Theia AI Sneak Preview: Powerful AI integration paired with the most flexible tool platform

Do you want to integrate AI assistance into a custom tool? Are you looking for a platform that is flexible enough to support building a custom AI-augmented tool or IDE without restrictions, tailored to your individual domain and requirements, beyond “just” code editing? In this article, we offer a sneak preview of Theia AI:, a framework for building AI-powered tools and IDEs, as part of the Theia platform. Theia AI is seamlessly integrated into the Theia platform, an open, flexible, and extensible framework designed for efficiently developing and delivering Cloud & Desktop IDEs and tools using modern web technologies. This powerful combination allows tool builders to create specialized solutions without limitations, all while maintaining strategic independence from any single vendor.

Theia AI is an open and flexible technology that enables developers and companies to build tailored AI-enhanced custom tools and IDEs. Theia AI significantly simplifies this task by taking care of base features such as LLM access, a customizable chat view, prompt templating and much more, and lets tool developers focus on engineering prompts for their use cases and integrate them seamlessly in Theia’s editors and views, as well as in the tool provider’s custom editors and views. Theia AI is part of the Theia Platform and is ready to be adopted by tool builders wanting to be in full control over their AI solutions. Learn more about the vision of Theia AI.

Theia IDE is a modern and open IDE built on the Theia platform. With version 1.54 Theia IDE will integrate experimental AI support based on Theia AI to showcase AI-powered functionalities in a highly customizable, transparent and open setting. Learn more about the Theia IDE.

Let’s look at three main advantages of the Theia platform in the context of Theia AI.

Full Extensibility - Full Access

The Eclipse Theia platform offers two powerful extension mechanisms. First, it supports VS Code extensions, which allow for runtime extensibility and provide access to a vast ecosystem of extensions. However, Theia’s true strength lies in its own extension model, offering tool builders full access to both the core and UI. Unlike other platforms that require you to fork the platform code for deeper customizations, Theia empowers tool builders to customize and replace any aspect by providing direct access to its core through extensions. This architecture eliminates the need for forking, reducing unnecessary maintenance costs while offering developers unmatched flexibility to modify, extend, or even remove core features without limitations. In the screenshot below, you can see how the Theia IDE (built on Theia AI and the Theia platform) integrates an AI agent seamlessly with the terminal view. These types of integrations are easily achievable in Theia without modifying the existing platform. Additionally, tool builders can access any API to retrieve required data or conduct desired actions.

Flexible Workbench

The Theia platform does not restrict how tool builders design their workbench, making it an ideal solution not just for code editors but also for domain-specific tools. It is equally suitable for emerging environments like low-code platforms, which are gaining popularity with the rise of AI. Theia allows full customization of the workbench: developers can remove existing UI elements, add new ones, or entirely reconfigure the layout. For example, you can add a custom toolbar or detach Theia AI’s default chat from the main window to save screen space (see screenshot below). This flexibility provides an ideal environment for creating innovative, tailored and highly usable AI-driven tools. As an example, an AI-powered, domain-specific modeling tool or data analytics platform could feature custom AI-driven recommendations, offering users contextual insights within their specialized workflows.

Open Governance

One of the most significant advantages of Theia is its open governance model. Unlike other platforms that are tightly controlled by a single vendor, Theia is developed and managed under the Eclipse Foundation’s open governance model. This ensures that no single company has undue control over the direction of the project. Open governance not only ensures independence but also fosters a collaborative, innovative ecosystem where no single entity holds a monopoly on decision-making. This structure accelerates the development of new features and allows the community to quickly address emerging needs, such as the recent addition of Ollama for LLM connectivity, contributed even before Theia AI was officially released. With Theia and Theia AI, you don’t just use the platform—you help shape it.

With this article, we conclude our series of sneak previews, see also:

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Theia AI and the AI integration in the Theia IDE will be available with the upcoming 1.54 release, so stay tuned and follow us on Twitter. If you want to sponsor the project or use Theia AI to create your own AI solution, please get in contact with us. In particular, we are also looking for LLM providers who want to make their language models available via Theia AI.

EclipseSource is at the forefront of technological innovation, ready to guide and support your AI initiatives based on Theia AI or any other technology. Our comprehensive AI integration services provide the specialized know-how necessary to develop customized, AI-enhanced solutions that elevate your tools and IDEs. Explore how we can assist in integrating AI into your tools with our AI technology services. Reach out to begin your AI integration project with us.