Why is the new AI assistance so slow?
Answered
Previously, I used to be able to pressed Ctrl + \ to get an AI Assistant prompt window that would work on the code in the current file. It was fast and allowed me to do follow-up prompts and apply or discard changes. Now the prompt delegates to the Junie AI Agent and it takes significantly longer to suggest changes. I also can't seem to change which agent does the work; it just goes back to Junie even if I choose Codex at the bottom of the AI Assistant panel.
Aside from downgrading, is there a way to get the old behaviour back? Also, can someone tell me how to change which agent handles the prompts when I enter them using the Ctrl + \ shortcut?
Thanks
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Hello,
Thank you for your question. To investigate this issue in more detail, could you please submit a support ticket to the Junie team using the following link: https://intellij-support.jetbrains.com/hc/en-us/requests/new
When submitting the ticket, please include:
Many thanks in advance!
Warm regards,
Elina
Update: There is a setting that can be toggled in the Registry to restore this behaviour. Open the Registry and disable llm.action.generateCodeInplace.useAgenticChat Source: https://plugins.jetbrains.com/plugin/22282-jetbrains-ai-assistant/reviews#144259-144278 for further details.
Original post:
I think the problem is a change to how IntelliJ now treats with requests for code generation. The screenshot below shows the Generate Code with AI menu item on 2026.2.1. When generating code with the “swirl” icon, I get the code generation workflow I'm used to - simple, fast and inline in the editor.
This screenshot shows the same menu item in 2026.2.2. Notice it now has the Junie icon. In this version, the request is delegated to the Junie agent which attempts to kick off a tradition Agent workflow, running PowerShell commands and whatnot.
Is there a way I can get it back to the old behaviour?
@Kshep92 thanks for saving my day! The registry setting works like a charm.
Any chance we can get this as a regular setting in the menu?
S9mkbaue I surely hope they provide it in the next update. I'll submit a feature request later today.