Announcing IBM Project Bob: Your AI partner for faster, smarter software development

Designed to work the way you do, Project Bob adapts to your workflow from design to deployment. Whether you’re modernizing legacy systems or building something entirely new, Bob helps you ship quality code faster.

With agentic workflows, built-in security and enterprise-grade deployment flexibility, Bob doesn’t just automate tasks—it transforms the entire software development lifecycle. From modernization projects to new application builds, Bob makes development smarter, safer and more efficient.

Think of Bob as your AI-first IDE and pair developer: a tool that understands your intent, your codebase and your organization’s standards.

• Understands your intent: Switch into Architect Mode to scope and design complex systems or collaborate in Code Mode to move fast and iterate efficiently.
• Understands your repo: Bob reads your codebase, modernizes frameworks, refactors at scale and re-platforms with full context.
• Understands your standards: With built-in expertise for FedRAMP, HIPAA and PCI, Project Bob helps you deliver secure, production-ready code every time.

Bob goes beyond code suggestions with features designed for real-world enterprise development:

• Agentic workflows: Bob breaks down complex tasks and coordinates specialized agents across code, tests, documentation, and pipelines—ensuring improvements ripple across your entire repo.
• Inline security scanning: Built-in Semgrep scans and fix suggestions help you shift left on security without leaving your IDE. Ability to bring in quantum security and other compliance and vulnerability scans into the IDE.
• Flexible deployment: Run Bob on macOS, Windows or Linux—and deploy in your cloud to meet governance and data-residency requirements.
• CLI and literate programming: Use BobShell to create repeatable, self-documenting workflows, ideal for CI/CD pipelines and recipe-driven upgrades.

Over 6,000 IBM developers are already using Bob across modernization, security, and new-app development projects where they are seeing an average of 45% productivity gains – freeing developers from repetitive work and assisting them on complex tasks. 

Bob represents the next evolution in software engineering—helping teams modernize legacy systems, build new applications and maintain enterprise-grade standards with ease.

With today’s announcement, Bob enters preview stage, marking a major step toward operationalizing AI across the software lifecycle. The future of AI-powered coding isn’t years away—it’s already here.

Want early access? Join the waitlist to get updates and a chance to be selected for the preview.