Local Coding Assistant Setup

Written by Jakub Rusinowski · Last updated July 10, 2026

Replace GitHub Copilot with a free, private local alternative in VS Code.

In This Guide

• 1. The Short Version (2026)
• 2. Features You Get
• 3. Going Further

Replace GitHub Copilot with a free, private local alternative in VS Code.

This tutorial has grown into a full hub. For current model rankings by VRAM tier, tool comparisons (Continue vs Cline vs Aider vs Tabby), and the complete walkthrough, see the Coding Agents Hub.

1. The Short Version (2026)

• Install Ollama, then pull a coding model for your hardware: qwen3-coder:8b (8 GB VRAM), devstral:22b (16 GB), or qwen3.6:27b (24 GB).
• Install Continue from the VS Code Marketplace and set its provider to ollama.
• Add starcoder2:3b as the dedicated autocomplete model — ghost text needs low latency, not size.

2. Features You Get

• Autocomplete: ghost text as you type, served from your own GPU.
• Chat: Highlight code and press Cmd+L to ask questions about it.
• Edit: Highlight code and press Cmd+I to instruct the AI to refactor it.

3. Going Further

• Best local coding models by VRAM tier — what your card actually runs.
• Run a local coding agent end-to-end — the full walkthrough including Cline and context tuning.
• Local Copilot alternatives compared — Continue vs Tabby vs Cline vs Aider vs Twinny.

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