus on complex problems, a designer who wants to see ideas come to life faster, or a PM who needs to validate hypotheses quickly, Matter gives you the tools to do your best work.