Buckets:
| <meta charset="utf-8" /><meta name="hf:doc:metadata" content="{"title":"Using MCP with Local and Open Source Models","local":"using-mcp-with-local-and-open-source-models","sections":[{"title":"Setup Continue","local":"setup-continue","sections":[{"title":"VS Code extension","local":"vs-code-extension","sections":[],"depth":3},{"title":"Local Models","local":"local-models","sections":[],"depth":3}],"depth":2},{"title":"How it works","local":"how-it-works","sections":[{"title":"The tool handshake","local":"the-tool-handshake","sections":[],"depth":3},{"title":"Local Model Integration with MCP","local":"local-model-integration-with-mcp","sections":[],"depth":3}],"depth":2},{"title":"Conclusion","local":"conclusion","sections":[],"depth":2}],"depth":1}"> | |
| <link href="/docs/mcp-course/pr_221/en/_app/immutable/assets/0.e3b0c442.css" rel="modulepreload"> | |
| <link rel="modulepreload" href="/docs/mcp-course/pr_221/en/_app/immutable/entry/start.dc55593b.js"> | |
| <link rel="modulepreload" href="/docs/mcp-course/pr_221/en/_app/immutable/chunks/scheduler.4048030c.js"> | |
| <link rel="modulepreload" href="/docs/mcp-course/pr_221/en/_app/immutable/chunks/singletons.213fc73e.js"> | |
| <link rel="modulepreload" href="/docs/mcp-course/pr_221/en/_app/immutable/chunks/index.dd3f5310.js"> | |
| <link rel="modulepreload" href="/docs/mcp-course/pr_221/en/_app/immutable/chunks/paths.e68d3b81.js"> | |
| <link rel="modulepreload" href="/docs/mcp-course/pr_221/en/_app/immutable/entry/app.f1430c51.js"> | |
| <link rel="modulepreload" href="/docs/mcp-course/pr_221/en/_app/immutable/chunks/preload-helper.ccf7f2fe.js"> | |
| <link rel="modulepreload" href="/docs/mcp-course/pr_221/en/_app/immutable/chunks/index.f47d7c49.js"> | |
| <link rel="modulepreload" href="/docs/mcp-course/pr_221/en/_app/immutable/nodes/0.654a0b07.js"> | |
| <link rel="modulepreload" href="/docs/mcp-course/pr_221/en/_app/immutable/chunks/each.e59479a4.js"> | |
| <link rel="modulepreload" href="/docs/mcp-course/pr_221/en/_app/immutable/nodes/17.34ac1322.js"> | |
| <link rel="modulepreload" href="/docs/mcp-course/pr_221/en/_app/immutable/chunks/MermaidChart.svelte_svelte_type_style_lang.000481a1.js"> | |
| <link rel="modulepreload" href="/docs/mcp-course/pr_221/en/_app/immutable/chunks/CodeBlock.54d9562d.js"> | |
| <link rel="modulepreload" href="/docs/mcp-course/pr_221/en/_app/immutable/chunks/HfOption.7c2eaa02.js"> | |
| <link rel="modulepreload" href="/docs/mcp-course/pr_221/en/_app/immutable/chunks/stores.0a12db33.js"><!-- HEAD_svelte-u9bgzb_START --><meta name="hf:doc:metadata" content="{"title":"Using MCP with Local and Open Source Models","local":"using-mcp-with-local-and-open-source-models","sections":[{"title":"Setup Continue","local":"setup-continue","sections":[{"title":"VS Code extension","local":"vs-code-extension","sections":[],"depth":3},{"title":"Local Models","local":"local-models","sections":[],"depth":3}],"depth":2},{"title":"How it works","local":"how-it-works","sections":[{"title":"The tool handshake","local":"the-tool-handshake","sections":[],"depth":3},{"title":"Local Model Integration with MCP","local":"local-model-integration-with-mcp","sections":[],"depth":3}],"depth":2},{"title":"Conclusion","local":"conclusion","sections":[],"depth":2}],"depth":1}"><!-- HEAD_svelte-u9bgzb_END --> <p></p> <div class="items-center shrink-0 min-w-[100px] max-sm:min-w-[50px] justify-end ml-auto flex" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; display: inline-flex; position: relative; z-index: 10;"><div class="inline-flex rounded-md max-sm:rounded-sm"><button class="inline-flex items-center gap-1 h-7 max-sm:h-7 px-2 max-sm:px-1.5 text-sm font-medium text-gray-800 border border-r-0 rounded-l-md max-sm:rounded-l-sm border-gray-200 bg-white hover:shadow-inner dark:border-gray-850 dark:bg-gray-950 dark:text-gray-200 dark:hover:bg-gray-800" aria-live="polite"><span class="inline-flex items-center justify-center rounded-md p-0.5 max-sm:p-0 hover:text-gray-800 dark:hover:text-gray-200"><svg class="sm:size-3.5 size-3" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" fill="currentColor" focusable="false" role="img" width="1em" height="1em" preserveAspectRatio="xMidYMid