Quick Start Guide

Get up and running in 5 minutes

Quick Start Guide

Get Continuity running in 5 minutes.

Setup

bash

# 1. Install from VS Code Marketplace
#    Search "Continuity" → Install

# 2. Setup MCP (Command Palette)
Cmd+Shift+P → "Continuity: Setup MCP"

# 3. Restart your AI tool (Claude Code, Cursor, or Cline)

That's it. Continuity generates instruction files that tell your AI how to use its memory tools.

What Happens Now

Continuity creates instruction files (CLAUDE.md, .cursorrules) that your AI reads on startup. These files tell your AI:

•When to search for existing decisions
•When to offer to log new decisions
•How to check for conflicts with past choices

When you ask an architectural question, your AI should search for related decisions first.

When you explain your reasoning, your AI should offer to log it as a decision.

See It In Action

Ask an architectural question

You: "Should we use Redis or Memcached for caching?"

AI: Searches for related decisions

"Let me check what we've decided about caching... I found decision-23 where you chose PostgreSQL and prioritized reliability. Based on that pattern, Redis might be a better fit since it offers persistence. What do you think?"

Explain a choice

You: "Let's use TypeScript because the type safety catches bugs early and the IDE support is better."

AI: "Good reasoning. Want me to log this decision? That way we'll remember why TypeScript when it comes up later."

Check for conflicts

You: "I'm thinking of switching to MongoDB."

AI: Searches for database decisions

"Before we decide, I found decision-12 where you chose PostgreSQL specifically for ACID transactions. Switching to MongoDB would change that approach. Do you want to proceed, or should we look at what drove that original decision?"

If Your AI Doesn't Behave This Way

Some AI tools don't reliably read instruction files. If your AI isn't being proactive:

•Ask explicitly: "Search for decisions about caching before we decide"
•Remind it: "Check the CLAUDE.md file for how to use Continuity"
•Direct request: "Log this decision: We chose X because Y"

The tools always work when asked directly.

Key Commands

You can always ask your AI to:

What you want	What to say
Search decisions	"What have we decided about X?"
Log a decision	"Log this decision: [your reasoning]"
Load context	"What's the project context?"
Track a blocker	"I'm stuck on X, add it to blockers"

Troubleshooting

AI not using Continuity tools?

•Run Cmd+Shift+P → "Continuity: Setup MCP"
•Restart your AI tool completely
•Check that CLAUDE.md or .cursorrules exists in your project

AI being proactive but missing context?

•Decisions are stored in .continuity/decisions.json
•Run "Continuity: Regenerate Instruction Files" to update them

Next Steps

•Fluent AI Memory — How the automatic behavior works
•Decision Logging — Log decisions effectively

Fluent AI Memory →