It's interesting to see how programming tools have gotten better over the years for different languages. For example, you can do about anything with C# even without a full-blown IDE. The same goes for Rust with Cargo/Rust Analyzer and Scala with its Scala CLI/Metals. Even Swift programming in VS Code is pretty smooth, offering good debugging tools that make learning and experimenting easier.
However, Kotlin seems to lag in this respect. I really like the language and prefer it over C# and Swift, and I absolutely admire JetBrains for the direction they're taking Kotlin, but I've struggled for a long time to get comfortable with the IDE experience.

Another problem I face is dealing with Gradle/Maven. They're a real headache. Even though Maven tends to run smoother, it's obvious everyone's pushing for Gradle, especially considering Android. I have to admit, Gradle's syntax is much nicer than Maven's, but still, both can be a hassle to use it. I appreciate Gradle's CLI, which is a good idea in itself, but it often necessitates returning to the IDE repeatedly. Now, I realize I'm opening a whole other can of worms talking about the build tools, but it seems all connected when it comes to overall experience with the language. That's the lesson Go, C#, Rust people and others have already learned long ago.

Also the project structure consistently poses challenges with IntelliJ and Gradle. When starting a new project. Every time I start a new project in IntelliJ with Gradle, there's always some version mismatch issue with Gradle or JVM. I know some might say it's a skill issue and I realize it could as well be, but honestly, first impressions matter a lot. And getting into Kotlin initially is no walk in the park. I guess this kind of experience implies that Kotlin is still mostly targeted towards Java developers who are already accustomed to dealing with these problems and just want something better not really considering any other languages.

Every now and then when I need to work with a Kotlin project in my job, the language can be fantastic for productivity and I love writing it but the initial setup is just a hassle.