meet" viewBox="0 0 32 32"><path d="M28,10V28H10V10H28m0-2H10a2,2,0,0,0-2,2V28a2,2,0,0,0,2,2H28a2,2,0,0,0,2-2V10a2,2,0,0,0-2-2Z" transform="translate(0)"></path><path d="M4,18H2V4A2,2,0,0,1,4,2H18V4H4Z" transform="translate(0)"></path><rect fill="none" width="32" height="32"></rect></svg></span> <span>Copy page</span></button> <button class="inline-flex items-center justify-center w-6 max-sm:w-5 h-7 max-sm:h-7 disabled:pointer-events-none text-sm text-gray-500 hover:text-gray-700 dark:hover:text-white rounded-r-md max-sm:rounded-r-sm border border-l transition border-gray-200 bg-white hover:shadow-inner dark:border-gray-850 dark:bg-gray-950 dark:text-gray-200 dark:hover:bg-gray-800" aria-haspopup="menu" aria-expanded="false" aria-label="Open copy menu"><svg class="transition-transform text-gray-400 overflow-visible sm:size-3.5 size-3 rotate-0" width="1em" height="1em" viewBox="0 0 12 7" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M1 1L6 6L11 1" stroke="currentColor"></path></svg></button></div> </div> <h1 class="relative group"><a id="using-mcp-with-local-and-open-source-models" class="header-link block pr-1.5 text-lg no-hover:hidden with-hover:absolute with-hover:p-1.5 with-hover:opacity-0 with-hover:group-hover:opacity-100 with-hover:right-full" href="#using-mcp-with-local-and-open-source-models"><span><svg class="" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" aria-hidden="true" role="img" width="1em" height="1em" preserveAspectRatio="xMidYMid meet" viewBox="0 0 256 256"><path d="M167.594 88.393a8.001 8.001 0 0 1 0 11.314l-67.882 67.882a8 8 0 1 1-11.314-11.315l67.882-67.881a8.003 8.003 0 0 1 11.314 0zm-28.287 84.86l-28.284 28.284a40 40 0 0 1-56.567-56.567l28.284-28.284a8 8 0 0 0-11.315-11.315l-28.284 28.284a56 56 0 0 0 79.196 79.197l28.285-28.285a8 8 0 1 0-11.315-11.314zM212.852 43.14a56.002 56.002 0 0 0-79.196 0l-28.284 28.284a8 8 0 1 0 11.314 11.314l28.284-28.284a40 40 0 0 1 56.568 56.567l-28.285 28.285a8 8 0 0 0 11.315 11.314l28.284-28.284a56.065 56.065 0 0 0 0-79.196z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></span></a> <span>Using MCP with Local and Open Source Models</span></h1> <p data-svelte-h="svelte-58pjmz">In this section, we’ll connect MCP with local and open-source models using | |
| Continue, a tool for building AI coding assistants that works with local tools | |
| like Ollama.</p> <h2 class="relative group"><a id="setup-continue" class="header-link block pr-1.5 text-lg no-hover:hidden with-hover:absolute with-hover:p-1.5 with-hover:opacity-0 with-hover:group-hover:opacity-100 with-hover:right-full" href="#setup-continue"><span><svg class="" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" aria-hidden="true" role="img" width="1em" height="1em" preserveAspectRatio="xMidYMid meet" viewBox="0 0 256 256"><path d="M167.594 88.393a8.001 8.001 0 0 1 0 11.314l-67.882 67.882a8 8 0 1 1-11.314-11.315l67.882-67.881a8.003 8.003 0 0 1 11.314 0zm-28.287 84.86l-28.284 28.284a40 40 0 0 1-56.567-56.567l28.284-28.284a8 8 0 0 0-11.315-11.315l-28.284 28.284a56 56 0 0 0 79.196 79.197l28.285-28.285a8 8 0 1 0-11.315-11.314zM212.852 43.14a56.002 56.002 0 0 0-79.196 0l-28.284 28.284a8 8 0 1 0 11.314 11.314l28.284-28.284a40 40 0 0 1 56.568 56.567l-28.285 28.285a8 8 0 0 0 11.315 11.314l28.284-28.284a56.065 56.065 0 0 0 0-79.196z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></span></a> <span>Setup Continue</span></h2> <p data-svelte-h="svelte-8ouzrb">You can install Continue from the VS Code marketplace.</p> <blockquote class="tip" data-svelte-h="svelte-4hkx0t"><p><em>Continue also has an extension for <a href="https://plugins.jetbrains.com/plugin/22707-continue" rel="nofollow">JetBrains</a>.