IBM Bob (Project Bob)
IBM's generally available AI coding agent for IBM i. Bob 2.0 and the Bob Premium Package for i shipped June 24, 2026, adding a Db2 for i Database Mode, about 30 IBM i tools, and direct work on source where it lives. Reported pricing from $20 to $240 per month.
IBM Bob, introduced as "Project Bob" at TechXchange in October 2025, is IBM's AI coding agent for IBM i. It reached general availability 1.0 on March 24, 2026. On June 24, 2026 IBM shipped Bob 2.0 and, on the same day, the Bob Premium Package for i, which is the part that makes Bob an IBM i product rather than a general coding agent that happens to know RPG. This listing covers the June 2026 state of the product.
What the Premium Package for i adds
Source where it lives
About 30 tools that read and write QSYS and the IFS, run CL commands and SQL, launch a 5250 session, and manage the library list. Tim Rowe of IBM Rochester framed the reason at launch: the source code is on the IBM i, so why can't I work with my source code where it lives.
IBM i skills and workflows
About 40 curated skills and agentic workflows for common IBM i tasks: explain a program, convert fixed-format RPG to free-format, refactor a monolith, generate RPG, CL, COBOL or DDS, write documentation, produce unit tests.
Two modes
Developer Mode carries IBM i language expertise across RPG, COBOL, DDS, SQL, and CL. Database Mode is for Db2 for i SQL optimization with error checking, the first IBM tool to put an AI assistant directly on Db2 for i query work.
What Bob 2.0 changed underneath
Bob 2.0 replaced the separate 1.0 architectures with a single three-tier foundation of agent, harness, and clients. The context window grew from 200,000 to 270,000 tokens. Tool calls now run in parallel and natively rather than wrapped in XML, which IBM says cut typical tasks from about 30 seconds to under 10. Subagents can split work, .docx, .xlsx and .pdf files are read natively, a rollback feature replaced Git-dependent checkpoints, workflows make repeatable processes, and there are three operating modes: agent, plan, and ask. IBM positions Bob as a multi-agent development partner across the software lifecycle; the Premium Package for i is one of several language and platform packages built on that foundation.
Pricing, as reported at GA
Reported IBM Bob pricing for IBM i, June 24, 2026
| Package | Reported monthly price |
|---|---|
| Bob Premium Package for i, add-on | $20 to $40 |
| Bob Pro with Premium | $60 to $80 |
| Bob Pro+ with Premium | $100 |
| Bob Ultra with Premium | $240 |
Source: IT Jungle, July 13, 2026. Ranges reflect term and volume. IBM's own Premium Package announcement page publishes no price and offers a free trial instead.
Those are reported figures, not an IBM price list, so treat them as a planning range and confirm current terms with IBM or a Business Partner. For how the tiers actually compare, what the Premium add-on does and does not include, and where a Bob subscription sits next to modernization tooling in a project budget, see the IBM Bob pricing page.
Customer figures IBM has published
Jack Henry demonstrated RPG codebase modernization with Bob 2.0 at launch, with Kevin Sligar saying its developers were accelerating RPG development workflows and improving code quality. Wynne Systems' Bob Richardson said Bob's planning was always ten-fold more detailed than other AIs. IBM's July 15, 2026 Power announcement cites Heartland Co-Op reporting a 60 percent faster time for developers new to the platform to understand complex applications with the Premium Package. All three are customer statements inside IBM materials, not independent measurements.
How it relates to watsonx
Bob sits outside the watsonx brand and succeeded the watsonx Code Assistant for i preview IBM announced in November 2025, which never shipped independently. Since the August 2026 watsonx Orchestrate release, Bob can also be launched from Orchestrate through a Build with Bob option to generate agents, tools, and workflows from natural language. IBM's release notes list that option as a preview on IBM Cloud and AWS, not as generally available. It is the first official link between Bob and the watsonx platform, and it connects two build tools rather than an agent and your IBM i data.
For the full picture, see the watsonx Orchestrate listing, the watsonx on IBM i page, and our walkthrough of how Bob, Orchestrate and the IBM i MCP Server fit together.
Bob runs on the developer's workstation and reaches the IBM i through the Premium Package tools, so it does not require Power10 or Power11 hardware. Confirm current supported IBM i releases, the authority the Premium tools need on the system, and the exact package contents with IBM before scoping a modernization project around it. Listing last revised September 2, 2026.
Related
IBM watsonx Orchestrate
IBM's AI agent and workflow platform, and the first watsonx product with an official link to IBM's IBM i coding agent. The August 2026 release added a Build with Bob preview that launches IBM Bob to generate agents and tools from natural language. Still no IBM i or Db2 for i connector in the box.
