IBM Bob
Bob the AI coding assistant
IBM Bob

Welcome to IBM Bob:

Your AI-Powered Development Partner

Hi, I'm Bob! I'm here to work right alongside you in your codebase, and help you build quality software faster.

What I can build with you

Build with Agentic Modes

Modes help define my purpose and assign a role for me to fill. Choose how you'd like me to contribute, and I'll grab the right tool from my belt. Need something more specialized? Create custom modes that align with your unique requirements to deliver consistent, high-quality results.

Build with agentic modes interface showing mode selection

Develop in Your Favorite Human Language

With Literate Coding, forget context-switching between chat windows and your editor. Explain what you want in natural language and I will generate the implementation in context.

Get Real-Time Code Reviews

I scan your code as you work, catching complexity issues and refactoring opportunities before they become problems. You can choose to address them inline with one click or review them later in the Bob Findings panel. Write great code faster without adding technical debt.

Use AI in Your Entire Pipeline

I'm not confined to your IDE. With Bob Shell, I bring the same powerful capabilities to your terminal. I can work alongside you at every stage of development—from your local environment straight through to production.

Access IBM's Enterprise Ecosystem with Ease

Connect to HashiCorp, Red Hat, Instana, and more—directly from your IDE. I eliminate context switching and deliver enterprise-grade architecture, security, and monitoring right where you code.

Access enterprise ecosystem interface showing integrations

What developers say

  • Bob demonstrated a level of intelligence and contextual understanding that goes beyond anything I've seen in other tools. Bob goes beyond anything I've seen in other tools.

    LF
    Luis Fabricio de LlamasSr. Java Developer & Developer Advocate, Act Digital

  • M.R. Williams is advancing its IBM i modernization strategy with new mobile solutions and accounting system improvements, while leveraging IBM Bob to quickly interpret older RPG code, automate documentation, and streamline development workflows.

    JK
    Jasmine KaczmarekVP of Technology, M.R. Willians

  • The tool works very well and captures the modernization intent. Bob is the first tool of its kind to treat Java as a first-class citizen

    AS
    Artur SkowronskiHead of Java & Kotlin Engineering, VirtusLab

  • IBM Bob had a solid understanding of IoT development, including peripheral chips and devices, and was able to generate everything seamlessly from physical connections through to code. Bib is a highly reliable partner.

    SS
    Shintaro ShibuyaCEO, TechMind Inc.

  • IBM Bob isn't just another autocomplete tool. It is an AI-first development partner designed to transform the entire software lifecycle. Think of it as moving from 'help me code' to 'help me modernize, secure, and scale.'

    CA
    Christina AdamesAI Strategist, CDW

  • We leveraged BOB to modernise Java codebase from Java 11 to Java 25 and achieved an estimated ~90% faster delivery — 3 days vs. ~30+ days via a typical approach. The outcome was genuinely impressive and has opened multiple use cases for Blue Pearl to incorporate IBM BOB across our internal platforms as well as client engagements.

    SG
    Sai GovenderCEO, Blue Pearl

  • Early results are very promising: in under 15 minutes, I had a small FPS-style prototype up and running while walking my son through what Bob can do. That combination of speed and explainability is exactly what I'm looking for in an AI coding companion.

    RM
    Reshad MoussaDirector of Product Development, Supplier Shield

  • We use Bob for IBM i development, and one of its biggest strengths is its strong support for RPG and COBOL. Even with minimal instructions, it consistently gives spot-on answers, almost as if it can read between the lines.

    TS
    Takeshi SugataDirector, MONO-X Inc.

  • Project Bob isn't just another AI assistant. It's an agentic AI development partner built for large organizations tackling complex challenges — like modernizing legacy systems, ensuring compliance (HIPAA, FedRAMP), or scaling secure software delivery.

    HB
    Hans BoefManager Technical Consultants and Support, Novadoc

  • Project Bob sounds so wonderfully innocent but it is incredibly powerful. 3 prompts. That's all it took to build a production-ready MCP server. Project Bob blew my expectations out of the water. Bob delivers the kind of work you'd expect from an experienced developer who actually thinks about the full picture.

    WW
    Wesley WienenTechnical Presale Engineer, Appsys ICT Group

  • Bob has built-in guardrails. It operates in different modes, allowing you to approve its suggestions before any changes are made to your source code. If you ask it about a non-existent RPG op-code, it won't "hallucinate" an answer; it will simply state that it doesn't understand. This controlled, predictable behavior is crucial for enterprise development.

    SC
    Steve CastPractice Director, Fresche Solutions

  • We built an application that processes video frames in parallel using OCR. By working closely with Bob, we were able to move smoothly from design to environment setup and deployment, resulting in significant improvements in both implementation accuracy and development speed.

