VS Code-style bracket pair guides for JetBrains IDEs.
Bracket Pair Guides builds a complete path around the bracket pair enclosing the caret using horizontal and vertical guide segments. It combines the active guide with nesting-level colors without recoloring variables, tags, or the surrounding scope.
- Connects the complete pair. A horizontal segment joins a single-line pair. For a multiline pair, one vertical segment connects the opening and closing arms.
- Tracks the caret. The guide follows the innermost recognized bracket pair enclosing the primary caret, not only a brace at the caret boundary.
- Indicates nesting depth. Matching opening and closing tokens share one of six repeating, customizable colors.
- Preserves syntax highlighting. Bracket colors and guides are added without recoloring variables, tags, or the surrounding scope.
In Settings | Editor | Bracket Pair Guides, you can configure:
- the six nesting colors;
- horizontal and vertical guide segments;
- guide width and opacity;
- optional border or background emphasis on the active endpoints;
- separate guide, border, and background colors;
- IntelliJ native guide-highlighting integration.
IntelliJ's built-in indent guide can appear beside the plugin's active guide. The default integration suppresses matched-brace and Current scope emphasis but leaves regular indent-guide visibility under IntelliJ's own Show indent guides setting, so a dim native line can remain visible.
- To retain matched-brace feedback, choose Hide Current scope highlighting only or Leave IntelliJ highlighting unchanged. Disabling Current scope alone does not remove matched-brace emphasis at a brace boundary.
- To hide regular indent guides globally, use IntelliJ's Settings | Editor | General | Appearance | Show indent guides setting.
See the configuration guide for the available modes, restoration behavior, and overlap notification.
Bracket Pair Guides uses the bracket rules registered by installed JetBrains language plugins, so each language is recognized according to its own syntax.
Requires IntelliJ Platform 2024.1 or newer. Support varies by IDE and language; see the complete compatibility matrix for verified products and known limitations.
Bracket Pair Guides does not collect telemetry, transmit source code, or make network requests. All analysis and settings remain inside the IDE.
Distributed under the MIT License.
Bracket Pair Guides is an independent project and is not affiliated with Microsoft. Visual Studio Code and VS Code are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.