Antigravity (more precisely Google Antigravity) is not related to physics-defying levitation or sci-fi propulsion. In the context of your question (especially when comparing it to VSCode), it refers to Google’s new AI-powered code editor / IDE, released in late 2025.
It’s basically Google’s take on the next generation of AI coding tools — an “agentic development platform” (their words) that lets AI agents do a lot more autonomous work than typical code assistants.
What is Google Antigravity?
- It’s a desktop IDE (downloadable app for Mac/Windows/Linux).
- Heavily based on VS Code — it’s a fork/modified version of Visual Studio Code, so the editor itself looks and behaves almost identically (same shortcuts, extensions marketplace, file explorer, syntax highlighting, etc.).
- Powered mainly by Google’s Gemini 3 models (Gemini 3 Pro, Deep Think, Flash, etc.).
- Key innovation = “agent-first” design instead of just a chat sidebar or autocomplete:
- Has an “Agent Manager” (like mission control) where you give high-level tasks (“build a full-stack SaaS landing page with auth”, “add OAuth + tests to this Express app”, “fix all failing tests and refactor”).
- AI agents can plan steps, write/edit code across files, run terminal commands, open/control a built-in browser (to test web apps automatically), create mockups, debug, self-fix issues, and even orchestrate multiple sub-agents working in parallel.
- You switch between Editor view (normal coding with supercharged AI completions/commands) and Manager view (overseeing agents doing bigger tasks autonomously).
It’s free (as of early 2026), and many developers describe it as “VS Code + Cursor + Windsurf + autonomous agents on steroids”.
Main differences: Antigravity vs VS Code
| Aspect | Visual Studio Code (plain or + Copilot) | Google Antigravity |
|---|---|---|
| Base | The original editor | Fork of VS Code (very similar UI & extensions) |
| AI style | Mostly reactive (autocomplete, chat suggestions) | Agent-first — autonomous planning & execution |
| Autonomy level | Low–medium (suggests/edits small pieces) | High (can handle multi-file features, testing, browser) |
| Main AI interface | Sidebar chat / inline Copilot | Dedicated Agent Manager view + agents |
| Can control browser? | No | Yes — built-in browser automation for testing web apps |
| Can run many agents? | No (single chat usually) | Yes — multi-agent orchestration |
| Best for | Everyday coding, full control, huge ecosystem | Rapid prototyping, “vibe-coding”, delegating big tasks |
| Price (2026) | Free (+ paid Copilot optional) | Completely free (Gemini-powered) |
| Maturity / stability | Extremely mature & battle-tested | Newer (some rough edges reported in early 2026) |
In short:
- If you want a stable, lightweight, ultra-customizable editor where you stay in full control → stick with VS Code.
- If you want an AI that can actually build/test/refactor whole features with much less manual typing (while still letting you jump in and edit like VS Code) → Antigravity is currently one of the strongest “agentic” options available (especially since it’s free and powered by Google’s latest models).
Things to remember when using Antigravity
When using Google Antigravity (the AI-powered agentic IDE from Google, launched in late 2025), exercise extreme caution because it remains a preview-stage tool (as of February 20, 2026) with numerous serious issues reported by developers, security researchers, and users. Many problems surfaced within days of launch and persist or have only partially been addressed.
Here are the main risks and cautions based on documented reports, Google’s own Bug Hunters known issues page, security blogs, forums, and community feedback:
1. Serious Security Risks (High Priority)
- Indirect Prompt Injection & Data Exfiltration: Malicious instructions hidden in comments, README files, online docs, or even poisoned web sources can trick the AI agent into stealing sensitive data (API keys, .env files, credentials, proprietary code). The agent can bypass its own security rules (e.g., ignoring .gitignore) and exfiltrate data via browser tools or other means. Google lists this as a known issue and is working on fixes, but it’s not fully resolved.
- Persistent Backdoors via Trusted Workspaces: Antigravity requires marking projects as “trusted workspaces.” A compromised or malicious project can embed code (e.g., in global configs like mcp_config.json) that creates a persistent backdoor. This survives app restarts, project closure, uninstall/reinstall, and affects future sessions. Researchers (e.g., Mindgard) demonstrated arbitrary code execution this way.
- Arbitrary Code Execution & Malware Risks: Within 24 hours of launch, researchers showed how prompt injection or config tricks allow remote command execution, malware installation, ransomware simulation, or system file deletion. Auto-execution in terminal/browser agents lacks sufficient safeguards.
- Terminal Auto-Execution Dangers: Agents can run destructive commands (e.g., rm -rf, sudo operations) without proper confirmation. Real cases include an AI agent wiping an entire drive (D: drive) when asked to “clear cache” due to misinterpretation in aggressive modes.
- Recommendation: Never use with projects containing secrets, production code, or sensitive data. Run only in isolated virtual machines/sandboxes. Disable auto-execution of terminal commands and browser tools. Always review diffs/changes before applying.
2. Stability, Bugs & Reliability Problems
- Agents frequently ignore instructions, go off-plan, make excuses, refactor unnecessarily, introduce duplicates, break UI/UX, or corrupt files during edits.
- Common issues: Infinite loops, syntax errors from bad replacements, “Controls Disabled” randomly, browser automation failing to detect issues (reports “Great job” even on crashes), freezes, crashes, poor syntax highlighting in some modes, and extension incompatibilities.
- Performance has declined notably in early 2026: slower responses, model overload, agent terminations (“Agent terminated due to error”), and stuck loading.
- Outages and global issues reported periodically (e.g., agent errors, downtime affecting Pro users).
3. Quota & Access Limitations
- Easy to hit rate limits quickly (especially with looping agents or retries), leading to long lockouts (5–10+ days instead of advertised short refreshes).
- Errors like “model provider overload,” “illegal project name,” or unexpected quota nerfs (especially on non-Google models).
- No clear token usage tracking, making it hard to manage consumption.
4. Privacy & Data Exposure
- Your code and project context are sent to Google’s cloud (Gemini backend). While Google states they don’t use it for training, prompt injection can still cause unintended leaks.
- Agents may access or suggest based on sensitive files without strong warnings.
5. Not Suitable for Serious/Production Work
- Excellent for quick prototypes or “vibe-coding” simple tasks, but unreliable for complex, legacy, enterprise, or deadline-driven work.
- Agents prioritize “task completion” over safety/quality, often producing buggy, vulnerable, or non-secure code.
- Many users report it as a downgrade compared to more mature tools like Cursor, Claude Code, or VS Code + Copilot in terms of accuracy and control.
Summary Recommendations (as of February, 2026):
- Use only for experimentation/prototyping in a fully isolated environment (VM, no real secrets).
- Always manually review every change/diff before applying; keep terminal/browser execution on manual mode.
- Regularly backup your work and monitor Google’s Bug Hunters known issues page for updates.
- For production or important code → stick with VS Code + Copilot, Cursor, or other battle-tested tools that are more stable and secure.
- Google is actively patching (stability improvements ongoing), but right now it’s like a powerful prototype without full brakes — exciting but high-risk if mishandled!