Continue › How-To Guide

How to Use Continue in 2026: Step-by-Step Guide

Continue is an open-source AI code assistant that integrates directly into VS Code and JetBrains IDEs. It provides context-aware code completion, chat, and editing using any LLM — cloud or local — without telemetry or data collection.

What You'll Need

  • A Continue account (free to create)
  • A modern web browser or the Continue app
  • Payment method for paid features

Getting Started

1

Create Your Account

Visit https://www.continue.dev and sign up for a freemium account. You'll need an email address to register. A free tier is available — you can upgrade later for more features.

2

Start Your First Conversation

Once logged in, you'll see the main chat interface. Type a question or task in the input box and press Enter. Continue supports text, code-generation — start with a simple text prompt to get familiar.

3

Natural Language Chat

Type your question or task in natural language. Continue excels at understanding context and providing helpful, detailed responses.

Pro Tips

  • Be specific: The more context you provide, the better the response. Instead of "write an email," try "write a professional follow-up email to a client who hasn't responded in two weeks."
  • Iterate: If you don't get what you need, ask for clarification or refinement: "Make it shorter" or "Use a more formal tone."
  • Use examples: Show Continue what format you want by including an example in your prompt.
  • Save useful conversations: Most platforms let you name and revisit conversations — organize by project or topic.

Common Use Cases

Programming & Code

AI assistants focused on writing, debugging, and explaining code across programming languages.

Browse Programming & Code chatbots →

Productivity

AI tools for task management, scheduling, summarization, and workflow optimization.

Browse Productivity chatbots →

Troubleshooting

Responses seem generic or unhelpful
Add more context to your prompt. Specify the audience, tone, length, and format you need. Try starting over with a clearer description of your goal.
The tool isn't responding or is slow
AI chatbots can experience high traffic. Refresh the page and try again. Check the service's status page if issues persist.
Output is too long or too short
Explicitly specify the length: "in 100 words," "as a brief summary," or "in detail with examples."

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Continue free to use?
Continue has a free tier. Paid plans start from Free (open source); Enterprise pricing for team features.
Do I need an account to use Continue?
Yes, you need to create an account to use Continue.
What can I use Continue for?
Continue is an open-source AI code assistant that integrates directly into VS Code and JetBrains IDEs. It provides context-aware code completion, chat, and editing using any LLM — cloud or local — without telemetry or data collection.

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