IBM i MCP Server
An open-source, IBM-published Model Context Protocol server that lets AI agents and LLMs query Db2 for i data, inspect system objects, and take defined actions on IBM i using natural language.
IBM watsonx Code Assistant for i
IBM's November 2025 preview announcement of an IBM i-specific, RPG-focused AI code assistant. This preview track was superseded by IBM Bob, which reached general availability in March 2026.
ARCAD Software
An IBM i DevOps and application lifecycle management vendor offering source code management, testing, and modernization tooling relevant to AI-assisted RPG modernization projects.
Related Reading
What Is IBM Bob? IBM's AI Coding Agent for RPG on IBM i Explained
IBM Bob is IBM's current, generally available AI coding agent for IBM i. Bob 2.0 and the Bob Premium Package for i shipped June 24, 2026. Here is what it actually does, how it succeeded the earlier watsonx Code Assistant for i preview, what the Premium Package adds, and what to confirm before you commit.
Bob, watsonx Orchestrate and the IBM i MCP Server: How the Chain Actually Fits Together
Three IBM products, three different jobs, and one combination IBM has never documented end to end. Here is what Bob, watsonx Orchestrate and the IBM i MCP Server each actually do, which links in the chain are real today, and which shops should pilot it now instead of waiting.
AI Code Assistants for RPG and COBOL Compared: What Actually Works on IBM i
IBM Bob, GitHub Copilot, and general-purpose chat assistants all get used near RPG and COBOL code. Here is how they actually differ for IBM i modernization work.
Frequently Asked
What is IBM Bob?
IBM Bob (originally shown as "Project Bob") is IBM's generally available AI coding agent for IBM i, built as a fork of Visual Studio Code and tuned for RPG, COBOL, CL, DDS and SQL. It reached GA 1.0 on March 24, 2026, then Bob 2.0 and the IBM i-specific Bob Premium Package for i on June 24, 2026. Bob 2.0 brought a 270,000-token context window, parallel tool calling, subagents, rollback and three modes; the Premium Package is what lets it read and write source directly in QSYS and the IFS, run CL and SQL, launch 5250 sessions and work on Db2 for i in Database Mode. It can explain code, generate RPG from plain-language prompts, convert fixed-format to free-format, produce documentation and write unit tests. Since August 2026 it can also be launched from watsonx Orchestrate to build agents, currently as a preview. Reported pricing runs from 20 to 240 dollars a month.
Can IBM Bob convert fixed-format RPG to free-format automatically?
Fixed-to-free-format conversion is one of IBM Bob's modernization capabilities, delivered today through the Bob Premium Package for i, generally available since June 24, 2026. Treat it as developer-assisted conversion rather than a fully automatic, unattended process. Confirm current supported RPG constructs and expected developer review effort directly with IBM before scoping a large-scale conversion project around it. This capability was originally previewed under the watsonx Code Assistant for i name, which never shipped independently.
What is the difference between watsonx.ai and IBM Bob?
watsonx.ai is IBM's general-purpose foundation-model studio, for building, tuning, governing and deploying AI models; version 2.4 shipped in June 2026 with nothing in it aimed at IBM i. IBM Bob is a separate, IBM i-specific product outside the watsonx brand: a downloadable AI coding agent, built as a VS Code fork, tuned for RPG, COBOL, CL, DDS and SQL, and paired with the Bob Premium Package for i that works directly against QSYS, the IFS and Db2 for i. Use Bob for RPG and COBOL work. Use watsonx.ai if you are building a custom AI application from scratch, and budget for the integration, because it has no Db2 for i connector. The two brands touch in exactly one place today: since August 2026, watsonx Orchestrate can launch Bob to build agents, listed by IBM as a preview.
What does the Bob Premium Package for i add?
Shipped alongside Bob 2.0 on June 24, 2026, the Premium Package for i is the IBM i-specific add-on to IBM Bob: about 40 skills and workflows and about 30 tools that read and write QSYS and the IFS, run CL commands and SQL, launch a 5250 session, manage library lists and support a retrieval-augmented generation workflow, plus a Developer Mode covering RPG, COBOL, DDS, SQL and CL, and a Db2 for i Database Mode for SQL optimization with error checking. It is what lets Bob work with source code where it already lives instead of requiring a download to a workstation first. IBM's July 15, 2026 Power announcement cites Heartland Co-Op estimating 60 percent faster time for developers new to the platform to understand complex applications with it. Reported pricing at GA was a 20 to 40 dollar monthly add-on on top of a base Bob subscription.