Shutdown Tasks Plugin for JetBrains IDE family

This plugin executes run configurations automatically when closing a project or IDE - the mirror feature of IntelliJ's built-in "Startup Tasks".

Table of Contents

• Shutdown Tasks Plugin for JetBrains IDE family
  • Table of Contents
  • Features
    • 🚀 Automated Task Execution
    • 🎨 User-Friendly Interface
  • Installation
    • From JetBrains Marketplace (Recommended)
    • Manual Installation
    • Build from Source
  • Usage
    • Basic Setup
    • Example Configurations
      • Stop Development Server (Shell)
  • Use Cases
    • Development Workflow
    • Deployment & CI/CD
    • Resource Management
  • Screenshots
  • Configuration Files
  • Important Notes
    • When and How Tasks Execute
    • Why Full Timeout sometimes?
    • Task Execution During Shutdown
    • Best Practices
  • Troubleshooting
    • Tasks Don't Execute
    • Task Fails Silently
    • Cannot See Task Progress
  • Development
    • Requirements
    • Building
    • Project Structure
  • Contributing
  • License
  • Support
  • Acknowledgments

Features

🚀 Automated Task Execution

• Run any configured run/debug configuration when closing your project
• Tasks are executed in the order you define
• IDE waits for each task to complete
• Configurable timeout per task (1-300 seconds)
• Visual progress dialog with real-time status
• Task output may be visible in Run tool window
• Cancel anytime during execution

🎨 User-Friendly Interface

• Intuitive configuration panel in Settings → Tools → Shutdown Tasks
• Visual task list with configuration icons
• Add/Edit/Remove and Reorder tasks easily

Installation

From JetBrains Marketplace (Recommended)

1. Open Settings/Preferences → Plugins
2. Search for "Shutdown Tasks"
3. Click Install
4. Restart IDE

Manual Installation

1. Download the latest release from Releases
2. Open Settings/Preferences → Plugins
3. Click ⚙️ → Install Plugin from Disk...
4. Select the downloaded .zip file
5. Restart IDE

Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/gdw96/shutdown-tasks.git
cd shutdown-tasks
./gradlew buildPlugin

Usage

Basic Setup

1. Open Settings

   • File → Settings (Windows/Linux)
   • IntelliJ IDEA → Preferences (macOS)
   • Or press Ctrl+Alt+S / ⌘+,

2. Navigate to Shutdown Tasks

   • Tools → Shutdown Tasks

3. Add Tasks

   • Click the + button
   • Select a run configuration
   • Click OK

4. Remove Tasks

   • Select a run configuration
   • Click the - button

5. Edit Tasks

   • Select a run configuration
   • Click the 🖊 button

6. Reorder Tasks (Optional)

   • Select a run configuration
   • Use ▲ / ▼ buttons to change execution order

7. Set Timeout

   • Default: 5 seconds per task
   • Range: 1-300 seconds
   • ⚠️ Important: The IDE will wait for the total duration of the timeout for each task where it is impossible to monitor execution.

8. Apply Changes

   • Click Apply or OK

Example Configurations

Stop Development Server (Shell)

#!/bin/bash
echo "Stopping development server..."
# Your server stop command here
echo "Server stopped"
exit

Configuration:

• Type: Shell Script
• Script: stop-server.sh
• Interpreter path: /bin/bash
• Execute in the terminal: Unchecked ⚠️ Important ⚠️

Use Cases

Development Workflow

• Cleanup temporary files after each session
• Stop background services (databases, servers, containers)
• Archive logs or debug information
• Commit/Stash/Push changes automatically

Deployment & CI/CD

• Trigger builds on project close
• Update documentation automatically

Resource Management

• Close connections to remote servers
• Release file locks or temporary resources
• Stop Docker containers or VMs
• Cleanup memory-intensive processes

Screenshots

Configuration Files

Shutdown Tasks configuration is stored in .idea/workspace.xml.

Important Notes

When and How Tasks Execute

Project Closing (File → Close Project):

• ✅ Tasks executed with the progress dialog visible
• ✅ You can see and cancel execution
• ✅ The IDE waits for tasks until the timeout expires.

