Does IBM Bob replace an IBM i developer?

No. It is positioned as a productivity aid for code explanation, code generation, and fixed-to-free-format RPG conversion, assisting a developer rather than operating unattended. Treat it as accelerating a developer's work, not eliminating the need for one.

Where does IBM Bob run?

It runs as a fork of Visual Studio Code, downloaded and used directly by a developer, using a fine-tuned model built around the IBM i execution environment, program call interfaces, and data structure conventions.

Is IBM Bob the same thing as watsonx Code Assistant for i?

No, but they are related. IBM previewed watsonx Code Assistant for i in November 2025 as an upcoming, IBM i-specific coding assistant. That preview track was superseded by Bob, which reached general availability on March 24, 2026. Bob is IBM's current, shipping product.

What changed in Bob 2.0 and the Premium Package for i?

Bob 2.0, released June 24, 2026, moved to a single agent-harness-client architecture with a 270,000-token context window, parallel and native tool calling, subagents, and a rollback feature that no longer depends on Git. The Bob Premium Package for i, shipped the same day, is the IBM i-specific add-on: about 40 skills and workflows and about 30 tools that read and write QSYS and the IFS, run CL commands and SQL, launch 5250 sessions, and manage library lists, plus a Db2 for i Database Mode. Reported pricing runs from a 20 to 40 dollar monthly add-on up to 240 dollars a month for Ultra with Premium.

Can IBM Bob build watsonx Orchestrate agents?

Yes, since the August 2026 watsonx Orchestrate release. A Build with Bob option in the Create an agent dialog opens a Bob workspace wired to your Orchestrate tenant, where Bob generates the agent definition, the tools it calls and the workflow from plain-language instructions, and can refine agents that already exist. IBM lists that entry point as a preview on IBM Cloud and AWS rather than generally available. It is the first official link between Bob and the watsonx brand, and it does not connect an agent to IBM i by itself. Reaching Db2 for i still runs through the IBM i MCP Server or through integration code you write.

Library

What Is IBM Bob? IBM's AI Coding Agent for RPG on IBM i Explained

Updated September 2, 2026

Every IBM i shop with a long history has some amount of fixed-format RPG: dense, column-position-dependent code that is hard to read, harder to hire for, and slow to modernize by hand. IBM Bob is IBM's current, purpose-built answer to that specific problem. Introduced as "Project Bob" at TechXchange in October 2025, it reached general availability 1.0.0 on March 24, 2026, and is worth understanding on its own terms rather than lumping it in with general-purpose AI coding tools.

What it actually does

Code explanation

Explains existing RPG, CL, DDS, and SQL code, useful when the person who wrote a given program has since retired.

Code generation

Generates new RPG code from natural-language prompts, using a model fine-tuned on the IBM i execution environment, program call interfaces, and data structure conventions.

Modernization and documentation

Suggests modernization improvements, including fixed-to-free-format RPG conversion, and produces automatic documentation for existing programs.

How it fits into a modernization project

IBM Bob is not a full modernization solution by itself. It addresses the source-code layer: explanation, generation, and modernization suggestions. Most real modernization projects still involve DevOps and application lifecycle tooling from vendors like ARCAD Software or Fresche Solutions, and sometimes a separate UI modernization layer from a vendor like Profound Logic, alongside whatever AI-assisted code work Bob handles.

What replaced watsonx Code Assistant for i

IBM previewed watsonx Code Assistant for i in November 2025 as an upcoming, IBM i-specific watsonx product out of its Rochester lab. That track did not reach independent general availability; it was superseded by Bob, which shipped as GA in March 2026. If you have seen watsonx Code Assistant for i referenced elsewhere, treat Bob as its current successor.

What to confirm before you commit

Supported RPG dialects, IBM i release requirements, and licensing for IBM Bob have continued to evolve since its March 2026 GA release. Confirm current specifics directly with IBM rather than assuming feature parity with what was announced earlier ... this article summarizes positioning and general capability, not a frozen feature list.

What the June 2026 Premium Package for i changed

The original GA release worked against source pulled to a developer's workstation. The Premium Package for i, shipped alongside Bob 2.0 on June 24, 2026, is what let Bob work directly against QSYS and the IFS on a live system instead. Tim Rowe of IBM Rochester summarized the motivation at launch: the source code is already on the IBM i, so why should a developer have to pull it somewhere else first. The package adds a Database Mode built specifically for Db2 for i SQL, which is new territory for an AI coding assistant on this platform, and reported pricing for the combined product runs from a 20 dollar monthly add-on to 240 dollars a month for the top tier with Premium included.

Where Bob sits next to watsonx

Bob sits outside the watsonx brand and always has. It succeeded the watsonx Code Assistant for i preview, and it is sold, versioned and packaged on its own.

That changed slightly in August 2026, when watsonx Orchestrate added a Build with Bob option to its Create an agent dialog. Pick it and Orchestrate opens a Bob workspace connected to your tenant, where Bob generates the agent definition, its tools and the workflow from plain language. IBM lists that entry point as a preview on IBM Cloud and AWS. It is the first official link between Bob and the watsonx platform, and it is a link between two build tools rather than a connector to your data. If you want an agent that actually reads Db2 for i, the missing piece is still the IBM i MCP Server, and we walk through that three-part chain separately.

Sources

Related Tools & Vendors

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 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.