# The old Search Everywhere API is deprecated: please migrate to the new API before 2027.1

**URL:** <https://platform.jetbrains.com/t/the-old-search-everywhere-api-is-deprecated-please-migrate-to-the-new-api-before-2027-1/5297>\
**Category:** Announcements\
**Tags:** api, plugin-development\
**Created:** [October 20, 2026, 7:55am UTC](https://platform.jetbrains.com/t/the-old-search-everywhere-api-is-deprecated-please-migrate-to-the-new-api-before-2027-1/5297 "2026-10-20T07:55:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![aydar.mukhametzyanov](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/platform.jetbrains.com/aydar.mukhametzyanov/32/698_2.png) [@aydar.mukhametzyanov](https://platform.jetbrains.com/u/aydar.mukhametzyanov)\
**Post date:** [October 20, 2026, 7:55am UTC](https://platform.jetbrains.com/t/the-old-search-everywhere-api-is-deprecated-please-migrate-to-the-new-api-before-2027-1/5297/1 "2026-10-20T07:55:50Z")

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The old Search Everywhere API is deprecated starting with 2026.3. We plan for the platform to stop supporting `SearchEverywhereContributor` implementations in 2027.1.

**ACTION POINT:** If you have a `SearchEverywhereContributor` implementation, please port its functionality to the new API.

For the motivation behind the new API, read the blog post: [Major Architectural Update: Introducing the New Search Everywhere API Built for Remote Development](https://blog.jetbrains.com/platform/2025/12/major-architectural-update-introducing-the-new-search-everywhere-api-built-for-remote-development/)

## What is deprecated

The old API in the `com.intellij.ide.actions.searcheverywhere` package. The main classes:

- `SearchEverywhereContributor`, `SearchEverywhereContributorFactory`, `WeightedSearchEverywhereContributor`
- `AbstractGotoSEContributor` and its subclasses, such as `ClassSearchEverywhereContributor` and `SymbolSearchEverywhereContributor`
- `SearchEverywhereManager`, `SearchEverywhereExtendedInfoProvider`, `SearchEverywherePreview`, `SearchEverywhereCommandInfo`
- The remote-support classes: `RemoteSearchEverywhereConverter`, `RemoteSearchEverywherePresentation`, and `SearchEverywhereRemoteSupportService`

## API overview

The new API keeps the search logic and the data apart from the UI. Results are serializable, so the same provider works in a local IDE and in remote development.

### Providing results

- [`SeItemsProvider`](https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/blob/master/platform/searchEverywhere/shared/src/SeItemsProvider.kt) replaces `SearchEverywhereContributor`. Implement these methods:
  - `collectItems(params: SeParams, collector: Collector)`: a suspend function. It sends each result to `collector.put(item)`. `put()` suspends when the UI needs no more items, so you get back pressure without extra code.
  - `itemSelected(item, modifiers, searchText)`: handles the selection. It returns `true` to close the popup.
  - `canBeShownInFindResults()` and, if you need it, `performExtendedAction(item)`.
  - `addDataForItem(item, sink)`, `getPsiElementForItem(item)`, `getVirtualFileForItem(item)`, and `getNavigatableForItem(item)`: these supply data for actions on the selected item.

- [`SeItemsProviderFactory`](https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/blob/master/platform/searchEverywhere/shared/src/SeItemsProviderFactory.kt) creates the provider. Register it with the `com.intellij.searchEverywhere.itemsProviderFactory` extension point. The factory `id` must be the same as the provider `id`.
- `SeItem` is one result. It gives an `SeItemPresentation`. Use `SeBasicItemPresentationBuilder` for a simple row, or `SeTargetItemPresentationBuilder` for a target-like row with an icon, a location, and a container text.

### Goto-model providers: replacing `AbstractGotoSEContributor`

If your contributor extends `AbstractGotoSEContributor` and uses a `FilteringGotoByModel` (as Classes, Symbols, and Files do), use [`SeTargetItemsProvider`](https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/blob/master/platform/searchEverywhere/shared/src/providers/target/SeTargetItemsProvider.kt) instead.

