Install and Configure Continue in VSCode with Ollama

Vscode using the Continue extension and configuring Ollama

Here’s a step-by-step guide to installing and configuring the Continue extension in Visual Studio Code (VSCode) with Ollama.

Step 1: Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• Visual Studio Code installed. You can download it here: VSCode.
• Ollama installed. Visit Ollama to install this AI model manager.

Step 2: Install Continue in VSCode

👀 Installing Continue in VS Code

• Open VSCode.

• In the left panel, click on the Extensions icon.

• Search for Continue in the extensions search bar.

  

• Click Install for the Continue extension.

Step 3: Configure Ollama

Ollama is needed to manage AI models like LLaMA 3 and StarCoder. Ensure that Ollama is properly installed and configured.

1. Install Ollama by following the instructions provided on their site: Ollama Installation.

2. Once installed, verify that Ollama is working correctly by opening a terminal and running the command:

   ollama list

Step 4: Modify the config.json File

To configure the models used by Continue (chat, autocompletion, embeddings), you need to modify the config.json configuration file.

1. Open Visual Studio Code.
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + P to open the Command Palette.
3. Type Continue: Open config.json and select this option.

This will open the config.json file where you can define the models you want to use.

Here’s an example configuration for using LLaMA 3 for chat, StarCoder 2 for autocompletion, and nomic-embed-text for embeddings:

{
  "models": {
    "chat": {
      "model": "llama3-70b",
      "provider": "ollama",
      "parameters": {
        "temperature": 0.7
      }
    },
    "autocomplete": {
      "model": "starcoder-2-7b",
      "provider": "ollama",
      "parameters": {
        "temperature": 0.2
      }
    },
    "embeddings": {
      "model": "nomic-embed-text",
      "provider": "openai",
      "parameters": {}
    }
  }
}

If you prefer to use DeepSeek Coder v2 for autocompletion, modify the autocomplete section as follows:

"autocomplete": {
  "model": "deepseek-coder-v2:16b",
  "provider": "ollama",
  "parameters": {
    "temperature": 0.2
  }
}

Step 5: Download and Install Models via Ollama

Next, you need to download the necessary models via Ollama.

1. Download the LLaMA 3 70B model:

ollama pull llama3-70b

Download the StarCoder 2 or DeepSeek Coder v2 model, depending on your choice for autocompletion:

• For StarCoder 2:

  ollama pull starcoder-2-7b

• For DeepSeek Coder v2:

  ollama pull deepseek-coder-v2:16b

• For embeddings, make sure you have the nomic-embed-text model downloaded <u>(this should be automatically configured by Continue)</u>.

  ollama pull nomic-embed-text

Step 6: Start Continue in VSCode

Once you have installed and configured all the models, you are ready to use Continue in VSCode.

1. Open a project in VSCode.
2. Use the Continue: Start command in the command palette (Ctrl + Shift + P).
3. You can now use Continue with the models you have configured for interactive chats, autocompletion, and embeddings.

Step 7: Test the Models

Start by testing if the models are working correctly.

• For chat, try starting a session and check that LLaMA 3 is being used.
• For autocompletion, type some code and see if StarCoder 2 or DeepSeek Coder v2 offers relevant completions.
• For embeddings, use features that require embedding vectors and check that nomic-embed-text is being used correctly.

👀 In action:

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