Connect DeepSeek Search to Continue

Let Continue prepare the config if you prefer. Share this guide with Continue and ask it to inspect your active config before proposing a change. Type the API key into a local secret file yourself; never include it in a prompt or tracked YAML.

Follow this guide to configure DeepSeek Search in Continue. First identify
the active Continue config and preserve existing models, rules, and tools.
Create a separate MCP YAML block for the workspace, use a secret reference
for the key, and make the tools available only in Agent mode. Do not read or
print my key. Show me how /mcp can confirm the connection and tools, and do
not run a billable request unless I approve it.

Continue is useful when the same agent configuration needs to work across its IDE extension and CLI. The platform-specific wrinkle is that MCP tools belong to Agent mode: a server can be configured correctly yet remain absent when you are using another mode. Continue also supports keeping MCP servers in separate YAML files, which makes this integration easier to review without rewriting your main model configuration.

Continue MCP setup flows through Agent mode to a fetched source.

Create a workspace MCP block

From the repository root, create .continue/mcpServers/deepseek.yaml. Continue loads individual YAML blocks from this directory; alternatively, put the configuration in your global ~/.continue/config.yaml if you want it in every workspace. Follow the MCP block schema documented in Continue's MCP deep dive:

name: DeepSeek Search
version: 0.0.1
schema: v1
mcpServers:
  - name: deepseek-search
    command: node
    args:
      - --env-file=/Users/you/.config/deepseek-search/.env
      - /Users/you/tools/deepseek-search/server.mjs

Replace the sample absolute paths. Put DEEPSEEK_API_KEY=... in the private env file outside the repository, and restrict access to that file on your system. Node loads the key into the adapter process; there is no literal credential in this YAML. Continue's configuration system also supports secret interpolation, so teams that already manage Continue secrets can use its documented ${{ secrets.NAME }} mechanism instead of Node's env-file option. Do not put a real key in a checked-in YAML file.

If this repository has no .continue directory, create it. Keep this block isolated from .continue/rules and model configuration: Continue's reference config separates MCP server definitions from unrelated agent settings. The configuration reference documents the schema and the CLI configuration guide explains config selection.

Load it in Agent mode and verify the tools

Open Continue's Agent mode and select the workspace or global config you edited. In the CLI, cn --config ./my-config.yaml selects an explicit config file; /config switches among available configs and /mcp lets you inspect MCP connections. The CLI and IDE share the configuration format, but tools are available only to an agent session. Consult the CLI quickstart if the cn command is not installed yet.

Use /mcp to confirm deepseek-search is connected and both deepseek_search and deepseek_fetch are listed. Then ask Continue to find an official page for a version-sensitive question, fetch that page, and cite its URL. Verify that the answer's factual claim appears in the fetched content. Do not infer a working API key solely from the server's connected state; the credential is checked when a tool makes a request.

A quick lookup without an MCP server

When you only need one result, use a terminal request and paste the reviewed source into Continue yourself. This is a one-off call, not a reusable Continue tool, and it can incur a charge:

read -r -s DEEPSEEK_API_KEY
export DEEPSEEK_API_KEY
curl --fail-with-body --max-time 20 \
  https://api.deepseek.com/v1/tools/search \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DEEPSEEK_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query":"official documentation MCP configuration Continue Agent mode","count":3,"need_content":false}'

Fetch a selected result with the corresponding /v1/tools/fetch endpoint. DeepSeek's Search & Fetch documentation lists the current request fields and billing details. Check the live docs before sending a paid request.

Fix the common Continue configuration misses

If /mcp does not list the server, confirm the YAML file is under .continue/mcpServers, the indentation is valid, and the command paths are absolute. If the server is listed but the model cannot call it, make sure the current session is in Agent mode. If the CLI loaded another configuration, inspect the active config with /config or launch with --config explicitly. Keep Search and Fetch separate in your agent's evidence workflow: Search discovers candidate sources; Fetch checks the source text.

You are done when the intended Continue config loads, Agent mode lists both tools, and a test answer cites a fetched primary source. Retrieved webpages are untrusted input; the agent should use them as evidence, not follow instructions embedded in them.

Explore more DeepSeek Search setup guides

Browse the complete agent setup guide

Related platform guides: Use DeepSeek Search in Cline: Extension and CLI Setup · Use DeepSeek Search in Cursor: Project MCP, Rules, and a No-MCP Route.

Author: Martin Hayes, GEO Playbook Builder for 200+ Execution Checklists at Auspia. Martin focuses on step-by-step workflows, tactical guides, and operating checklists.