Introduction
For several years, the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution in coding felt like having a very fast junior developer assisting you. Tools such as GitHub Copilot and Cursor excelled at completing code snippets, but the developer remained in full control, guiding every step. This involved manual tasks like copy-pasting code, correcting imports, and running tests to verify the AI’s output.
This paradigm is now evolving. Google Antigravity introduces the “agent-first” development approach. It functions beyond a mere Copilot, acting as a platform where developers transition from typing code to designing solutions. The name “Antigravity” was chosen to reflect its purpose: to alleviate the “gravity” of traditional development, which includes the burdensome tasks of environment setup, debugging boilerplate, and constant context switching between the terminal, browser, and editor. Antigravity aims to lift developers above these low-level syntax concerns, enabling a focus on higher-level, task-oriented objectives.
Instead of crafting code line by line, developers articulate their vision. The integrated development environment (IDE) then leverages autonomous agents to handle the construction, testing, and verification processes.
Antigravity’s development signifies Google’s return to its foundational principles. On November 18, 2025, Google launched Antigravity alongside its Gemini 3 model family. A notable aspect of the launch was the re-engagement of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who reportedly worked extensively with engineers to refine the IDE’s agentic capabilities. His objective was to shift Google’s focus from “Search” to “Action,” with Antigravity serving as a key instrument for this mission.
Antigravity did not emerge in isolation. Its core design draws heavily from a startup named Windsurf. Google recognized that the Windsurf team had successfully conceptualized how AI agents could effectively interact within an IDE, leading to their acquisition in a $2.4 billion deal to spearhead Antigravity’s development.
The decision not to simply integrate these features into an existing tool stems from the fundamental design of traditional IDEs, such as Visual Studio Code (VS Code). These tools were built with human input as the primary interaction. Antigravity, however, is re-engineered from the ground up, with an AI agent as the central operator. It provides a workspace optimized for “vibe coding,” where the pace of conceptualization, rather than typing speed, dictates progress.
Getting Started with Antigravity
Before deploying agents, the software must be installed. As Antigravity is based on a fork of VS Code, the installation process is familiar. However, specific system requirements are crucial to ensure the AI agents have adequate resources for smooth operation.
System Requirements
Antigravity is not a lightweight text editor; it runs local models and browser-based agents. The following specifications are necessary:
- macOS: Monterey (version 12) or newer is required. While Intel Macs are supported, the experience is optimized for Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) due to its unified memory architecture, which significantly benefits local AI inference.
- Windows: A 64-bit version of Windows 10 or 11 is needed. Installation on the primary system drive (typically C:) is strongly recommended to prevent potential permissions issues when AI agents execute terminal commands.
- Linux: Most modern distributions, including Ubuntu (20.04+), Debian (10+), and Fedora (36+), are supported. Ensure glibc 2.28 or higher is installed.
The Download Process
For the official and most current version, users should download directly from the authorized source: antigravity.google/download
On the website, specific installers for each operating system (OS) are available. Download the appropriate installer, run it, and launch the application. Users will be guided through theme setup and asked to describe their intended use of the Antigravity agent (the recommended approach is review-driven development). Subsequently, a “Sign in with Google” prompt will appear. The Gmail account used here will be linked to AI quotas and cloud projects.
Navigating the Interface
The interface is designed to minimize context switching between different windows. The five primary areas of interaction are:
Editor Panel: This central area is the VS Code environment where agent-generated code appears. Developers can still manually input code as needed.
Plan vs. Fast Mode: Located in the agent panel, this toggle offers two operational modes:
- Plan Mode is for larger tasks; it generates a “Plan Artifact” for review before coding commences.
- Fast Mode is suitable for minor adjustments, such as “center this div” or “rename this variable.”
Agent Manager: This control center displays all active tasks, outlines the agent’s reasoning steps, and provides status indicators (Running, Success, or Failed).
Artifacts Panel: Serving as a “Paper Trail,” this panel stores logs, code differences, and plans produced by the agent.
Browser Preview: A built-in Chrome version automatically launches web applications created by the agent for immediate testing.
Building Your First Project: An Endless Runner Game
To demonstrate agent-driven development, Antigravity can construct a classic endless runner game using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The objective is to create a web-based endless runner where a player’s car travels upwards, avoiding oncoming traffic moving downwards. The game will include adjustable difficulty levels (Easy, Medium, Hard) and increasing speed as the player progresses.
Step 1
Launch Antigravity and create a new, empty folder. Open this folder within the IDE.
Step 2
Access the Agent Manager and click New Task. Input the following prompt:
Build an endless runner game, where there is a car traveling upward in an endless running way, there are other cars coming down towards it, and it has to avoid them so as not to get hit, because once it hits it, it is game over. The game level can be changed from easy, medium, to hard, and the higher you go in the game, the faster the cars come at you to hit you!
Step 3
Upon pressing Enter, the agent begins its workflow: it analyzes the prompt and proceeds to the project’s planning phase. Following planning, coding commences. Developers might be prompted to approve reviews during this process. Finally, in the verification stage, the agent attempts to execute the script. Should an error occur (e.g., a missing library), it automatically installs the required library and retries.
The implementation plan generated by the agent is as follows:
The walk-through file detailing all steps taken during the endless runner game’s construction:
The final game output appears as shown:
Players navigate left and right to evade oncoming vehicles.
Collision with other cars results in a “game over” state.
Wrapping Up
Google Antigravity offers a glimpse into a future where code writing is a minor component of a developer’s role. By entrusting implementation, testing, and debugging to Gemini-powered agents, developers can concentrate on high-level architecture and user experience.
To maximize Antigravity’s potential, developers should adapt their communication with the tools:
- Be Specific but Goal-Oriented: Instead of detailing loop construction, specify the desired outcome.
- Review the Plan: In “Plan Mode,” always examine the implementation plan before approval to save time in the long run.
- Isolate Tasks: Assign the agent one clear objective at a time. For instance, creating a login page and performing a database migration should be executed as distinct operations within the Agent Manager.