</em></p></blockquote> <h3 class="relative group"><a id="vs-code-extension" class="header-link block pr-1.5 text-lg no-hover:hidden with-hover:absolute with-hover:p-1.5 with-hover:opacity-0 with-hover:group-hover:opacity-100 with-hover:right-full" href="#vs-code-extension"><span><svg class="" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" aria-hidden="true" role="img" width="1em" height="1em" preserveAspectRatio="xMidYMid meet" viewBox="0 0 256 256"><path d="M167.594 88.393a8.001 8.001 0 0 1 0 11.314l-67.882 67.882a8 8 0 1 1-11.314-11.315l67.882-67.881a8.003 8.003 0 0 1 11.314 0zm-28.287 84.86l-28.284 28.284a40 40 0 0 1-56.567-56.567l28.284-28.284a8 8 0 0 0-11.315-11.315l-28.284 28.284a56 56 0 0 0 79.196 79.197l28.285-28.285a8 8 0 1 0-11.315-11.314zM212.852 43.14a56.002 56.002 0 0 0-79.196 0l-28.284 28.284a8 8 0 1 0 11.314 11.314l28.284-28.284a40 40 0 0 1 56.568 56.567l-28.285 28.285a8 8 0 0 0 11.315 11.314l28.284-28.284a56.065 56.065 0 0 0 0-79.196z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></span></a> <span>VS Code extension</span></h3> <ol data-svelte-h="svelte-1qla4ad"><li>Click <code>Install</code> on the <a href="https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=Continue.continue" rel="nofollow">Continue extension page in the Visual Studio Marketplace</a></li> <li>This will open the Continue extension page in VS Code, where you will need to click <code>Install</code> again</li> <li>The Continue logo will appear on the left sidebar. For a better experience, move Continue to the right sidebar</li></ol> <p data-svelte-h="svelte-nxwcjz"><img src="https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/continue-docs/images/move-to-right-sidebar-b2d315296198e41046fc174d8178f30a.gif" alt="move-to-right-sidebar"></p> <p data-svelte-h="svelte-1b8ooz5">With Continue configured, we’ll move on to setting up Ollama to pull local models.</p> <h3 class="relative group"><a id="local-models" class="header-link block pr-1.5 text-lg no-hover:hidden with-hover:absolute with-hover:p-1.5 with-hover:opacity-0 with-hover:group-hover:opacity-100 with-hover:right-full" href="#local-models"><span><svg class="" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" aria-hidden="true" role="img" width="1em" height="1em" preserveAspectRatio="xMidYMid meet" viewBox="0 0 256 256"><path d="M167.594 88.393a8.001 8.001 0 0 1 0 11.314l-67.882 67.882a8 8 0 1 1-11.314-11.315l67.882-67.881a8.003 8.003 0 0 1 11.314 0zm-28.287 84.86l-28.284 28.284a40 40 0 0 1-56.567-56.567l28.284-28.284a8 8 0 0 0-11.315-11.315l-28.284 28.284a56 56 0 0 0 79.196 79.197l28.285-28.285a8 8 0 1 0-11.315-11.314zM212.852 43.14a56.002 56.002 0 0 0-79.196 0l-28.284 28.284a8 8 0 1 0 11.314 11.314l28.284-28.284a40 40 0 0 1 56.568 56.567l-28.285 28.285a8 8 0 0 0 11.315 11.314l28.284-28.284a56.065 56.065 0 0 0 0-79.196z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></span></a> <span>Local Models</span></h3> <p data-svelte-h="svelte-1urwmy9">There are many ways to run local models that are compatible with Continue. Three popular options are Ollama, Llama.cpp, and LM Studio. Ollama is an open-source tool that allows users to easily run large language models (LLMs) locally. Llama.cpp is a high-performance C++ library for running LLMs that also includes an OpenAI-compatible server. LM Studio provides a graphical interface for running local models.</p> <p data-svelte-h="svelte-1lobpzd">You can access local models from the Hugging Face Hub and get commands and quick links for all major local inference apps.</p> <p data-svelte-h="svelte-1269dzx"><img src="https://cdn-uploads.huggingface.co/production/uploads/64445e5f1bc692d87b27e183/d6XMR5q9DwVpdEKFeLW9t.png" alt="hugging face hub"></p> <div class="flex space-x-2 items-center my-1.5 mr-8 h-7 !pl-0 -mx-3 md:mx-0"><div class="flex items-center border rounded-lg px-1.5 py-1 leading-none select-none text-smd border-gray-800 bg-black dark:bg-gray-700 text-white">llamacpp </div><div class="flex items-center border rounded-lg px-1.5 py-1 leading-none select-none text-smd text-gray-500 cursor-pointer opacity-90 hover:text-gray-700 dark:hover:text-gray-200 hover:shadow-sm">lmstudio </div><div class="flex items-center border rounded-lg px-1.5 py-1 leading-none select-none text-smd text-gray-500 cursor-pointer opacity-90 hover:text-gray-700 dark:hover:text-gray-200 hover:shadow-sm">ollama </div></div> <div class="language-select"><p data-svelte-h="svelte-1m93zk3">Llama.cpp provides <code>llama-server</code>, a lightweight, OpenAI API compatible, HTTP server for serving LLMs. You can either build it from source by following the instructions in the <a href="https://github.com/ggml-org/llama.cpp" rel="nofollow">Llama.cpp repository</a>, or use a pre-built binary if available for your system. Check out the <a href="https://github.com/ggerganov/llama.cpp" rel="nofollow">Llama.cpp documentation</a> for more information.