Guide to Configure Continue in VS Code using Codestral 25.01

Among the numerous advancements in artificial intelligence, code generation stands out as particularly impactful. Coding models signify a major evolution in the field of software development.

Mistral AI has been leading the way in this transformation with their coding models, including the newly introduced Codestral 25.01, designed to significantly enhance software development.

Table of Content

• Codestral 25.01
• Key features
• Getting an API key from Mistral AI
• Installing and setting up Continue.dev extension in VS Code
• Usage of Continue.Dev extension in VS Code

Codestral 25.01

Codestral 25.01 is the latest coding model released by mistral AI, representing a significant leap forward in AI-driven software development.

Released on January 13, 2025, Codestral 25.01 had set a new benchmark in the field of code generation with its efficient and faster code generation abilities.

Packed with numerous features along with more efficient architecture and improved tokenizer, It has now become the clear leader among its competitors.

Key Features of Codestral 25.01

• It has more efficient architecture and an improved tokenizer.
• It has been optimized for low-latency, high-frequency use cases.
• it is proficient in over 80 programming languages.
• It generate response 2X faster than previous codestral models.
• It supports tasks such as fill-in-the-middle (FIM), code correction and test generation.
• It can be easily integrated with Popular IDEs.

Getting an API key from Mistral AI

1. Go to Mistral AI website and create an account. You can either use your google or Microsoft account or use your email to sign up.
2. Login in into your account with your credentials and subscribe for a plan according to your need.
3. Create an API Key for your use, save the key for future use.

Installing and setting up Continue.dev Extension in VS Code

• Open Extension marketplace in VS Code from activity bar and search for `Continue AI` and install the extension.

• After Installation you can see a continue button on status bar at the bottom, click on the button to open a pop window.

• Click on Configure autocomplete options and open config.json file.
• In Config.json file, find the key “tabAutocompleteModel” and you will find the following configuration.

"tabAutocompleteModel": [

    {
      "title": "codestral",
      "provider": "mistral",
      "model": "codestral-latest",
      "apiKey": ""
    }
  ]

• Paste your generated API key here between the double quotes, as shown below in the image.

"tabAutocompleteModel": [

    {
      "title": "codestral",
      "provider": "mistral",
      "model": "codestral-latest",
      "apiKey": "gfhs..........sfhus"
    }
  ]

• Save and close the file.

Usage of Continue.Dev extension in VS Code

1) Code Auto Complete

• Open any file or a new file and start coding. The Continue.dev extension will provide auto complete suggestions, as show in the image.

• You can accept the suggestion by hitting tab button on keyboard or continue writing code accordingly.

2) Chat functionality

• On the activity bar on the left side of your window, you will see a new icon of Continue.dev extension, click on it.
• Now you need to click on add a chat model here.
• Now select Mistral from the Provider dropdown and Codestral from the Model Dropdown.

• Paste your generated API key in API key column and click on connect.
• After the Model is successfully added, ask your query on the chat and wait for response.

That’s it! In this article, we aimed to cover how to Configure Continue.dev extension in VS Code using Codestral 25.01. Hope it helps! Please share your feedback in the comments.

Start your Machine Learning journey with Webkul.
Happy Coding !!