PenstockJetBrains / Start here
Installing in JetBrains
How to put Penstock into your JetBrains IDE, and how to check that it works.
What you need
| An IDE | Any JetBrains IDE from version 2024.2, with JCEF. The editors, the check, the tool window and deployment need nothing else. The links between diagrams and Java or Kotlin code need the IDE's Java support, which IntelliJ IDEA has. |
| JCEF | The web view the editor is drawn in. The normal IDE downloads have it. If you use a custom runtime without it, see Troubleshooting. |
| The Marketplace name | Penstock, plugin id 25710. Until 2026 it was called Camunda BPMN Editor. It is the same plugin, so an old install updates in place. |
| The price | Free. Every new machine also gets 30 days of Pro. See Plans and licence. |
Install the plugin
- Open Settings | Plugins. On macOS that is Settings in the IDE menu, or press Cmd+,.
- Open the Marketplace tab and search for Penstock.
- Press Install.
- Press Restart IDE when the IDE asks.
- Open any
.bpmnfile. It opens in the diagram editor.
You can also install it from the Marketplace page in a browser. Press Install to IDE there.
What you see
- The file opens as a picture of the process, with a toolbar on top and a properties panel on the right.
- Two tabs sit at the bottom of the editor: BPMN Editor and Text. The second one is the raw XML. Both edit the same file.
- A new tool window called Penstock appears on the left. It lists every diagram, decision and form in the project.
- The licence is in the status bar: Penstock Pro trial: 30d on a new machine.
- A Penstock entry under Tools, a Penstock licence… entry there, and a page under Settings | Tools | Penstock. See Settings in the IDE.
- The first time you open the editor, a short tour of six steps points out the palette, the properties panel, Check, the tool window, Deploy and the More menu. It is shown once. To see it again, open More and choose Show the tour again.
Three builds, one plugin
Every release ships three builds from the same source, because the IDE moved its embedded browser and its test runner into separate modules in 2026.2, and one build cannot cover both. The Marketplace serves the right one for your IDE from one listing. You do nothing.
| Build | IDEs |
|---|---|
-242 | 2024.2 to 2025.1 |
-252 | 2025.2 to 2026.1 |
-262 | 2026.2 and later |
Versions are numbered by the calendar: 26.10.0 means year 26, month 10, release 0. The build has the suffix after the number, so 26.10.0-242 is the build for 2024.2 to 2025.1. The command line has the bare number. The features are the same in all three. The one difference is trust: from 2025.2 the IDE's own Trust Project decides whether a project may run a deploy hook or the command line, and on 2024.2 and 2025.1, which have no such API for plugins, Penstock asks you itself. See Settings in the IDE.
Update
The IDE updates the plugin like any other. After an update, Penstock shows one notification that names the new version. It has a What's new button that opens the changelog in an editor tab. Nothing is shown after a fresh install.
The full history is in CHANGELOG.md.
Uninstall
- Open Settings | Plugins and the Installed tab.
- Choose Penstock and press Uninstall.
- Restart the IDE.
Your diagrams are ordinary files, so they stay exactly as they are. Penstock keeps a few small files of its own on your machine. To remove them all, delete the folder ~/.penstock. Files Penstock reads and writes lists each one.
The command line is separate
The plugin does not install the penstock command. The command line needs Node.js 22.22 or later. It is installed per project, through a small script that pins the version. See Command line.
Common problems
- The editor is blank or shows only the XML.
- Check that the IDE is 2024.2 or newer and that it has JCEF. Then read Troubleshooting.
- I cannot find Penstock in the Marketplace.
- Search for "Penstock". If you still have "Camunda BPMN Editor" installed, it is the same plugin. Update it and it becomes Penstock.
- The IDE says the plugin is not compatible.
- Your IDE is older than 2024.2. Update the IDE first.
- A
.bpmnfile opens as plain XML only. - Use the tabs at the bottom of the editor to switch to BPMN Editor. If there is no such tab, the plugin is disabled. Turn it on in Settings | Plugins.