</p> <p data-svelte-h="svelte-k9d5rf">Once you have <code>llama-server</code>, you can run a model from Hugging Face with a command like this:</p> <div class="code-block relative "><div class="absolute top-2.5 right-4"><button class="inline-flex items-center relative text-sm focus:text-green-500 cursor-pointer focus:outline-none transition duration-200 ease-in-out opacity-0 mx-0.5 text-gray-600 " title="code excerpt" type="button"><svg class="" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" fill="currentColor" focusable="false" role="img" width="1em" height="1em" preserveAspectRatio="xMidYMid meet" viewBox="0 0 32 32"><path d="M28,10V28H10V10H28m0-2H10a2,2,0,0,0-2,2V28a2,2,0,0,0,2,2H28a2,2,0,0,0,2-2V10a2,2,0,0,0-2-2Z" transform="translate(0)"></path><path d="M4,18H2V4A2,2,0,0,1,4,2H18V4H4Z" transform="translate(0)"></path><rect fill="none" width="32" height="32"></rect></svg> <div class="absolute pointer-events-none transition-opacity bg-black text-white py-1 px-2 leading-tight rounded font-normal shadow left-1/2 top-full transform -translate-x-1/2 translate-y-2 opacity-0"><div class="absolute bottom-full left-1/2 transform -translate-x-1/2 w-0 h-0 border-black border-4 border-t-0" style="border-left-color: transparent; border-right-color: transparent; "></div> Copied</div></button></div> <pre class="language-bash "><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->llama-server -hf unsloth/Devstral-Small-2505-GGUF:Q4_K_M<!-- HTML_TAG_END --></pre></div> </div> <blockquote class="tip" data-svelte-h="svelte-14hhei5"><p>Continue supports various local model providers. Besides Ollama, Llama.cpp, and LM Studio you can also use other providers. For a complete list of supported providers and detailed configuration options, please refer to the <a href="https://docs.continue.dev/customize/model-providers" rel="nofollow">Continue documentation</a>.</p></blockquote> <p data-svelte-h="svelte-e48giv">It is important that we use models that have tool calling as a built-in feature, i.e. Codestral Qwen and Llama 3.1x.</p> <ol data-svelte-h="svelte-1h6fny"><li>Create a folder called <code>.continue/models</code> at the top level of your workspace</li> <li>Add a file to this folder to configure your model provider. For example, <code>local-models.yaml</code>.</li> <li>Add the following configuration, depending on whether you are using Ollama, Llama.cpp, or LM Studio.</li></ol> <div class="flex space-x-2 items-center my-1.5 mr-8 h-7 !pl-0 -mx-3 md:mx-0"><div class="flex items-center border rounded-lg px-1.5 py-1 leading-none select-none text-smd border-gray-800 bg-black dark:bg-gray-700 text-white">llamacpp </div><div class="flex items-center border rounded-lg px-1.5 py-1 leading-none select-none text-smd text-gray-500 cursor-pointer opacity-90 hover:text-gray-700 dark:hover:text-gray-200 hover:shadow-sm">lmstudio </div><div class="flex items-center border rounded-lg px-1.5 py-1 leading-none select-none text-smd text-gray-500 cursor-pointer opacity-90 hover:text-gray-700 dark:hover:text-gray-200 hover:shadow-sm">ollama </div></div> <div class="language-select"><p data-svelte-h="svelte-a1uvtg">This configuration is for a <code>llama.cpp</code> model served with <code>llama-server</code>. Note that the <code>model</code> field should match the model you are serving.