AtlasArc
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FAQ

Answers before you install AtlasArc

Short answers about whether AtlasArc fits your project, your IDE, and your build process.

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Local

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Does AtlasArc run locally?
Yes. AtlasArc runs inside IntelliJ IDEA and analyzes your project on your machine. It is a local IDE tool, not a hosted scanner. See the privacy policy.
Is my source code uploaded anywhere?
No. The plugin does not transmit source code, metrics, project data, or personal information to AtlasArc or any third party. It reads the project locally and renders the analysis inside the IDE. See the privacy policy.
Which IntelliJ IDEA versions are supported?
AtlasArc runs on IntelliJ IDEA 2025.1 or later. The getting started guide covers install and first analysis.
Does it work with Community and Ultimate?
Yes. AtlasArc supports Community and Ultimate in IntelliJ IDEA 2025.1 and 2025.2, and unified IntelliJ IDEA from 2025.3 onward. A paid IntelliJ subscription is not required just to run AtlasArc.
Does the release include a software bill of materials?
Yes. Each AtlasArc plugin distribution includes a schema-validated CycloneDX SBOM, complete third-party notices, and the corresponding license texts. The release build reconciles them against the JVM libraries, frontend packages, and adapted-source components that actually ship. See the release notes.
Project

Project compatibility

Does AtlasArc support Java and Kotlin?
Yes. AtlasArc analyzes Java and Kotlin projects through compiled JVM bytecode. The public language pages explain what the JVM analyzer reads for Java and Kotlin.
What Java and Kotlin constructs are recognized?
The accurate claim is bytecode-visible JVM dependencies: class structure, type signatures, inheritance, bytecode-retained annotations, calls, field access, casts, class literals, lambdas, Kotlin declarations that compile to JVM output, and similar relationships. It is not a promise to detect every source-only relationship.
Does it work with Gradle and Maven?
Yes, as long as IntelliJ imports the project and the project builds. AtlasArc does not require a Gradle or Maven plugin for analysis. See Getting started.
Do I need to change my build files?
No. AtlasArc does not edit application build files for analysis or governance. Choosing Record acceptance writes only the AtlasArc governance document, under a revision guard that refuses concurrent edits. Commit that document and add the JUnit adapter, standalone evaluator, or ArchUnit rule when you want CI enforcement.
Why should I build before analysis?
AtlasArc reads compiled class files for Java and Kotlin. A fresh build gives the most accurate graph; stale class files can show packages that have moved or miss code that was just added.
Does it work with multi-module projects?
Yes. AtlasArc can analyze the whole project or individual IntelliJ modules. Use Set as Root to focus on one module; dependencies and cycles between modules remain visible in whole-project analysis. See handling large projects.
Can it handle large projects?
AtlasArc's large-project strategy is reduction: scope the model, roll up depth, switch to the right lens, pin a subject, and inspect the exact cycle, boundary, hotspot, or subsystem you care about. See handling large projects.
TS

TypeScript

Does AtlasArc support TypeScript?
Yes, through generated dependency-cruiser JSON artifacts. AtlasArc turns those artifacts into a local architecture model for TypeScript source folders and files. Start with TypeScript support.
What files do I need to generate?
.atlasarc/depgraph.json is required. .atlasarc/eslint.sarif is optional for complexity enrichment. LCOV coverage can be loaded manually after the TypeScript graph is available. See TypeScript support.
Does AtlasArc run Node, npm, or dependency-cruiser for me?
No. Your repository generates the artifacts with its own package manager, workspace configuration, path aliases, and CI environment. AtlasArc reads the resulting files. See TypeScript support.
Are Java/Kotlin and TypeScript shown in one combined graph?
No. JVM and TypeScript sources are selected and analyzed separately. Cross-language API contracts are future work, not part of the current model.
Are all JVM metrics available for TypeScript?
No. TypeScript gets source-folder/file dependency exploration and available artifact-backed metrics, but JVM-specific metrics such as abstractness, distance from the main sequence, relative visibility, ARV, and GRV are unavailable.
Workflow

Architecture workflow

How is AtlasArc different from IntelliJ's built-in dependency tools?
IntelliJ IDEA already has useful dependency tools. AtlasArc is for the next step: turning dependency inspection into architecture exploration, cycle triage, hotspot prioritization, governance, and reporting. See the IntelliJ comparison.
How is AtlasArc different from Sonar?
Sonar is a broader static-analysis and governance platform. AtlasArc is the local IntelliJ architecture workbench for exploring structure, diagnosing dependencies, and preparing architecture evidence. See the Sonar comparison.
What are Safe Havens?
Safe Havens are remembered workspace suppressions with broad package or source-folder reach. Use them to keep familiar cycle regions from obscuring the rest of your investigation, without recording a fine-grained architectural decision. See Govern cycle exceptions.
What is repository analysis scope?
It is the committed list of generated, vendored, or deliberately fenced packages and source folders that your repository leaves outside architectural evaluation. AtlasArc applies .atlasarc/governance/scope.json before metrics, cycle detection, whole-model reports, and CI, and shows the policy's measured impact. See repository scope.
Do shared investigation views change CI?
No. A preset in .atlasarc/views.json helps teammates reopen the same Root or Pin, lens, filters, hierarchy posture, and view-only exclusions. It remains editable after application and is never read by the JUnit adapter, standalone evaluator, or ArchUnit adapter. See shared investigation views.
What are repository governance records?
They apply precise Intentional or Debt treatment to supported dependency evidence. The required reason, optional ticket, evaluation status, and repair controls live in a searchable .atlasarc/governance/cycles.json register. The records work locally; commit the file when other developers and CI should use them too. See Govern cycle exceptions.
Can I export findings?
Yes. Export any view you can use as a PNG, including Free Topology, and generate the one-page Topology & Governance Summary. The full workspace adds CSV/TSV data, Model/View DOT, and full Architecture Reports. See Reports and exports, follow the Free route, or browse the Architecture Report showcases for complete HTML examples.
CI

