Working with Registry

Guidelines for using the IntelliJ Registry API.

Documentation

• Defining Registry Keys: Registry.md - How to declare keys in plugin.xml or registry.properties
• Cloud Registry: Cloud Registry and Notifications.md - Remote registry updates for JetBrains IDEs

Quick Reference

Defining a Registry Key

Always prefer declaring in plugin.xml (not registry.properties):

<registryKey key="my.feature.enabled"
             defaultValue="true"
             description="Enables my feature"
             restartRequired="false"/>

To override in a dependent plugin:

<registryKey key="my.feature.enabled"
             defaultValue="false"
             description="Enables my feature"
             restartRequired="false"
             overrides="true"/>

Accessing the Registry

In suspending code:

val isEnabled = RegistryManager.getInstanceAsync().get("my.key")

In blocking code:

val isEnabled = RegistryManager.getInstance().get("my.key")

Access via Registry.get() or Registry.is() is effectively deprecated, since it might cause problems during early IDE startup. Always prefer the RegistryManager when possible.

Early Startup: Registry.is() with Default Value

When code may run before COMPONENTS_LOADED state (e.g., during EULA dialog, splash screen), you MUST use Registry.is(key, defaultValue) with an explicit default:

// Required for early startup code
Registry.`is`("my.key", false)  // default must match registry.properties

How to find the default value:

1. Search in community/platform/util/resources/misc/registry.properties
2. Or check the <registryKey> declaration in plugin.xml

Why: Registry.is(key) without default throws an exception if called before LoadingState.COMPONENTS_LOADED. The safe overload returns the provided default when Registry is not yet initialized.

Override via Command Line

For testing or run configurations:

-Dmy.registry.key=value

Registry in Tests

Use @RegistryKey annotation instead of Registry.get().setValue():

@Test
@RegistryKey(key = "my.registry.key", value = "true")
fun testWithRegistryEnabled() { ... }

See writing-tests.md for more test patterns.