IDE Closing (File → Exit or close window):

• ✅ Tasks executed automatically (projects close triggers them)
• ⚠️ No progress dialog shown (IDE closes immediately)
• ⚠️ Tasks run in background during shutdown
• 💡 Tip: Use "Close Project" first if you want to monitor tasks

Recommendation:

• Use File → Close Project to see progress

Why Full Timeout sometimes?

Due to IntelliJ Platform limitations, the plugin cannot reliably detect when a task completes. Or your task may take longer than the timeout.

Therefore:

• Tasks are launched and may be visible in the Run tool window
• The progress dialog waits for the configured timeout
• After timeout, the IDE continues closing

Task Execution During Shutdown

• Tasks execute in sequential order (one after another)
• Failed tasks don't prevent subsequent tasks from running
• Task output may be visible in the Run tool window
• Errors are logged to idea.log

Best Practices

1. ✅ Keep tasks short - Users expect quick shutdown
2. ✅ Test your tasks before adding to shutdown
3. ✅ Set realistic timeouts - slightly longer than task duration
4. ✅ Handle errors gracefully in your scripts
5. ⚠️ Avoid interactive tasks - No user input during shutdown

Troubleshooting

Tasks Don't Execute

Problem: Tasks configured but nothing happens on project close.

Solutions:

• Check if tasks are enabled in Settings
• Verify run configurations still exist
• ⚠️ Please verify that the “Shell Script” (or other) tasks do not have the “Run in the terminal” option selected.
• Check idea.log for errors (Help → Show Log in Explorer/Finder)

Task Fails Silently

Problem: Task configured but appears to do nothing.

Solutions:

• Test the run configuration manually first
• Check task output in Run tool window
• Make sure that the actions are carried out; the task may not display anything but still works.
• Verify script paths and permissions
• Add error handling to your scripts

Cannot See Task Progress

Problem: Want to see what tasks are doing.

Solutions:

• ⚠️ Please verify that the “Shell Script” (or other) tasks do not have the “Run in the terminal” option selected.
• Check Run tool window tabs for each task's output
• ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

Development

Requirements

• IntelliJ IDEA 2025.2+ or compatible IDE
• JDK 21+
• Gradle 8.14+

Building

# Build plugin
./gradlew buildPlugin

# Run in development IDE
./gradlew runIde

# Run tests
./gradlew test

Project Structure

shutdown-tasks/
├── src/main/kotlin/dev/gdw/shutdowntasks/
│   ├── listeners/
│   │   └── ShutdownTasksProjectCloseListener.kt                 # Project close listener
│   ├── settings/
│   │   └── ShutdownTasksState.kt                                # State persistence
│   ├── ui/
│   │   ├── RunnerAndConfigurationSettingsListCellRenderer.kt    # UI renderer
│   │   ├── RunnerAndConfigurationSettingsSelectionDialog.kt     # Task selection dialog
│   │   └── ShutdownTasksConfigurable.kt                         # Settings UI
│   ├── utils/
│   │   ├── RunnerAndConfigurationSettingsUtils.kt               # RunnerAndConfigurationSettings Utility
│   │   └── ShutdownTasksRunner.kt                               # Tasks executor
│   └── ShutdownTasksBundle.kt                                   # Intl
├── src/main/resources/
│   ├── META-INF/
│   │    ├── plugin.xml                                          # Plugin descriptor
│   │    └── pluginIcon.svg                                      # Plugin icon
│   └── messages/                                                # Translation files
│        ├── ShutdownTasksBundle.properties
│        └── ShutdownTasksBundle_fr.properties
├── build.gradle.kts                                             # Build configuration
└── README.md

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Support

• 🐛 Bug Reports: GitHub Issues
• 💡 Feature Requests: GitHub Issues

Acknowledgments

• Inspired by IntelliJ IDEA's built-in "Startup Tasks" feature
• Built with IntelliJ Platform Plugin SDK

Made with ❤️ by GDW