Lithe

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/17e2325b-afed-4bbb-9926-a962f777269b

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Why Lithe

Codex, Claude Code, and other AI coding tools can now handle much of the implementation work. Developers still need an IDE to understand the generated code, follow symbols, run and debug the project, and review every diff. Keeping a heavyweight development environment open for those tasks can mean several gigabytes of resident memory.

Meet Lithe

Lithe is a lightweight IntelliJ IDEA alternative built first for Java and Spring Boot developers. It keeps the core workflows for browsing, editing, navigation, search, Maven, run and debug, Git diff review, local history, and databases.

The Lithe application typically uses about 300–400 MB of baseline memory after opening a regular project. Language servers, terminals, build tools, and debuggers start on demand. Actual usage varies with the project and active services.

AI writes the code. Lithe helps you understand it, run it, and review it.

If macOS says it cannot open Lithe.app

If macOS says that Apple cannot verify whether Lithe.app contains malware, the manually downloaded package may not yet be notarized by Apple. First confirm that the app came from the trusted GitHub Releases, then use one of these methods:

1. In Applications, Control-click Lithe.app, choose Open, and choose Open again in the confirmation dialog.

2. If macOS still blocks it, open System Settings > Privacy & Security, click Open Anyway next to the security warning, and launch the app again.

3. You can also remove the quarantine attribute in Terminal:

   sudo xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Lithe.app
   

Only use these steps for an app whose source you trust. Homebrew installations usually do not require manual quarantine removal.

Core features

1. Built for Spring Boot projects and Java development.
2. Maven management, breakpoint debugging, and custom run configurations.
3. Git management and side-by-side diff review.
4. Double-Shift search and Command + Shift + F project-wide search.
5. Process-free lightweight completion and current-file navigation, with on-demand language servers for richer completion, hover, and semantic navigation.
6. Local snapshot history.
7. Multiple projects open within the app.
8. Multiple files open independently in the same window.
9. AI-generated commit messages with customizable formats.
10. Rich Markdown rendering consistent with Yuque syntax.
11. Local application memory usage monitoring.
12. One-command installation and updates through Homebrew.
13. One-click in-app updates and installation.
14. Automatic project entry-point detection with one-click run support for Spring Boot, Java, Maven, Gradle, npm, Cargo, Go, Python, Make, Docker Compose, Procfile, and shell projects.
15. Per-language service switches so language servers can be enabled or disabled independently to match the machine's resources.
16. Multi-line editor tabs for keeping more files visible in the same workspace.
17. Database connections as a community plugin (currently macOS only), installed from Lithe Store in the Plugin Marketplace: multiple database types, connection management, SQL history, table browsing, and database operations.
18. Ongoing bug fixes and user experience improvements.

Product tour

Screenshots show the macOS app with Chinese annotations. Click an image to view it at full resolution.

Git, diffs, and worktrees

Switch projects in one window, review diffs, prepare commits, and inspect and manage Git worktrees.

Search Everywhere and Markdown preview

Double-Shift searches files, symbols, and actions. Edit Markdown alongside its preview and navigate with the table of contents.

Git history and branches

Browse Git history with a branch list, commit graph, filters, and changed files.

HTML preview and run services

Edit HTML alongside its preview and browse project entry points and service configurations in the Run panel.

Plugin management and native debugging

Manage language, build, and debugger plugins. The screenshot also shows LLDB disassembly and registers.

AI chat and context

Chat with an agent in the editor area, expand command output, and inspect context usage, file changes, and session statistics.

Agent resources and MCP configuration

Manage agent instructions, skills, hooks, and MCP configuration, and inspect runtime and token usage in chat.

Download and install

• macOS 13+: Download the arm64 DMG for Apple silicon or the x86_64 DMG for Intel Macs from GitHub Releases.
• Windows x64: Download the Windows .exe installer from GitHub Releases.

Homebrew is the recommended installation and update method on macOS:

brew tap lithe-idea/lithe https://github.com/Lithe-IDEA/Lithe-IDEA.git
brew install --cask lithe-idea/lithe/lithe
brew upgrade --cask lithe

Architecture Overview

macOS is the current reference product. Windows is an independent React/Tauri implementation. Both products share deterministic commands and contracts through Rust Core while keeping native UI and platform integrations separate.

flowchart LR
    subgraph macOS["macOS"]
        MacViews["SwiftUI / AppKit Views"] --> MacModel["AppModel and UI models"]
        MacModel --> MacFeatures["Application feature models"]
        MacFeatures --> MacServices["AppServices and Swift services"]
        MacServices --> MacRust["Typed Rust operations"]
        MacServices --> MacPorts["Platform ports"]
        MacPorts --> MacAdapters["macOS adapters"]
    end

    subgraph Shared["Shared behavior"]
        Editor["Shared Monaco editor"]
        Contracts["JSON contracts and fixtures"] --> Core["Rust lithe-core"]
    end

    subgraph Windows["Windows"]
        WinUI["React workbench and feature state"] --> WinBoundary["src/platform/tauri-core.ts"]
        WinBoundary --> Tauri["Tauri composition root and Windows adapters"]
    end

    Editor -.-> MacViews
    Editor -.-> WinUI
    MacRust -->|"JSON C ABI"| Core
    Tauri -->|"Rust crate"| Core

Development and CI use Swift 6.3.3, pinned in .swift-version, with Xcode 26.6. Running the complete test suite requires Xcode; basic SwiftPM builds only need matching Command Line Tools. Developers using Xcode 27 may also build locally; the macOS 27 SDK compatibility path is detected by the build scripts. Package.swift keeps its Swift 6.2 manifest API minimum; this does not select the compiler version.

Run the development build from the repository root:

./scripts/macos/build/preview.sh

The script builds and links Rust Core before launching the macOS app. To validate only the Swift source, run:

swift run --disable-sandbox Lithe

Build an app bundle:

./scripts/macos/package/package-app.sh
open dist/Lithe.app

Before submitting a change, run:

./scripts/macos/test/test-macos.sh
./scripts/macos/perf/test-git-performance-baseline.sh
./scripts/architecture/verify-core.sh
./scripts/git-graph/verify-git-graph.sh
./scripts/architecture/verify-service-boundaries.sh
./scripts/architecture/verify-shared-contracts.sh
./scripts/windows/verify/verify-windows-boundaries.sh
./scripts/rust-core/verify-rust-core.sh

scripts/macos/perf/test-git-performance-baseline.sh runs deterministic Git graph work gates and records an optimized multi-sample timing baseline under .artifacts/.

See Repository ownership and sharing boundaries for directory ownership, cross-platform boundaries, sharing rules, and the required Rust Core comment standard. Include your verification steps and known limitations when submitting a change.

Project support

❤️ Sponsors

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☕ Support Lithe

If Lithe is useful to you, you are welcome to buy the project a cup of coffee. Every contribution will be put back into Lithe's continued development and maintenance.

⭐ Special thanks

Contributors

Thank you to everyone who contributes to and improves Lithe.

License

Lithe is licensed under the Apache License 2.0.

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