The buying decision
First connect chat and a bounded edit. Add agent tools or autocomplete only after checking the capabilities and latency those roles need.
The provider account pays for model requests
For a bring-your-own-provider configuration, Continue sends requests to the API you configure. The provider charges for that inference. Any Continue product or organization subscription is a separate consideration; verify its current terms instead of assuming a seat fee includes unlimited third-party API use. You can use the same provider account from another compatible tool, while keeping credentials local to each client.
Use the current YAML fields
Continue's OpenAI-compatible documentation uses provider: openai, apiBase for the endpoint, model for the model identifier and apiKey for authentication. For Standard Compute, use apiBase https://api.stdcmpt.com/v1 and model standardcompute. Merge a new entry into your existing configuration rather than replacing all models and rules. Use Continue's supported secret configuration for credentials; never commit a real key.
Check capabilities instead of relying on a name
A custom model name may not give Continue enough information to detect tool use or other capabilities. Consult the current capabilities documentation and the selected provider model. Autocomplete has different latency and completion-format needs from interactive chat. Do not assign every role to an untested router simply because its first chat response succeeded.
Separate Responses from Chat Completions
Continue documents automatic Responses API selection for some model families and a useResponsesApi setting to select Chat Completions instead. Match that protocol to the endpoint you bought. If setup returns a 404, inspect the actual requested path before replacing the API key or buying another plan. A base URL should identify the API root, not include /chat/completions.
Run your own comparison
Use the same task, starting revision and acceptance check. Record every retry and failed attempt so the result reflects the work you actually paid for.