CI and governance

Does AtlasArc fail my build?
The IntelliJ plugin does not fail builds by itself. Use the JUnit adapter for the complete configured verdict in an ordinary test, run the open-source evaluator as a standalone pipeline step, or add the native rule to an existing JVM ArchUnit suite. Each reads the committed governance file and fails when an ungoverned problem cycle remains. See which integration fits.
How does the governance evaluator work?
Your build first produces current JVM classes or TypeScript dependency artifacts. The configured evaluator applies optional .atlasarc/governance/scope.json to that evidence, then matches .atlasarc/governance/cycles.json and classifies the remaining graph. JUnit can turn that verdict into an assertion; the standalone CLI returns a process exit. See the CI setup.
How do I enable CI when the repository already has cycles?
Use the cycle-debt baseline. Preview first: AtlasArc selects a narrow set of dependency edges that breaks the current cycles, then proposes exact Debt only for the current references on those edges—not every edge in each SCC. Commit that reviewable starting point and run ordinary evaluation as the read-only gate; new ungoverned problem cycles still fail. The same proposal is available in the IntelliJ Cycle Governance hub for a current JVM project or module analysis, or a configured TypeScript source.
Do I need the AtlasArc plugin in CI?
No. AtlasArc.io CI is Apache-2.0 open source and requires no IntelliJ runtime or paid plugin license. The configured evaluator needs JDK 21 and explicitly configured compiler output or TypeScript artifacts.
Should I use JUnit, the standalone evaluator, or ArchUnit?
Start with the JUnit adapter when an ordinary test should own the complete configured Java, Kotlin, TypeScript, or mixed-stack verdict. Use the standalone evaluator for SARIF/JSON output or a tool-neutral process exit. Choose the ArchUnit adapter when an existing Java/Kotlin architecture suite already owns class import and wants a native ArchRule.
Can my ArchUnit tests honour cycles accepted in AtlasArc?
Yes. The AtlasArc ArchUnit adapter applies .atlasarc/governance/scope.json, reads .atlasarc/governance/cycles.json, and uses the same scope matcher and problem-cycle classifier as the IDE. A governed cycle passes; a new ungoverned in-scope cycle remains an ArchUnit violation. See the executable recipe.
Will the IDE and CI make the same governance decision?
Yes for the same current evidence. They share repository-scope projection, cycle-decision matching, debt precedence, reference-level red-wins behavior, and cycle classification. Invalid scope and invalid, stale, partial, ambiguous, or unsupported cycle records fail closed in both surfaces. Shared views and local Safe Havens are intentionally IDE-only.
Access

Free access, trial, licensing, and support

Can I use AtlasArc for free?
Yes. The Free edition is permanent: use the Topology Graph, Safe Havens, every recipe Free can finish, cycle decisions you can commit and enforce with AtlasArc.io CI, PNG export, and the one-page Topology & Governance Summary for Java, Kotlin, and TypeScript. Follow the complete route.
Is there a trial of the full workspace?
Yes. JetBrains Marketplace provides a 30-day trial. The trial and both paid ownership types, Personal and Organization, provide the same complete product capabilities. See pricing.
What happens after the trial?
If no paid license is active, AtlasArc returns to Free. Topology, the governance files you authored, CI enforcement, and the one-page summary remain available. See pricing or the Free route.
How is payment handled?
JetBrains Marketplace handles payment, invoices, subscription management, and license keys. AtlasArc receives only the anonymised license metadata needed to validate your subscription. See pricing.
What is the difference between Personal and Organization?
Personal is bought and held by an individual and may be used for personal or professional development. Organization is bought by a business for one or more seats, with volume pricing applied by quantity. Both ownership types include the same complete AtlasArc feature set. See pricing.
Where do I get help?
Use support for documentation links, bug reports, feature requests, direct contact, and JetBrains Marketplace support routing.

Try it locally

Try the FAQ answers on your own project

Install AtlasArc free from JetBrains Marketplace, run the first analysis locally, and use the getting-started guide for the shortest path through the first graph. The 30-day trial of the full workspace is optional.

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