Continue CLI (cn) Cheatsheet - Terminal Open-source Coding Agent

All Continue CLI (cn) terminal coding-agent commands in one place — from install to interactive/headless mode, login to thread management — organized by scenario. Copy and go.

AI CLI·25 commands·Last updated 2026-08-23

Install & Auth 5

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

Install cn via official script

cn --version

Show installed version

cn login

Browser sign-in (assistants/MCP/models)

cn logout

Sign out of the session

export CONTINUE_API_KEY=...

Headless/CI auth via API key

Interactive (TUI) 5

cn

Start an interactive session in the project dir

@src/auth/middleware.ts why does it reject valid tokens

@-reference files/dirs as context

/clear

Clear conversation history

/compact

Compact chat to free context

/whoami

Show current signed-in identity

Headless (scripts/CI) 5

cn -p "add tests for the auth module"

-p runs once and exits after printing

cn -p "..." --auto

Auto-approve all tool calls (no prompt)

cn -p "..." --readonly

Read-only plan mode, no file changes

cn -p "..." --config ./my-config.yaml

Run with a specific config file

cn -p "..." --verbose

Verbose logging

Threads & Config 5

cn --resume

Resume the most recent session

/resume

Reopen history from the picker in-session

cn --model <slug>

Specify a model at launch

cn --mcp <slug>

Attach a named MCP server

cn --agent <slug>

Load a named agent file

Tips 5

cn TUI shares the agent with IDE plugins

Config/habits carry over

CI: -p + CONTINUE_API_KEY

Headless env needs no login state

@-reference feeds precise context

More accurate/cheaper than full-project scan

--readonly to plan first

Plan before big changes

--rule injects rules

cn --rule "use TS strict mode" persists

Tips

Continue CLI (command `cn`) shares the same agent as the Continue VS Code/JetBrains extensions — reuse your IDE models/MCP/rules in the terminal.
`cn -p "..."` is headless: it prints and exits, ideal for scripts/CI; pair with `CONTINUE_API_KEY` to automate in browser-less envs.
`@file/dir` feeds precise context — more accurate and cheaper than a full-project scan; use `--readonly` to plan before big changes.
`--rule` repeatedly injects constraints (e.g. "use TypeScript strict mode"); `--mcp`/`--agent` attach external capabilities and custom agents.

Official References

Commands are compiled from the official docs below. Click to verify the latest usage.

Maintained by LaoHand

Publicly updated on Aug 23, 2026, continuously proofread against official docs.

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