</p> <div class="code-block relative "><div class="absolute top-2.5 right-4"><button class="inline-flex items-center relative text-sm focus:text-green-500 cursor-pointer focus:outline-none transition duration-200 ease-in-out opacity-0 mx-0.5 text-gray-600 " title="code excerpt" type="button"><svg class="" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" fill="currentColor" focusable="false" role="img" width="1em" height="1em" preserveAspectRatio="xMidYMid meet" viewBox="0 0 32 32"><path d="M28,10V28H10V10H28m0-2H10a2,2,0,0,0-2,2V28a2,2,0,0,0,2,2H28a2,2,0,0,0,2-2V10a2,2,0,0,0-2-2Z" transform="translate(0)"></path><path d="M4,18H2V4A2,2,0,0,1,4,2H18V4H4Z" transform="translate(0)"></path><rect fill="none" width="32" height="32"></rect></svg> <div class="absolute pointer-events-none transition-opacity bg-black text-white py-1 px-2 leading-tight rounded font-normal shadow left-1/2 top-full transform -translate-x-1/2 translate-y-2 opacity-0"><div class="absolute bottom-full left-1/2 transform -translate-x-1/2 w-0 h-0 border-black border-4 border-t-0" style="border-left-color: transparent; border-right-color: transparent; "></div> Copied</div></button></div> <pre class="language-yaml "><!-- HTML_TAG_START --><span class="hljs-attr">name:</span> <span class="hljs-string">Llama.cpp</span> <span class="hljs-string">model</span> | |
| <span class="hljs-attr">version:</span> <span class="hljs-number">0.0</span><span class="hljs-number">.1</span> | |
| <span class="hljs-attr">schema:</span> <span class="hljs-string">v1</span> | |
| <span class="hljs-attr">models:</span> | |
| <span class="hljs-bullet">-</span> <span class="hljs-attr">provider:</span> <span class="hljs-string">llama.cpp</span> | |
| <span class="hljs-attr">model:</span> <span class="hljs-string">unsloth/Devstral-Small-2505-GGUF</span> | |
| <span class="hljs-attr">apiBase:</span> <span class="hljs-string">http://localhost:8080</span> | |
| <span class="hljs-attr">defaultCompletionOptions:</span> | |
| <span class="hljs-attr">contextLength:</span> <span class="hljs-number">8192</span> <span class="hljs-comment"># Adjust based on the model</span> | |
| <span class="hljs-attr">name:</span> <span class="hljs-string">Llama.cpp</span> <span class="hljs-string">Devstral-Small</span> | |
| <span class="hljs-attr">roles:</span> | |
| <span class="hljs-bullet">-</span> <span class="hljs-string">chat</span> | |
| <span class="hljs-bullet">-</span> <span class="hljs-string">edit</span><!-- HTML_TAG_END --></pre></div> </div> <p data-svelte-h="svelte-7una38">By default, each model has a max context length, in this case it is <code>128000</code> tokens. This setup includes a larger use of | |
| that context window to perform multiple MCP requests and needs to be able to handle more tokens.</p> <h2 class="relative group"><a id="how-it-works" class="header-link block pr-1.5 text-lg no-hover:hidden with-hover:absolute with-hover:p-1.5 with-hover:opacity-0 with-hover:group-hover:opacity-100 with-hover:right-full" href="#how-it-works"><span><svg class="" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" aria-hidden="true" role="img" width="1em" height="1em" preserveAspectRatio="xMidYMid meet" viewBox="0 0 256 256"><path d="M167.594 88.393a8.001 8.001 0 0 1 0 11.314l-67.882 67.882a8 8 0 1 1-11.314-11.315l67.882-67.881a8.003 8.003 0 0 1 11.314 0zm-28.287 84.86l-28.284 28.284a40 40 0 0 1-56.567-56.567l28.284-28.284a8 8 0 0 0-11.315-11.315l-28.284 28.284a56 56 0 0 0 79.196 79.197l28.285-28.285a8 8 0 1 0-11.315-11.314zM212.852 43.14a56.002 56.002 0 0 0-79.196 0l-28.284 28.284a8 8 0 1 0 11.314 11.314l28.284-28.284a40 40 0 0 1 56.568 56.567l-28.285 28.285a8 8 0 0 0 11.315 11.314l28.284-28.284a56.065 56.065 0 0 0 0-79.196z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></span></a> <span>How it works</span></h2> <h3 class="relative group"><a id="the-tool-handshake" class="header-link block pr-1.5 text-lg no-hover:hidden with-hover:absolute with-hover:p-1.5 with-hover:opacity-0 with-hover:group-hover:opacity-100 with-hover:right-full" href="#the-tool-handshake"><span><svg class="" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" aria-hidden="true" role="img" width="1em" height="1em" preserveAspectRatio="xMidYMid meet" viewBox="0 0 256 256"><path d="M167.594 88.393a8.001 8.001 0 0 1 0 11.314l-67.882 67.882a8 8 0 1 1-11.314-11.315l67.882-67.881a8.003 8.003 0 0 1 11.314 0zm-28.287 84.86l-28.284 28.284a40 40 0 0 1-56.567-56.567l28.284-28.284a8 8 0 0 0-11.315-11.315l-28.284 28.284a56 56 0 0 0 79.196 79.197l28.285-28.285a8 8 0 1 0-11.315-11.314zM212.852 43.14a56.002 56.002 0 0 0-79.196 0l-28.284 28.284a8 8 0 1 0 11.314 11.314l28.284-28.284a40 40 0 0 1 56.568 56.567l-28.285 28.285a8 8 0 0 0 11.315 11.314l28.284-28.284a56.065 56.065 0 0 0 0-79.196z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></span></a> <span>The tool handshake</span></h3> <p data-svelte-h="svelte-5eyg0z">Tools provide a powerful way for models to interface with the external world. | |
