diff --git a/.idea/compiler.xml b/.idea/compiler.xml
index 763be33f18cff8..836a569c033401 100644
--- a/.idea/compiler.xml
+++ b/.idea/compiler.xml
@@ -2,6 +2,15 @@
 <project version="4">
   <component name="CompilerConfiguration">
     <bytecodeTargetLevel>
+      <module name="jetbrains-backend-plugin" target="11" />
+      <module name="jetbrains-backend-plugin.gitpod-protocol" target="11" />
+      <module name="jetbrains-backend-plugin.gitpod-protocol.main" target="11" />
+      <module name="jetbrains-backend-plugin.gitpod-protocol.test" target="11" />
+      <module name="jetbrains-backend-plugin.main" target="11" />
+      <module name="jetbrains-backend-plugin.supervisor-api" target="11" />
+      <module name="jetbrains-backend-plugin.supervisor-api.main" target="11" />
+      <module name="jetbrains-backend-plugin.supervisor-api.test" target="11" />
+      <module name="jetbrains-backend-plugin.test" target="11" />
       <module name="jetbrains-gateway-gitpod-plugin" target="11" />
       <module name="jetbrains-gateway-gitpod-plugin.gitpod-protocol" target="11" />
       <module name="jetbrains-gateway-gitpod-plugin.gitpod-protocol.main" target="11" />
diff --git a/.idea/jarRepositories.xml b/.idea/jarRepositories.xml
index 5fd415874a01ea..a59e9b05bab4ff 100644
--- a/.idea/jarRepositories.xml
+++ b/.idea/jarRepositories.xml
@@ -21,5 +21,10 @@
       <option name="name" value="MavenLocal" />
       <option name="url" value="file:$MAVEN_REPOSITORY$" />
     </remote-repository>
+    <remote-repository>
+      <option name="id" value="maven" />
+      <option name="name" value="maven" />
+      <option name="url" value="https://cache-redirector.jetbrains.com/www.jetbrains.com/intellij-repository/snapshots" />
+    </remote-repository>
   </component>
 </project>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/components/ide/jetbrains/image/leeway.Dockerfile b/components/ide/jetbrains/image/leeway.Dockerfile
index f849f431934847..e04ddbe9487095 100644
--- a/components/ide/jetbrains/image/leeway.Dockerfile
+++ b/components/ide/jetbrains/image/leeway.Dockerfile
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ RUN apk add --no-cache --upgrade curl gzip tar unzip
 RUN curl -sSLo backend.tar.gz "$JETBRAINS_BACKEND_URL" && tar -xf backend.tar.gz --strip-components=1 && rm backend.tar.gz
 COPY --chown=33333:33333 components-ide-jetbrains-backend-plugin--plugin/build/distributions/gitpod-remote-0.0.1.zip /workdir
 RUN unzip gitpod-remote-0.0.1.zip -d plugins/ && rm gitpod-remote-0.0.1.zip
+# enable shared indexes by default
+RUN printf '\nshared.indexes.download.auto.consent=true' >> "/workdir/bin/idea.properties"
 
 FROM scratch
 ARG SUPERVISOR_IDE_CONFIG
diff --git a/components/ide/jetbrains/image/startup.sh b/components/ide/jetbrains/image/startup.sh
index 8da3e52290b6b2..007cf2b7942adc 100755
--- a/components/ide/jetbrains/image/startup.sh
+++ b/components/ide/jetbrains/image/startup.sh
@@ -16,11 +16,23 @@ until curl -sS "$SUPERVISOR_ADDR"/_supervisor/v1/status/content/wait/true | grep
 done
 echo "Desktop IDE: Content available."
 
+# instead put them into /ide-desktop/backend/bin/idea64.vmoptions
+# otherwise JB will complain to a user on each startup
+# by default remote dev already set -Xmx2048m, see /ide-desktop/backend/plugins/remote-dev-server/bin/launcher.sh
+unset JAVA_TOOL_OPTIONS
+
+# enable remote debuggign if debug mode is enabled
 if [ "${SUPERVISOR_DEBUG_ENABLE+}" = "true" ]; then
-  JAVA_TOOL_OPTIONS="$JAVA_TOOL_OPTIONS -agentlib:jdwp=transport=dt_socket,server=y,suspend=n,address=*:0"
+  export JAVA_TOOL_OPTIONS "-agentlib:jdwp=transport=dt_socket,server=y,suspend=n,address=*:0"
 fi
 
+# Set default config and system directories under /workspace to preserve between restarts
+export IJ_HOST_CONFIG_BASE_DIR=/workspace/.config/JetBrains
+export IJ_HOST_SYSTEM_BASE_DIR=/workspace/.cache/JetBrains
+
+# Enable host status endpoint
 export CWM_HOST_STATUS_OVER_HTTP_TOKEN=gitpod
+
 /ide-desktop/backend/bin/remote-dev-server.sh run "$GITPOD_REPO_ROOT"
 
 echo "Desktop IDE startup script exited"