Continue.dev Setup

Overview

Continue.dev is an open-source AI coding assistant for VS Code. This guide shows how to integrate Pylance MCP for enhanced Python support.

Prerequisites

Visual Studio Code
Continue.dev extension installed
Pylance MCP Server
OpenAI or Anthropic API key

Installation

Install Continue.dev

Install from VS Code Marketplace:

Extensions → Search "Continue" → Install

Install Pylance MCP

pip install pylance-mcp-server

Configure Continue

Open Continue config: Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P → “Continue: Open config.json”

config.json

{
  "models": [{
    "title": "GPT-4",
    "provider": "openai",
    "model": "gpt-4",
    "apiKey": "YOUR_OPENAI_KEY"
  }],
  "mcpServers": [{
    "name": "pylance",
    "command": "python",
    "args": ["-m", "pylance_mcp.server"],
    "env": {
      "PYLANCE_WORKSPACE": "${workspaceFolder}"
    }
  }]
}

Reload VS Code

Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P → Developer: Reload Window

Usage

Inline Completion

Start typing and Continue suggests completions:

def fetch_user_  # Press Tab
# → def fetch_user_by_id(user_id: int) -> Optional[User]:

Chat with Context

Open Continue sidebar (Cmd/Ctrl+L) and ask:

@pylance Explain the database schema in models/

Code Actions

Highlight code → Right-click → Continue:

Explain Code: Get detailed explanation
Refactor: Suggest improvements
Fix Bugs: Identify and fix issues
Add Tests: Generate unit tests
Add Docs: Generate docstrings

Configuration Options

Custom LLM Provider

Use Claude instead of GPT-4:

config.json

{
  "models": [{
    "title": "Claude 3 Opus",
    "provider": "anthropic",
    "model": "claude-3-opus-20240229",
    "apiKey": "YOUR_ANTHROPIC_KEY"
  }],
  "mcpServers": [{
    "name": "pylance",
    "command": "python",
    "args": ["-m", "pylance_mcp.server"]
  }]
}

Multiple Workspaces

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "pylance-backend",
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "pylance_mcp.server"],
      "env": {
        "PYLANCE_WORKSPACE": "/workspace/backend"
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "pylance-frontend",
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "pylance_mcp.server"],
      "env": {
        "PYLANCE_WORKSPACE": "/workspace/frontend"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Remote Server

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [{
    "name": "pylance",
    "url": "https://api.pylancemcp.dev",
    "headers": {
      "Authorization": "Bearer ${PYLANCE_API_KEY}"
    }
  }]
}

Advanced Features

Custom Slash Commands

Define shortcuts for common tasks:

config.json

{
  "slashCommands": [
    {
      "name": "review",
      "description": "Review code for issues",
      "prompt": "@pylance Review this code for bugs, type errors, and style issues:\n\n{{{ input }}}"
    },
    {
      "name": "tests",
      "description": "Generate pytest tests",
      "prompt": "@pylance Generate comprehensive pytest tests for:\n\n{{{ input }}}"
    },
    {
      "name": "docs",
      "description": "Add documentation",
      "prompt": "@pylance Add Google-style docstrings to:\n\n{{{ input }}}"
    }
  ]
}

Usage: Type /review in Continue chat

Context Providers

Include additional context:

config.json

{
  "contextProviders": [
    {
      "name": "code",
      "params": {
        "includeTypes": ["py", "pyi"],
        "maxFiles": 50
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "docs",
      "params": {
        "urls": [
          "https://docs.python.org/3/",
          "https://fastapi.tiangolo.com/"
        ]
      }
    }
  ]
}

Keyboard Shortcuts

keybindings.json

[
  {
    "key": "cmd+i",
    "command": "continue.acceptCompletion"
  },
  {
    "key": "cmd+shift+i",
    "command": "continue.rejectCompletion"
  },
  {
    "key": "cmd+l",
    "command": "continue.openChat"
  }
]

Examples

Code Review

/review

def process_payment(amount, card_number):
    # Charge the card
    result = stripe.charge(amount, card_number)
    return result

Continue responds:

Issues found:
1. Missing type hints
2. No input validation
3. card_number should not be raw string
4. No error handling
5. Missing docstring

Suggested fix:
[shows improved code]

Test Generation

/tests

class UserService:
    def create_user(self, email: str, password: str) -> User:
        hashed = hash_password(password)
        return User(email=email, password_hash=hashed)

Continue generates:

import pytest
from unittest.mock import Mock, patch

def test_create_user_success():
    service = UserService()
    with patch('hash_password') as mock_hash:
        mock_hash.return_value = "hashed_pw"
        user = service.create_user("test@example.com", "password123")
        assert user.email == "test@example.com"
        assert user.password_hash == "hashed_pw"
        mock_hash.assert_called_once_with("password123")

def test_create_user_invalid_email():
    service = UserService()
    with pytest.raises(ValueError):
        service.create_user("invalid-email", "password123")

Troubleshooting

Completions Not Showing

Check Python interpreter is selected
Verify workspace folder is open
Ensure files are saved
Check Continue logs: Output → Continue

MCP Server Crashes

Increase memory limit in config
Reduce maxFiles in context providers
Check Python version compatibility (3.9+)

Slow Performance

Disable unnecessary context providers
Reduce workspace scope
Use diagnosticMode: "openFilesOnly"

Best Practices

Use descriptive names in chat for better context

Highlight relevant code before asking questions

Reference specific files with @filename

Use slash commands for repetitive tasks

Next Steps

Windsurf Setup

Configure for Windsurf IDE

Custom Workspace

Advanced configuration

Get Started

Core Concepts

Guides

API Reference

Deployment

Overview

Prerequisites

Installation

Usage

Inline Completion

Chat with Context

Code Actions

Configuration Options

Custom LLM Provider

Multiple Workspaces

Remote Server

Advanced Features

Custom Slash Commands

Context Providers

Keyboard Shortcuts

Examples

Code Review

Test Generation

Troubleshooting

Best Practices

Next Steps

Windsurf Setup

Custom Workspace

​Overview

​Prerequisites

​Installation

​Usage

​Inline Completion

​Chat with Context

​Code Actions

​Configuration Options

​Custom LLM Provider

​Multiple Workspaces

​Remote Server

​Advanced Features

​Custom Slash Commands

​Context Providers

​Keyboard Shortcuts

​Examples

​Code Review

​Test Generation

​Troubleshooting

​Best Practices

​Next Steps

Windsurf Setup

Custom Workspace

Overview

Prerequisites

Installation

Usage

Inline Completion

Chat with Context

Code Actions

Configuration Options

Custom LLM Provider

Multiple Workspaces

Remote Server

Advanced Features

Custom Slash Commands

Context Providers

Keyboard Shortcuts

Examples

Code Review

Test Generation

Troubleshooting

Best Practices

Next Steps