    SM
    Shigehiro MouriGeneral Manager, System Research

  • When IBM Bob is given an RPG program, Bob is able to help us modernize it into our new java architecture quickly. IBM Bob reads and understands RPG code very well and was great for validating logic rewrites that have been done on multiple programs. It also adapted to our Java code architecture well, using predefined internal libraries and database connections.

    JD
    Joe DonofrioDirector of IT, Wolff Bros

  • We load all the course materials into Project Bob and work together to identify where students are likely to get stuck. It supports them throughout the process, from understanding the context to polishing their writing, which reduces back and forth and saves a lot of time.

    SU
    Shigeru UedaManager, Chukyo TV Broadcasting Company

  • Bob demonstrated a level of intelligence and contextual understanding that goes beyond anything I've seen in other tools. Bob goes beyond anything I've seen in other tools.

    LF
    Luis Fabricio de LlamasSr. Java Developer & Developer Advocate, Act Digital

  • M.R. Williams is advancing its IBM i modernization strategy with new mobile solutions and accounting system improvements, while leveraging IBM Bob to quickly interpret older RPG code, automate documentation, and streamline development workflows.

    JK
    Jasmine KaczmarekVP of Technology, M.R. Willians

  • The tool works very well and captures the modernization intent. Bob is the first tool of its kind to treat Java as a first-class citizen

    AS
    Artur SkowronskiHead of Java & Kotlin Engineering, VirtusLab

  • IBM Bob had a solid understanding of IoT development, including peripheral chips and devices, and was able to generate everything seamlessly from physical connections through to code. Bib is a highly reliable partner.

    SS
    Shintaro ShibuyaCEO, TechMind Inc.

  • IBM Bob isn't just another autocomplete tool. It is an AI-first development partner designed to transform the entire software lifecycle. Think of it as moving from 'help me code' to 'help me modernize, secure, and scale.'

    CA
    Christina AdamesAI Strategist, CDW

  • We leveraged BOB to modernise Java codebase from Java 11 to Java 25 and achieved an estimated ~90% faster delivery — 3 days vs. ~30+ days via a typical approach. The outcome was genuinely impressive and has opened multiple use cases for Blue Pearl to incorporate IBM BOB across our internal platforms as well as client engagements.

    SG
    Sai GovenderCEO, Blue Pearl

  • Early results are very promising: in under 15 minutes, I had a small FPS-style prototype up and running while walking my son through what Bob can do. That combination of speed and explainability is exactly what I'm looking for in an AI coding companion.

    RM
    Reshad MoussaDirector of Product Development, Supplier Shield

  • We use Bob for IBM i development, and one of its biggest strengths is its strong support for RPG and COBOL. Even with minimal instructions, it consistently gives spot-on answers, almost as if it can read between the lines.

    TS
    Takeshi SugataDirector, MONO-X Inc.

  • Project Bob isn't just another AI assistant. It's an agentic AI development partner built for large organizations tackling complex challenges — like modernizing legacy systems, ensuring compliance (HIPAA, FedRAMP), or scaling secure software delivery.

    HB
    Hans BoefManager Technical Consultants and Support, Novadoc

  • Project Bob sounds so wonderfully innocent but it is incredibly powerful. 3 prompts. That's all it took to build a production-ready MCP server. Project Bob blew my expectations out of the water. Bob delivers the kind of work you'd expect from an experienced developer who actually thinks about the full picture.

    WW
    Wesley WienenTechnical Presale Engineer, Appsys ICT Group

  • Bob has built-in guardrails. It operates in different modes, allowing you to approve its suggestions before any changes are made to your source code. If you ask it about a non-existent RPG op-code, it won't "hallucinate" an answer; it will simply state that it doesn't understand. This controlled, predictable behavior is crucial for enterprise development.

    SC
    Steve CastPractice Director, Fresche Solutions

  • We built an application that processes video frames in parallel using OCR. By working closely with Bob, we were able to move smoothly from design to environment setup and deployment, resulting in significant improvements in both implementation accuracy and development speed.

    SM
    Shigehiro MouriGeneral Manager, System Research

  • When IBM Bob is given an RPG program, Bob is able to help us modernize it into our new java architecture quickly. IBM Bob reads and understands RPG code very well and was great for validating logic rewrites that have been done on multiple programs. It also adapted to our Java code architecture well, using predefined internal libraries and database connections.

    JD
    Joe DonofrioDirector of IT, Wolff Bros

  • We load all the course materials into Project Bob and work together to identify where students are likely to get stuck. It supports them throughout the process, from understanding the context to polishing their writing, which reduces back and forth and saves a lot of time.

    SU
    Shigeru UedaManager, Chukyo TV Broadcasting Company