Continue

Open-source coding agent available as IDE extensions and the cn terminal CLI.

Type: CLI / IDE extension / JetBrains plugin

Best for: Open workflows with shared YAML config

Official docs: https://docs.continue.dev/

Last verified: 2026-07-12

Status: Confirmed

Quick Start

cn

Installation

macOS

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/continuedev/continue/main/extensions/cli/scripts/install.sh | bash

Windows

npm install -g @continuedev/cli

Linux

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/continuedev/continue/main/extensions/cli/scripts/install.sh | bash

WSL

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/continuedev/continue/main/extensions/cli/scripts/install.sh | bash

Authentication

cn login

Basic Commands

cn --version
cn
cn -p "explain this repository"

Intermediate Commands

/config

Advanced Commands

cn --readonly
cn --auto
cn --rule ./rules/style.md
cn --mcp my-server
cn --model my-model

Project Configuration

  • ~/.continue/config.yaml
  • .continue/rules/*

Instruction Files

  • .continue/rules/*.md

Models and Versions

  • model selection is configured in YAML

Permissions and Security

  • use env vars for secrets

MCP / Integrations

Official docs confirm MCP support.

Common Workflows

  • editor plus CLI coding
  • headless automation

Team Best Practices

  • treat YAML config as code

Troubleshooting

  • docs are active; the main repo is read-only

When to Use

  • open-source IDE plus CLI workflows

When Not to Use

  • when the team wants a fully vendor-managed experience

Sources