Overview

Continue CLI (cn) is a terminal-based coding agent. It can edit files, run commands, and work through multi-step tasks — the same agent that powers the Continue IDE extensions, running in your terminal.

Install

macOS / Linux

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/continuedev/continue/main/extensions/cli/scripts/install.sh | bash

Windows

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/continuedev/continue/main/extensions/cli/scripts/install.ps1 | iex

npm (cross-platform)

If you already have Node.js 20+:

npm i -g @continuedev/cli

First run

cd your-project
cn

On first launch you’ll be asked to log in with Continue or enter an Anthropic API key. After that, you’re in a session and can start typing.

Two modes

TUI mode — run cn to start an interactive session. You type messages, reference files with @, approve tool calls, and iterate with the agent. This is the default.

Headless mode — run cn -p "your prompt" for single-shot automation. The agent runs to completion and prints its response to stdout. Use this in scripts, CI/CD, and git hooks.

Common flags

Flag	Effect
-p "prompt"	Headless mode — run prompt and exit
--config <path or slug>	Use a specific config file or assistant
--resume	Resume the most recent session
--auto	Allow all tools without prompting
--readonly	Plan mode — read-only tools only
--allow <tool>	Allow a specific tool (repeatable)
--exclude <tool>	Exclude a specific tool (repeatable)
--rule <rule>	Add a rule — file path, hub slug, or string (repeatable)
--mcp <slug>	Add an MCP server from the hub (repeatable)
--model <slug>	Add a model from the hub (repeatable)
--agent <slug>	Load an agent file from the hub
--verbose	Enable verbose logging

Run cn --help for the full list.