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IDE integration overview

What is the agent client protocol (ACP)?​

The Agent Client Protocol (ACP) is a standardized communication protocol that enables code editors and IDEs to interact with AI agents. ACP defines how clients (like code editors) and agents (like Faheem Code) communicate through a JSON-RPC 2.0 interface.

Supported IDEs​

IDESupport LevelSetup Guide
ZedNativeBuilt-in ACP support
ToadNativeUniversal terminal interface
VS CodeCommunity ExtensionVia VSCode ACP extension
JetBrainsNativeIntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm, etc.

Prerequisites​

Before using Faheem Code with any IDE, you must:

  1. Install Faheem Code CLI following the installation instructions

  2. Configure your LLM settings using the /settings command:

    faheemcode
    # Then use /settings to configure

The ACP integration will reuse the credentials and configuration from your CLI settings stored in ~/.faheem-code/settings.json.

How it works​

  1. Your IDE launches faheemcode acp as a subprocess
  2. Communication happens via JSON-RPC 2.0 over stdio
  3. Faheem Code uses your configured LLM and runtime settings
  4. Results are displayed in your IDE's interface

The ACP command​

The faheemcode acp command starts Faheem Code as an ACP server:

# Basic ACP server
faheemcode acp

# With LLM-based approval
faheemcode acp --llm-approve

# Resume a conversation
faheemcode acp --resume <conversation-id>

# Resume the latest conversation
faheemcode acp --resume --last

ACP options​

OptionDescription
--resume [ID]Resume a conversation by ID
--lastResume the most recent conversation
--always-approveAuto-approve all actions
--llm-approveUse LLM-based security analyzer
--streamingEnable token-by-token streaming

Confirmation modes​

Faheem Code ACP supports three confirmation modes to control how agent actions are approved:

Always ask (default)​

The agent will request user confirmation before executing each tool call or prompt turn. This provides maximum control and safety.

faheemcode acp  # defaults to always-ask mode

Always approve​

The agent will automatically approve all actions without asking for confirmation. Use this mode when you trust the agent to make decisions autonomously.

faheemcode acp --always-approve

LLM-based approval​

The agent uses an LLM-based security analyzer to evaluate each action. Only actions predicted to be high-risk will require user confirmation, while low-risk actions are automatically approved.

faheemcode acp --llm-approve

Changing modes during a session​

You can change the confirmation mode during an active session using slash commands:

CommandDescription
/confirm always-askSwitch to always-ask mode
/confirm always-approveSwitch to always-approve mode
/confirm llm-approveSwitch to LLM-based approval mode
/helpShow all available slash commands

Choosing an IDE​

Zed

High-performance editor with native ACP support. Best for speed and simplicity.

Toad

Universal terminal interface. Works with any terminal, consistent experience.

VS Code

Popular editor with community extension. Great for VS Code users.

JetBrains

IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm, etc. Best for JetBrains ecosystem users.

Resuming conversations in IDEs​

You can resume previous conversations in ACP mode. Since ACP mode doesn't display an interactive list, first find your conversation ID:

faheemcode --resume

This shows your recent conversations:

Recent Conversations:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1. abc123def456 (2h ago)
    Fix the login bug in auth.py

 2. xyz789ghi012 (yesterday)
    Add unit tests for the user service
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Then configure your IDE to use --resume <id> or --resume --last. See each IDE's documentation for specific configuration.

See also​