Continue: The Open-Source AI Code Assistant

AI Coding Without Vendor Lock-In

GitHub Copilot ties you to Microsoft. Cursor is its own editor. Continue gives you AI coding assistance inside your existing VS Code or JetBrains IDE, with the freedom to use any AI model you want.

Why Developers Choose Continue

Model flexibility. Use Claude, GPT-4o, Gemini, Llama, Mistral, or any model accessible through an API or Ollama. Switch models per task — use a fast model for autocomplete, a powerful model for complex refactoring.

Your editor, your way. Continue is an extension, not a separate editor. Your keybindings, themes, extensions, and settings stay exactly as they are. No learning curve, no migration.

Open source. The code is public. You can audit exactly what data is sent where. For developers at companies with strict security requirements, this transparency is non-negotiable.

Context providers. Continue can pull context from your codebase, documentation, git history, terminal output, and more. The AI understands your project deeply, not just the file you are looking at.

Key Features

Tab autocomplete. Fast inline suggestions as you type. Configure which model powers it for the right balance of speed and quality.

Chat interface. Ask questions about your code, get explanations, request refactoring suggestions. The chat understands your current file and project context.

Inline editing. Select code, describe what you want changed, and Continue modifies it in place. Review the diff and accept or reject.

Slash commands. Type /edit, /comment, /test, or custom commands for quick actions. Build your own commands for repetitive tasks.

Documentation indexing. Point Continue at your project's documentation and it references it when answering questions. Your AI knows your project's conventions.

The Privacy Advantage

Many companies cannot use Copilot because code is sent to Microsoft's servers. Continue solves this:

• Use local models through Ollama — zero data leaves your machine
• Self-host the inference server for team use
• Audit every API call through the open-source code
• Comply with strict data handling policies

Getting Started

Install the Continue extension from the VS Code or JetBrains marketplace. Add your API keys for your preferred models. Start coding.

The setup wizard walks you through model configuration. Start with the defaults and customize as you learn what works best for your coding style.

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