| They are provided to the model as a JSON object with a name and an arguments | |
| schema. For example, a <code>read_file</code> tool with a <code>filepath</code> argument will give the | |
| model the ability to request the contents of a specific file.</p> <p data-svelte-h="svelte-ruu2pv"><img src="https://gist.github.com/user-attachments/assets/c7301fc0-fa5c-4dc4-9955-7ba8a6587b7a" alt="autonomous agents diagram"></p> <p data-svelte-h="svelte-1fmq0fo">The following handshake describes how the Agent uses tools:</p> <ol data-svelte-h="svelte-1x3wvx7"><li>In Agent mode, available tools are sent along with <code>user</code> chat requests</li> <li>The model can choose to include a tool call in its response</li> <li>The user gives permission. This step is skipped if the policy for that tool is set to <code>Automatic</code></li> <li>Continue calls the tool using built-in functionality or the MCP server that offers that particular tool</li> <li>Continue sends the result back to the model</li> <li>The model responds, potentially with another tool call, and step 2 begins again</li></ol> <p data-svelte-h="svelte-m0dr4y">Continue supports multiple local model providers. You can use different models | |
| for different tasks or switch models as needed. This section focuses on | |
| local-first solutions, but Continue does work with popular providers | |
| like OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft/Azure, Mistral, and more. You can also run | |
| your own model provider.</p> <h3 class="relative group"><a id="local-model-integration-with-mcp" class="header-link block pr-1.5 text-lg no-hover:hidden with-hover:absolute with-hover:p-1.5 with-hover:opacity-0 with-hover:group-hover:opacity-100 with-hover:right-full" href="#local-model-integration-with-mcp"><span><svg class="" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" aria-hidden="true" role="img" width="1em" height="1em" preserveAspectRatio="xMidYMid meet" viewBox="0 0 256 256"><path d="M167.594 88.393a8.001 8.001 0 0 1 0 11.314l-67.882 67.882a8 8 0 1 1-11.314-11.315l67.882-67.881a8.003 8.003 0 0 1 11.314 0zm-28.287 84.86l-28.284 28.284a40 40 0 0 1-56.567-56.567l28.284-28.284a8 8 0 0 0-11.315-11.315l-28.284 28.284a56 56 0 0 0 79.196 79.197l28.285-28.285a8 8 0 1 0-11.315-11.314zM212.852 43.14a56.002 56.002 0 0 0-79.196 0l-28.284 28.284a8 8 0 1 0 11.314 11.314l28.284-28.284a40 40 0 0 1 56.568 56.567l-28.285 28.285a8 8 0 0 0 11.315 11.314l28.284-28.284a56.065 56.065 0 0 0 0-79.196z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></span></a> <span>Local Model Integration with MCP</span></h3> <p data-svelte-h="svelte-11pq2r7">Now that we have everything set up, let’s add an existing MCP server. Below is a quick example of setting up a new MCP server for use in your assistant:</p> <ol data-svelte-h="svelte-12actmc"><li>Create a folder called <code>.continue/mcpServers</code> at the top level of your workspace</li> <li>Add a file called <code>playwright-mcp.yaml</code> to this folder</li> <li>Write the following contents to <code>playwright-mcp.yaml</code> and save</li></ol> <div class="code-block relative "><div class="absolute top-2.5 right-4"><button class="inline-flex items-center relative text-sm focus:text-green-500 cursor-pointer focus:outline-none transition duration-200 ease-in-out opacity-0 mx-0.5 text-gray-600 " title="code excerpt" type="button"><svg class="" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" fill="currentColor" focusable="false" role="img" width="1em" height="1em" preserveAspectRatio="xMidYMid meet" viewBox="0 0 32 32"><path d="M28,10V28H10V10H28m0-2H10a2,2,0,0,0-2,2V28a2,2,0,0,0,2,2H28a2,2,0,0,0,2-2V10a2,2,0,0,0-2-2Z" transform="translate(0)"></path><path d="M4,18H2V4A2,2,0,0,1,4,2H18V4H4Z" transform="translate(0)"></path><rect fill="none" width="32" height="32"></rect></svg> <div class="absolute pointer-events-none transition-opacity bg-black text-white py-1 px-2 leading-tight rounded font-normal shadow left-1/2 top-full transform -translate-x-1/2 translate-y-2 opacity-0"><div class="absolute bottom-full left-1/2 transform -translate-x-1/2 w-0 h-0 border-black border-4 border-t-0" style="border-left-color: transparent; border-right-color: transparent; "></div> Copied</div></button></div> <pre class="language-yaml "><!