Introducing the IBM Bob Premium Package for Z private preview

We are excited to introduce IBM Bob Premium Package for Z, which integrates and enhances the capabilities of IBM watsonx Code Assistant for Z to deliver advanced features for enterprise-scale mainframe applications. IBM Bob Premium Package for Z is currently available in private preview. 

Modern developers expect a cutting-edge, agentic integrated development environment (IDE) experience and teams working on IBM Z applications can experience that with IBM Bob.

IBM Bob is an AI-powered development tool for enterprise developers that can plan, execute, validate and govern multi-step modernization tasks across the software development lifecycle (SDLC). It brings AI together with agentic orchestration to actively drive complex development workflows directly within the IDE.

Built on IBM Bob, the Premium Package for Z brings deep IBM Z domain language and middleware expertise directly into the IBM Bob experience. It adds Z-specific context, advanced analysis tooling and enterprise-aware intelligence that can provide the platform insights for mainframe application development. Delivered through an integrated IDE, it supports editing, linting and debugging for z/OS applications while leveraging rich contextual signals such as application metadata, language and middleware awareness and platform‑specific tooling. Together, these capabilities can drive application‑wide visibility, comprehensive documentation, code understanding and standards‑aligned assistance designed for the scale and complexity of enterprise IBM Z environments.

The experience is delivered through purpose-built mainframe modes within Bob that align with how enterprise teams design, evolve and modernize Z applications:

Z Architect mode enables system‑level reasoning across mainframe applications—helping teams understand application structure, dependencies, business intent and change impact before updates are made. By combining rich application metadata with multi‑model intelligence, it can deliver context‑aware, enterprise‑wide insights that can drive developer productivity, support confident planning and drive architectural decisions aligned to business value.

Z Code mode performs complex, time‑intensive development tasks by leveraging intelligent partners and automated workflows to drive fast and efficient outcomes. It generates, refactors and transforms standards‑aligned code using Z‑aware context, then helps optimize, debug and improve quality through prioritized insights and automated issue resolution, helping to reduce technical debt, risk and time to delivery.

A no-cost, private technical preview of the IBM Bob Premium Package for Z is now available. Clients can request access by completing the steps below. Once accepted, clients will receive a confirmation email with access to the required extensions.

1. Engage with their IBM Sales team and request access here.
2. Access the IBM Bob Premium package for Z extension. Once enrolled, clients will receive the IBM Bob Premium Package for Z extension and instructions for adding it to their environment. This will be used on top of a trial access to IBM Bob.

For more information on IBM Bob, read the announcement blog and explore the free trial to see how developers can start building quality code faster.