Substitute QtCreator 20 — a new version of the IDE for developing applications on Qt, C++, QML and related technologies. official announcement Qt Company cites support for AI coding agents, a new Zen Mode, support for the GN build system, and a set of improvements for CMake, QML, as key innovations. Android, iOS and remote development under Linux.
The main change in the release is the integration with AI agents through ACP ClientThe new component adds a chat panel to Qt Creator with agents that can understand the codebase and perform actions on behalf of the developer: analyze code, edit files, run commands, and initiate builds. The integration is built on Agent Client Protocol, and ready-made connection templates are taken from the public ACP Registry. Supported configurations mentioned in the announcement include Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, and GitHub Copilot.
Major changes in Qt Creator 20
Support for AI agents via ACP Client.
The IDE now features a chat panel for connecting AI agents via the Agent Client Protocol. These agents can not only answer project-related questions but also perform actions, such as editing files and running commands and builds. Connections are configured through the Extensions mode, and agent parameters can be configured manually or selected from predefined templates.MCP Server extension.
Qt Creator 20 Enhances Support Model Context ProtocolMCP Server now provides external AI tools with more information about the IDE state and allows for additional operations. list of changes (The source code is not yet synchronized on GitHub.) New tools for running commands, working with VCS, viewing open files, managing breakpoints, getting the debugger stack, and searching for actions in the IDE are listed. A settings page has also been added. AI > MCP Servers and CORS support for connections from web applications.Zen Mode for distraction-free work.
New Regime Zen Mode adds an item Tools > Zen Mode > Toggle Distraction Free Mode and individual buttons in the interface. Its purpose is to remove unnecessary elements and keep the code editor in focus. The mode is enabled as an extension.Updating C++ tools.
Clangd for C++ code model has been updated to LLVM 22.1.2, and pre-built Clangd binaries now ship with PGO optimizations on all platforms. The ability to use an external compilation database instead of the one automatically generated by Qt Creator has also been added, along with support for preprocessor branch folding, C++-style block comments, and #pragma regions. Support for std::size_t literals and C++23 preprocessor directives is specifically noted in the changelog.QML improvements.
QML now uses semantic highlighting from qmlls by default. Additionally, the context menu displays refactoring actions available through the QML language server. This should make working with QML more similar to how the IDE handles C++ code.Support for GN projects.
Qt Creator 20 adds a project management extension GN / Generate NinjaAfter enabling the extension, the IDE can open and work with GN projects directly. This is important for projects that use GN as the primary assembly description system.CMake Presets improvements.
Qt Creator now tracks changes in CMake Presets, supports new vendor presets (qt and compiler), and kits created for presets are marked as temporary and project-specific. Support for the CONAN_HOST_PROFILE and CONAN_BUILD_PROFILE variables has been added for Conan integration.Changes in project and environment management.
Project settings now support retrieving environment variables from a text file or shell script. Parsing of file:// links in build output has also been added, and a performance issue has been fixed. Application Output.New Remote Debugger.
Added launch configuration type Remote Debugger, close in purpose to the script Debug > Start Debugging > Attach to Running Debug ServerThis makes it easier to restart and switch between different remote debugging configurations.Improvements to version control systems.
VCS actions are now available in more places in the interface, including Open Documents and editors. File status is now displayed in the properties dialog, diff handling has been improved, and untracked files have been marked. A warning has been added for Git submit editor about situations that could lead to the loss of previously prepared changes, and the dialog Continue Rebase It is now more difficult to accidentally use for destructive operations.Improvements Android-developments.
Editor Android Manifest is divided into separate interfaces for icons, splash screen, and permissions. In the menu Tools> Android separate editors appeared Icon Editor, Splashscreen Editor и Permissions Editor.iOS and Remote Control Improvements Linux-developments.
For iOS, limited access to the device's file system has been added from File System view, Locator, and remote file dialogs, including the crash reports directory and developer app directories. For Remote Linux Qt Creator now automatically connects to the target system before deploying and running the application.Improvements to the overall interface.
All search results are now highlighted in text views. Menu item File > Open File or Project divided into separate Open File и Open project, while the old action is saved and can be assigned to a hotkey.
Qt Creator 20 is available as an update via Qt Online InstallerThe announcement also stated that commercial offline installers are available through the Qt Account Portal, and open source builds are available on downloads page Qty
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Source: linux.org.ru