-- HTML_TAG_START --><span class="hljs-attr">name:</span> <span class="hljs-string">Playwright</span> <span class="hljs-string">mcpServer</span> | |
| <span class="hljs-attr">version:</span> <span class="hljs-number">0.0</span><span class="hljs-number">.1</span> | |
| <span class="hljs-attr">schema:</span> <span class="hljs-string">v1</span> | |
| <span class="hljs-attr">mcpServers:</span> | |
| <span class="hljs-bullet">-</span> <span class="hljs-attr">name:</span> <span class="hljs-string">Browser</span> <span class="hljs-string">search</span> | |
| <span class="hljs-attr">command:</span> <span class="hljs-string">npx</span> | |
| <span class="hljs-attr">args:</span> | |
| <span class="hljs-bullet">-</span> <span class="hljs-string">"@playwright/mcp@latest"</span><!-- HTML_TAG_END --></pre></div> <p data-svelte-h="svelte-1e7ktui">Now test your MCP server by prompting the following command:</p> <div class="code-block relative "><div class="absolute top-2.5 right-4"><button class="inline-flex items-center relative text-sm focus:text-green-500 cursor-pointer focus:outline-none transition duration-200 ease-in-out opacity-0 mx-0.5 text-gray-600 " title="code excerpt" type="button"><svg class="" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" fill="currentColor" focusable="false" role="img" width="1em" height="1em" preserveAspectRatio="xMidYMid meet" viewBox="0 0 32 32"><path d="M28,10V28H10V10H28m0-2H10a2,2,0,0,0-2,2V28a2,2,0,0,0,2,2H28a2,2,0,0,0,2-2V10a2,2,0,0,0-2-2Z" transform="translate(0)"></path><path d="M4,18H2V4A2,2,0,0,1,4,2H18V4H4Z" transform="translate(0)"></path><rect fill="none" width="32" height="32"></rect></svg> <div class="absolute pointer-events-none transition-opacity bg-black text-white py-1 px-2 leading-tight rounded font-normal shadow left-1/2 top-full transform -translate-x-1/2 translate-y-2 opacity-0"><div class="absolute bottom-full left-1/2 transform -translate-x-1/2 w-0 h-0 border-black border-4 border-t-0" style="border-left-color: transparent; border-right-color: transparent; "></div> Copied</div></button></div> <pre class=" "><!-- HTML_TAG_START --><span class="hljs-number">1.</span> Using playwright, navigate <span class="hljs-built_in">to</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">https</span>://news.ycombinator.com. | |
| <span class="hljs-number">2.</span> Extract <span class="hljs-keyword">the</span> titles <span class="hljs-keyword">and</span> URLs <span class="hljs-keyword">of</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">the</span> top <span class="hljs-number">4</span> posts <span class="hljs-keyword">on</span> <span class="hljs-title">the</span> <span class="hljs-title">homepage</span>. | |
| <span class="hljs-number">3.</span> Create <span class="hljs-keyword">a</span> <span class="hljs-built_in">file</span> named hn.txt <span class="hljs-keyword">in</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">the</span> root <span class="hljs-built_in">directory</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">of</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">the</span> project. | |
| <span class="hljs-number">4.</span> Save this list <span class="hljs-keyword">as</span> plain <span class="hljs-keyword">text</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">in</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">the</span> hn.txt <span class="hljs-built_in">file</span>, <span class="hljs-keyword">with</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">each</span> <span class="hljs-built_in">line</span> containing <span class="hljs-keyword">the</span> title <span class="hljs-keyword">and</span> <span class="hljs-built_in">URL</span> separated <span class="hljs-keyword">by</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">a</span> hyphen. | |
