Rainbow Brackets for IntelliJ: What the Free Version Colors and What Sits Behind Premium

The problem Rainbow Brackets solves in nested IntelliJ code

In a deeply nested Java or Scala file, a closing brace at column zero tells you almost nothing. You count outward to find its partner, or you lean on the IDE's bracket matching, which only highlights one pair at a time and only while the caret sits next to a bracket. Rainbow Brackets assigns a different color to each nesting level, so the structure is visible without moving the cursor. The README describes this as rainbowify brackets, and the same idea extends to indent guides and to the block the caret is currently inside.

The audience is narrow but real. The features matrix lists Java, Scala, Kotlin, Python, JavaScript and TypeScript, HTML and XML, Vue.js, C#, F# and C++, with per-language features on top: JSX support for JavaScript and TypeScript, function literal braces and arrow highlighting for Kotlin, keyword highlighting for Python, tag name highlighting for HTML and XML. If you write one of those languages inside an IntelliJ-based IDE, Android Studio, HUAWEI DevEco Studio or Fleet, the plugin is aimed at you. If you write Go in a terminal editor, nothing here applies.

How the plugin colors brackets, indents and scopes

The repository is a Gradle Kotlin project: build.gradle.kts, gradle.properties, a gradle wrapper and src/ at the top level, with .java-version pinning the JDK. The README links a config file path section, which is how the plugin stores its settings outside the normal IDE settings tree. That is the mechanism to know about: the plugin is a platform plugin that reads language syntax trees and repaints bracket tokens, indent guide lines and scope backgrounds, rather than a standalone analyzer.

Scope highlighting and indent guideline highlighting are the two features that go beyond brackets, and the README splits both into a free part and premium options. The matrix marks Python indent guidelines and Python scope highlighting as Premium, HTML/XML and Vue.js scope highlighting as Premium, and C# rainbowify, C# scope highlighting, C# rainbowify variables, F# support and C++ #if/#ifdef macros as Premium. Premium is not a separate build: it is a licence that gates options inside the installed plugin, which is why the free and paid features share one settings page.

Installing Rainbow Brackets in IntelliJ or Android Studio

The README points at the JetBrains Marketplace page for the plugin, and the repository also carries an embeddable install badge. The in-IDE route is the one most people take, and it needs no repository clone.

Open Settings, then Plugins, search the Marketplace for Rainbow Brackets, and install. In recent IDE versions the Plugins page is under the Settings entry in the main menu. Restart the IDE when prompted.

If you prefer the command line, the JetBrains Toolbox and the plugin manager accept a plugin ID. The Marketplace listing gives the ID as 10080, and the README's install badge embeds the same number, so a scripted install refers to that ID rather than to a plugin name.

# the plugin ID used by the JetBrains Marketplace listing
10080

After the restart, open a Java or Kotlin file with nested braces. Matching pairs should render in different colors per level. To change what is colored, open Settings and look for the Rainbow Brackets page; that page is where the free and premium options live, and it is the fastest way to see which ones your licence enables. The README also documents a separate config file path section, which matters if you sync IDE settings across machines, because settings written outside the normal tree may not travel with your usual sync.

Where Rainbow Brackets gets in the way, and when to skip it

Color is not free. Every nesting level adds another color to the file, and on code with six or seven levels the result competes with syntax highlighting and with diff view. The plugin does not decide for you which levels deserve color; the settings page does, and a team that never touches it inherits whatever the defaults are.

The harder limitation is the free and premium split. The features matrix is explicit that Python indent guidelines, Python scope highlighting, C# rainbowify, C# rainbowify variables, F# support, C++ #if/#ifdef macros, and bracket coloring for the C++ (CLion Nova/Rider/IntelliJ 2025.3+) column are Premium. A reader who installs the plugin expecting the full matrix will find a subset. The README does not document what happens to premium options after a licence lapses, and it does not document rollback if an update breaks rendering, so treat those as unknowns rather than assumptions.

There is also a maintenance question worth naming. The most recent release listed is 6.26, dated 2022-09-13. The last push to the repository was on 2026-06-01, so the source tree is being touched, but the release history and the source activity do not line up, and the README does not explain the gap. If your IDE build is newer than the compatibility list covers, verify before relying on it.

Rainbow Brackets Lite and the alternatives to it

The README has a section called Rainbow Brackets Lite, which is the project's own lighter option. That is the first alternative to consider, because it comes from the same repository and the README treats it as a distinct choice rather than a footnote.

Outside the project, the honest comparison is with what your editor already ships. IntelliJ-based IDEs have built-in bracket matching and, in recent versions, indent guides; those highlight one pair or draw one line, while Rainbow Brackets colors every level at once. The trade is control versus noise, and for flat code the built-in behavior is often enough.

Editors outside the JetBrains family solve the same problem differently. VS Code has its own bracket colorization settings and a separate ecosystem of extensions; Zed has its own bracket colorization. Rainbow Brackets is not a cross-editor tool and the README does not claim to be one, so if your team is split between JetBrains IDEs and VS Code, you will be configuring two different mechanisms. The plugin's value is concentrated where the whole team is already inside an IntelliJ-based IDE.

Licence, upgrade cost and what the repository actually tells you

The repository's licence field is NOASSERTION, and the top level carries a LICENSE file. That combination means the repository's own metadata does not state a recognized SPDX identifier; read the LICENSE file yourself rather than inferring terms from the GitHub label. The plugin is also distributed through the JetBrains Marketplace, which has its own terms for plugin distribution and for the premium options the features matrix describes. Nothing in the README explains how the premium licence is purchased or what it costs, so that is a question for the Marketplace listing, not for this article.

Upgrade cost is mostly IDE-driven. The default branch is named 2022.3, which matches an IDE release cycle, and the compatibility section is where supported builds are listed. When you move to a newer IDE, the plugin has to be compatible with that platform version; the C++ row in the matrix already distinguishes CLion Classic and Android Studio from CLion Nova, Rider and IntelliJ 2025.3+, which is a sign that platform changes do reach this plugin. Budget for rechecking your settings after a major IDE upgrade, because the config file path is documented separately and settings that live outside the normal tree are the ones most likely to need attention.

Editorial conclusion

Adopt it if you read deeply nested Java, Kotlin, Scala or TypeScript in an IntelliJ-based IDE and want bracket pairs and indent guides colored without leaving the editor. Do not adopt it expecting a free plugin: the features matrix marks Python indent and scope highlighting, C# rainbowify, F# support and CLion Nova or Rider bracket coloring as Premium, so check that column first. Before installing, confirm your IDE build is covered by the compatibility list and open Settings | Rainbow Brackets to see which options your licence actually enables.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

1. Issues
2. izhangzhihao/intellij-rainbow-brackets on GitHub
3. Project website
4. README
5. Releases