How to Set Up MCP Servers in Continue.dev: Complete Guide

Continue.dev is an open-source AI code assistant for VS Code and JetBrains with MCP support -- but it uses YAML for configuration, not JSON. If you copy MCP configs from Cursor or Claude Code docs without converting them, they will not work.

TL;DR: Add MCP servers to ~/.continue/config.yaml using YAML array syntax (not JSON objects). Continue only supports global config -- no per-project MCP files. Reload the plugin after editing.

graph TD
    A[Open ~/.continue/config.yaml] --> B[Add mcpServers section in YAML]
    B --> C[Reload Continue plugin]
    C --> D{Tools visible in agent mode?}
    D -->|Yes| E[Ready to use]
    D -->|No| F[Check YAML syntax + agent mode]

How Continue's Config Differs from Other Clients

The same GitHub MCP server in JSON vs YAML:

Cursor (JSON):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "ghp_your_token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Continue (YAML):

mcpServers:
  - name: github
    command: npx
    args:
      - "-y"
      - "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"
    env:
      GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN: ghp_your_token

Two key differences: mcpServers is an array (with - prefix), not an object with named keys. The server name moves to a name field. Getting this wrong is the number one reason MCP servers fail to load in Continue.

Where the Config File Lives

macOS / Linux: ~/.continue/config.yaml Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.continue\config.yaml

The mcpServers section goes at the top level, alongside your existing model configuration. Unlike Cursor, Continue does not support project-level MCP configuration -- all servers are global.

Example Server Configurations

GitHub MCP

GitHub MCP | npm | Tools: 20 | ~10,300 tokens

mcpServers:
  - name: github
    command: npx
    args:
      - "-y"
      - "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"
    env:
      GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN: ghp_your_token_here

Needs a GitHub PAT with repo scope from github.com/settings/tokens. See the full GitHub MCP guide for workflow examples.

Supabase MCP

Supabase MCP | npm | Tools: 25 | ~12,875 tokens

mcpServers:
  - name: github
    command: npx
    args:
      - "-y"
      - "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"
    env:
      GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN: ghp_your_token_here
  - name: supabase
    command: npx
    args:
      - "-y"
      - "@supabase/mcp-server-supabase@latest"
    env:
      SUPABASE_ACCESS_TOKEN: sbp_your_token_here

Multiple servers are separate items in the same list. See the Supabase MCP guide for database workflow details.

Playwright MCP

Playwright MCP | npm | Tools: 20 | ~10,300 tokens

mcpServers:
  - name: playwright
    command: npx
    args:
      - "-y"
      - "@playwright/mcp"

No API key needed. See the Playwright MCP guide for browser automation workflows.

Context7 MCP

Context7 MCP | npm | Tools: 2 | ~800 tokens

mcpServers:
  - name: context7
    command: npx
    args:
      - "-y"
      - "@upstash/context7-mcp@latest"

No API key needed. Pulls live documentation so the assistant uses current APIs.

Full Multi-Server Configuration

mcpServers:
  - name: github
    command: npx
    args:
      - "-y"
      - "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"
    env:
      GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN: ghp_your_token_here
  - name: supabase
    command: npx
    args:
      - "-y"
      - "@supabase/mcp-server-supabase@latest"
    env:
      SUPABASE_ACCESS_TOKEN: sbp_your_token_here
  - name: playwright
    command: npx
    args:
      - "-y"
      - "@playwright/mcp"
  - name: context7
    command: npx
    args:
      - "-y"
      - "@upstash/context7-mcp@latest"

HTTP and SSE Transport Servers

For remote servers, use url instead of command/args:

mcpServers:
  - name: remote-server
    url: "https://mcp.example.com/sse"
    headers:
      Authorization: "Bearer your_api_key"

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Locate or create the config file

mkdir -p ~/.continue
touch ~/.continue/config.yaml

2. Add the mcpServers section

Add at the top level of config.yaml, not nested inside any other section. Start with one server:

mcpServers:
  - name: context7
    command: npx
    args:
      - "-y"
      - "@upstash/context7-mcp@latest"

3. Reload Continue

In VS Code: Cmd+Shift+P > "Continue: Reload." In JetBrains: restart the Continue plugin.

4. Verify the connection

Open Continue's sidebar and check the MCP tools section. Test with: "Look up the React documentation for useEffect." If Continue calls Context7 and returns docs, everything is connected.

Important: MCP tools are only available in agent mode, not basic chat mode.

Troubleshooting

YAML syntax errors

• Use exactly 2 spaces per indent level. No tabs.
• Space required after colons: name: github not name:github
• Wrap values with @, #, {, }, or * in double quotes

"Server failed to start"

• Verify Node.js is installed: node --version
• Check package name spelling in args
• Test manually: npx -y @upstash/context7-mcp@latest

Environment variables not working

• Names are case-sensitive
• No trailing whitespace in token values
• Wrap values with special characters in double quotes

Tools do not appear

• Check that Continue is in agent mode (not basic chat)
• Some servers require env vars before exposing tools
• Verify the server docs for required configuration

Converting JSON configs to YAML

If you find configs written for Cursor or Claude Code:

1. Replace braces/brackets with indentation
2. Remove quotes from keys
3. Convert arrays to - prefixed list items
4. Add name: your-server-name (YAML uses named array entries, not object keys)

Or use an online JSON-to-YAML converter -- just restructure from object to array format.

For more help, see the MCP troubleshooting guide.

Managing Secrets

Since Continue uses a global config, your tokens live in ~/.continue/config.yaml:

• Do not commit ~/.continue/config.yaml to any repository
• Replace real tokens with placeholders before sharing
• Rotate tokens periodically, especially GitHub PATs

Next Steps

Start with Context7 and GitHub MCP -- a solid pair for most developers. Add Supabase or Playwright as your workflow needs grow. Monitor token usage: if responses get truncated, review whether you have too many servers active.

For server combinations tailored to specific workflows, browse the pre-built stacks and select Continue as your client.