In November 2025, Google introduced Antigravity, an AI-native code editor that signals a major shift in how developers interact with their tools. Built on the foundation of Visual Studio Code, Antigravity looks familiar on the surface, but its philosophy is radically different. Instead of treating AI as a helper that suggests lines of code, Antigravity is designed around an agent-first workflow, where AI agents act as autonomous collaborators capable of planning, coding, testing, and debugging entire features on their own.
What makes Antigravity stand out is how deeply AI is embedded into the development process. Traditional AI coding assistants usually live in a sidebar, waiting for prompts and responding with snippets. Antigravity removes that limitation by treating AI as a worker you can delegate tasks to. You describe a high-level goal such as adding a new feature or refactoring part of a codebase and the agent takes responsibility for executing it end to end. This changes the developer’s role from micromanaging code to supervising outcomes.
At the heart of this experience is the Agent Manager, often described as Antigravity’s “Mission Control.” From this view, developers can run multiple AI agents in parallel, each working on a different task or even a different project. While one agent refactors backend logic, another can update UI components or write tests. These tasks run asynchronously, allowing developers to continue manual work without blocking their flow, and then return later to review the agents’ progress.
Antigravity also pushes beyond static code generation with its Browser Control feature. Agents can launch a built-in Chrome instance to interact with web applications just like a real user would. They can click buttons, navigate pages, and verify that UI behavior matches expectations. This makes frontend development and testing far more concrete, as the AI is no longer guessing how an interface works it is actively using it.
A strong emphasis on trust and transparency is visible through Verifiable Artifacts. Before touching the code, an agent produces an Implementation Plan outlining what it intends to do. After completing the task, it generates a walkthrough and can even provide screenshots of the working result. Developers can leave Google-Docs-style comments on these plans or artifacts, steering the AI’s direction without having to rewrite prompts from scratch. This feedback loop makes collaboration with AI feel more controlled and professional.
Under the hood, Antigravity supports multiple AI models. While it defaults to Gemini 3 Pro, developers can switch to alternatives like Claude 4.5 or GPT-OSS, depending on their preferences or project needs. Thanks to Gemini’s massive 1M+ context window, Antigravity can read and reason about entire codebases, including large monorepos. This allows agents to make changes with a broader understanding of existing architecture, reducing the risk of breaking unrelated features.
Compared to tools like VS Code or Cursor, Antigravity’s biggest difference is autonomy. Cursor excels at accelerating manual coding, but Antigravity is built for delegation. You don’t just ask for help you assign work. Combined with asynchronous execution, this makes it possible to start long-running tasks, such as major refactors, and check back later while continuing other development activities.
As of early 2026, Antigravity is available in public preview and is free for individual developers. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and because it is a VS Code fork, it supports importing existing themes, keybindings, and most extensions. This compatibility lowers the barrier to entry, making it easy for developers to experiment without abandoning their current workflows.
That said, Antigravity also raises important privacy and security considerations. To function effectively, AI agents require access to local files and terminal commands. Google addresses this with features like a Sandboxed Workspace, which is especially recommended for sensitive or proprietary projects. As with any AI-powered IDE, developers must balance productivity gains with careful data governance.
In many ways, Google Antigravity represents a glimpse into the future of software development. It shifts coding from a purely hands-on activity to a collaborative process between humans and autonomous AI agents. For developers willing to embrace this new model, Antigravity isn’t just another editor it’s a fundamentally different way of building software.
