IntelliJ Java/Kotlin Navigation
IntelliJ-style implementation / override / super method navigation for Java and Kotlin in VS Code.
Miss IntelliJ's "1 implementation" hints and the jump between an interface and its implementations?
This extension brings exactly that to VS Code: every interface, class and method gets a small hint showing
where it is implemented, overridden or inherited from — and one ⌘/Ctrl + Click takes you there.
It is made to work together with JetBrains' official
Java and Kotlin by IntelliJ IDEA
extension, but it works with any Java/Kotlin language server (Red Hat Java, Oracle Java, Kotlin LSP, …).
Features
Code-vision hints at the end of each declaration — like in IntelliJ:
| Hint |
Meaning |
2 implementations |
interface / abstract method is implemented in 2 places |
3 overrides |
method is overridden in 3 subclasses |
1 inheritor |
class is extended once |
↑ EntityRepository |
method implements / overrides a method of EntityRepository |
↑ BaseDao +2 |
… and 2 more ancestors up the hierarchy |
⌘ + Click (macOS) / Ctrl + Click (Windows, Linux) on a hint:
one target → jump straight there; several targets → a picker like IntelliJ's "Choose Implementation".
Hover a method or type name → popup with clickable links to all targets.
Whole hierarchy: walks up through superclasses and super-interfaces, matching overloads by parameter types.
Keyboard commands for IntelliJ's Go to Implementation (Ctrl+Alt+B) and Go to Super Method (Ctrl+U) — see below.
Optional CodeLens (plain click instead of ⌘/Ctrl + Click) and optional line-number click.
Lightweight: only asks the language server via VS Code's standard APIs, caches per file version
and refreshes after edits and saves.
Requirements
- VS Code 1.85 or newer (or a compatible editor such as Cursor or Windsurf).
- A Java and/or Kotlin language server extension, for example:
Hints appear as soon as the language server has finished indexing.
Usage
| What |
How |
| Jump to implementation / super method |
⌘/Ctrl + Click the hint at the end of the line |
| See all targets |
Hover the method or type name |
| Plain click instead |
enable intellijNav.codeLens |
| Keyboard |
run IntelliJ Nav: Go to Implementation(s) / IntelliJ Nav: Go to Super Method from the command palette or bind a key |
IntelliJ-like key bindings (add to your keybindings.json):
[
{ "key": "ctrl+alt+b", "command": "intellijNav.goToImplementations", "when": "editorTextFocus && editorLangId =~ /^(java|kotlin)$/" },
{ "key": "ctrl+u", "command": "intellijNav.goToSuper", "when": "editorTextFocus && editorLangId =~ /^(java|kotlin)$/" }
]
Settings
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
intellijNav.enabled |
true |
Turn the extension on/off |
intellijNav.languages |
["java", "kotlin"] |
Language IDs to analyse |
intellijNav.inlayHints |
true |
Show the ⌘/Ctrl + clickable hints at the end of declarations |
intellijNav.codeLens |
false |
Show the same links as CodeLens above declarations (plain click, uses an extra line) |
intellijNav.clickLineNumber |
false |
Clicking the line number of a declaration navigates instead of selecting the line |
intellijNav.showOnTypes |
true |
Also show hints on class / interface declarations |
intellijNav.refreshDelay |
1000 |
Milliseconds after an edit before hints are recomputed |
intellijNav.maxConcurrentRequests |
4 |
Parallel language-server requests per file |
Commands
| Command |
ID |
| IntelliJ Nav: Go to Implementation(s) / Overriding Members |
intellijNav.goToImplementations |
| IntelliJ Nav: Go to Super Method / Interface |
intellijNav.goToSuper |
| IntelliJ Nav: Refresh Navigation Hints |
intellijNav.refresh |
How it works
For every Java/Kotlin file in a visible editor the extension asks the active language server:
- Document symbols → classes, interfaces and their methods.
- ↓ Subtypes: one Go to Implementation request per type. Overriding methods are then found by
matching signatures in those subtypes — a class without subtypes costs no further requests at all.
(If a subtype can't be inspected, or an abstract method finds no match, the extension falls back to
asking the server per method.)
- ↑ Supertypes via the type hierarchy API — or, if the server doesn't support it, by resolving the
extends / implements (Kotlin :) clause with Go to Definition. Super methods are matched by name
and parameter types (generic type variables such as T match any type, Kotlin Any/Int/… match
Java Object/int/…).
Results for other files are cached and only invalidated when those files change, so re-analysing the file
you are typing in is almost free. Members closest to what's on screen are analysed first and hints appear
progressively. Kotlin classes and members that are final by default are skipped.
Everything goes through VS Code's public provider commands, so no language server is bundled and
nothing leaves your machine. Timing information is written to the IntelliJ Java/Kotlin Navigation output channel.
Known limitations
- VS Code only runs inlay-hint links on ⌘/Ctrl + Click; use
intellijNav.codeLens for a plain click.
- VS Code doesn't allow extensions to react to clicks on gutter icons, which is why there is no IntelliJ-style gutter icon.
- Supertypes from libraries (e.g.
HibernateDaoSupport) are only matched when the language server can open their (decompiled) sources.
- Overloads are matched by simple type names; exotic generic overloads can occasionally be ambiguous.
Contributing
npm install
npm test # unit tests (plain Node)
npm run test:integration # runs the extension in a real VS Code with a mock Java/Kotlin language server
npm run test:perf # benchmark on a generated large hierarchy (request counts + timings)
npm run package # builds the .vsix
Press F5 in VS Code to start an Extension Development Host with the extension loaded.
scripts/record-demo.js re-records the demo GIF.
Releases are built by GitHub Actions — see RELEASING.md.
License
MIT © Andreas Huth
IntelliJ IDEA is a trademark of JetBrains s.r.o. This extension is not affiliated with or endorsed by JetBrains.
