Is there an IntelliJ-Recommended Way to Enforce Explicit License Acceptance in Free Plugins?

IntelliJ Platform
1

Hi Team,

As part of a review for a plugin we’re developing, one key question came up:

How does a free IntelliJ plugin enforce explicit acceptance of a license?

From what I understand, implicit license acceptance (i.e., installing or using the plugin implies consent) is the norm for most free plugins. However, we’re exploring whether there’s a JetBrains-recommended or supported way to require explicit acceptance—such as displaying a license dialog and requiring user action (e.g., “I Accept”) before any plugin functionality is available.

Is there any official guidance or best practice on this?

  • Does the IntelliJ Platform offer native support for this kind of license enforcement?
  • If not, is it acceptable to implement a custom dialog at plugin startup for this purpose?

Any advice or direction would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

3

I think it is the best solution at the moment, as we have no such thing besides license dialog where users apply purchased licenses