| Do <span class="hljs-keyword">not</span> output code <span class="hljs-keyword">or</span> instructions—just complete <span class="hljs-keyword">the</span> task <span class="hljs-keyword">and</span> confirm when <span class="hljs-keyword">it</span> is done.<!-- HTML_TAG_END --></pre></div> <p data-svelte-h="svelte-1rtu2v4">The result will be a generated file called <code>hn.txt</code> in the current working directory.</p> <p data-svelte-h="svelte-soni36"><img src="https://deploy-preview-6060--continuedev.netlify.app/assets/images/mcp-playwright-50b192a2ff395f7a6cc11618c5e2d5b1.png" alt="mcp output example"></p> <h2 class="relative group"><a id="conclusion" class="header-link block pr-1.5 text-lg no-hover:hidden with-hover:absolute with-hover:p-1.5 with-hover:opacity-0 with-hover:group-hover:opacity-100 with-hover:right-full" href="#conclusion"><span><svg class="" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" aria-hidden="true" role="img" width="1em" height="1em" preserveAspectRatio="xMidYMid meet" viewBox="0 0 256 256"><path d="M167.594 88.393a8.001 8.001 0 0 1 0 11.314l-67.882 67.882a8 8 0 1 1-11.314-11.315l67.882-67.881a8.003 8.003 0 0 1 11.314 0zm-28.287 84.86l-28.284 28.284a40 40 0 0 1-56.567-56.567l28.284-28.284a8 8 0 0 0-11.315-11.315l-28.284 28.284a56 56 0 0 0 79.196 79.197l28.285-28.285a8 8 0 1 0-11.315-11.314zM212.852 43.14a56.002 56.002 0 0 0-79.196 0l-28.284 28.284a8 8 0 1 0 11.314 11.314l28.284-28.284a40 40 0 0 1 56.568 56.567l-28.285 28.285a8 8 0 0 0 11.315 11.314l28.284-28.284a56.065 56.065 0 0 0 0-79.196z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></span></a> <span>Conclusion</span></h2> <p data-svelte-h="svelte-3cvrrb">By combining Continue with local models like Llama 3.1 and MCP servers, you’ve | |
| unlocked a powerful development workflow that keeps your code and data private | |
| while leveraging cutting-edge AI capabilities.</p> <p data-svelte-h="svelte-6akgsy">This setup gives you the flexibility to customize your AI assistant with | |
| specialized tools, from web automation to file management, all running entirely | |
| on your local machine. Ready to take your development workflow to the next | |
| level? Start by experimenting with different MCP servers from the <a href="https://hub.continue.dev/explore/mcp" rel="nofollow">Continue Hub | |
| MCP explore page</a> and discover how | |
| local AI can transform your coding experience.</p> <a class="!text-gray-400 !no-underline text-sm flex items-center not-prose mt-4" href="https://github.com/huggingface/mcp-course/blob/main/units/en/unit2/continue-client.mdx" target="_blank"><svg class="mr-1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" fill="currentColor" focusable="false" role="img" width="1em" height="1em" preserveAspectRatio="xMidYMid meet" viewBox="0 0 32 32"><path d="M31,16l-7,7l-1.41-1.41L28.17,16l-5.58-5.59L24,9l7,7z"></path><path d="M1,16l7-7l1.41,1.41L3.83,16l5.58,5.59L8,23l-7-7z"></path><path d="M12.419,25.484L17.639,6.552l1.932,0.518L14.351,26.002z"></path></svg> <span data-svelte-h="svelte-zjs2n5"><span class="underline">Update</span> on GitHub</span></a> <p></p> | |
| <script> | |
| { | |
| __sveltekit_1xfzitx = { | |
| assets: "/docs/mcp-course/pr_221/en", | |
| base: "/docs/mcp-course/pr_221/en", | |
| env: {} | |
| }; | |
| const element = document.currentScript.parentElement; | |
| const data = [null,null]; | |
| Promise.all([ | |
| import("/docs/mcp-course/pr_221/en/_app/immutable/entry/start.dc55593b.js"), | |
| import("/docs/mcp-course/pr_221/en/_app/immutable/entry/app.f1430c51.js") | |
| ]).then(([kit, app]) => { | |
| kit.start(app, element, { | |
| node_ids: [0, 17], | |
| data, | |
| form: null, | |
| error: null | |
| }); | |
| }); | |
| } | |
| </script> | |
Xet Storage Details
- Size:
- 33.5 kB
- Xet hash:
- 00a90d36f88de8a65440f305870353f3cd854536fe4105760c9eef05afedef2b
·
Xet efficiently stores files, intelligently splitting them into unique chunks and accelerating uploads and downloads. More info.