The old API used inheritance: you extended `AbstractGotoSEContributor` and overrode its methods. The new API uses composition. `SeTargetItemsProvider` is a `final` class, so you cannot extend it. Your provider implements `SeItemsProvider`, keeps an `SeTargetItemsProvider` instance, and delegates to it:

```kotlin
class MyGotoProvider private constructor(
  private val targetProvider: SeTargetItemsProvider<MyFilterValue>,
) : SeItemsProvider {
  override val id: String get() = ID
  override val displayName: @Nls String get() = MyBundle.message("search.everywhere.my.tab")

  override suspend fun collectItems(params: SeParams, collector: SeItemsProvider.Collector): Unit =
    targetProvider.collectItems(params, collector)

  override suspend fun itemSelected(item: SeItem, modifiers: Int, searchText: String): Boolean =
    targetProvider.itemSelected(item, this, modifiers, searchText)

  override suspend fun performExtendedAction(item: SeItem): Boolean =
    targetProvider.performExtendedAction(item, this)

  override fun addDataForItem(item: SeItem, sink: DataSink): Unit = targetProvider.addDataForItem(item, sink)
  override fun getPsiElementForItem(item: SeItem): PsiElement? = targetProvider.getPsiElementForItem(item)
  override fun getVirtualFileForItem(item: SeItem): VirtualFile? = targetProvider.getVirtualFileForItem(item)
  override fun getNavigatableForItem(item: SeItem): Navigatable? = targetProvider.getNavigatableForItem(item)

  override suspend fun canBeShownInFindResults(): Boolean = true

  override fun dispose() {
    Disposer.dispose(targetProvider)
  }

  companion object {
    const val ID: String = "MyGotoProvider"

    suspend fun create(project: Project, dataContext: DataContext): MyGotoProvider {
      val targetProvider = SeTargetItemsProvider.create(
        project = project,
        dataContext = dataContext,
        operationDisposable = null,
        label = ID,
        gotoModelProvider = { project, scope, hiddenTypes -> MyGotoModel(project) },
      )
      return MyGotoProvider(targetProvider)
    }
  }
}

```

`SeTargetItemsProvider.create(...)` covers the things you used to override in `AbstractGotoSEContributor`:

- `gotoModelProvider` builds your `FilteringGotoByModel` for the selected scope and the hidden filter values.
- `typeFilterProvider` gives the type filters as `PersistentSearchEverywhereContributorFilter` instances, with a name for each.
- `extendedInfoCalculator` (`SeExtendedInfoCalculator`) computes the footer info. The default reads it from the PSI element.
- `isFileProvider`, `acceptsBlankQuery`, `supportsScopes`, and `scopesProvider` (`SeTargetScopesProvider`) control files, empty queries, and scopes.

The provider also gives you highlighting of the matched text, exact-match marking, previews (`getPreviewInfo`), and multi-selection. You do not write this code yourself.

### Optional features

- `SeExtendedInfoProvider` replaces `SearchEverywhereExtendedInfoProvider` for the footer.
- `SeItemsPreviewProvider` and `SePreviewInfoFactory` replace `SearchEverywherePreview`.
- `SeCommandsProviderInterface` and `SeCommandInfoFactory` replace `SearchEverywhereCommandInfo`.

### Tabs

- [`SeTab`](https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/blob/master/platform/searchEverywhere/frontend/src/SeTab.kt) and [`SeTabFactory`](https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community/blob/master/platform/searchEverywhere/frontend/src/SeTabFactory.kt) define a separate tab in the popup. Register the factory with the `com.intellij.searchEverywhere.tabFactory` extension point. Tabs exist only on the frontend. For a standard tab, start from `SeDefaultTabBase`.

## Status of the new API

The new API is marked `@ApiStatus.Experimental`. We still change it based on your feedback. If the new API has no replacement for something you use in the old API, reply in this thread. Tell us your use case and the class or method you use.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![chbndrhnns](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/platform.jetbrains.com/chbndrhnns/32/179_2.png) [@chbndrhnns](https://platform.jetbrains.com/u/chbndrhnns)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 8:07am UTC](https://platform.jetbrains.com/t/the-old-search-everywhere-api-is-deprecated-please-migrate-to-the-new-api-before-2027-1/5297/2 "2026-10-24T08:07:20Z")

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Thanks for the guide. I migrated an All-tab contributor to `SeItemsProvider`, but dedicated tabs appear blocked:

`SeTabFactory` and `SeDefaultTabBase` are experimental, yet their module, `intellij.platform.searchEverywhere.frontend`, has **internal visibility**. Without a dependency, our factory fails with `NoClassDefFoundError`; declaring it causes the platform to reject our external plugin. Reproduced on **263.6800.43**.

- Will these tab APIs become externally accessible before legacy contributor support ends in 2027.1? Which build should we target?
- Meanwhile, should plugins retain legacy contributors to preserve dedicated tabs?
- Is `SearchEverywhereManager.isShown()` still the supported popup-lifecycle query? We found no public replacement; `SeFrontendService` is internal.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![aydar.mukhametzyanov](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/platform.jetbrains.com/aydar.mukhametzyanov/32/698_2.png) [@aydar.mukhametzyanov](https://platform.jetbrains.com/u/aydar.mukhametzyanov)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2026, 8:38am UTC](https://platform.jetbrains.com/t/the-old-search-everywhere-api-is-deprecated-please-migrate-to-the-new-api-before-2027-1/5297/3 "2026-10-26T08:38:25Z")

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Hi @chbndrhnns,  
Thank you for the feedback!

> Will these tab APIs become externally accessible before legacy contributor support ends in 2027.1?

The module became internal accidentally, we will make it public as soon as possible. Most probably in 2026.3.1. Sorry about that. Ticket to follow: [IJPL-259650](https://youtrack.jetbrains.com/issue/IJPL-259650).

> Meanwhile, should plugins retain legacy contributors to preserve dedicated tabs?

Yes.

> Is SearchEverywhereManager.isShown() still the supported popup-lifecycle query?

Yes, SearchEverywhereManager.isShown() is still the way to go.