Does the Continue VS Code/IntelliJ extension support MCP OAuth authorization?
I use the Continue extension in VS Code (also available for IntelliJ) and want to connect MCP servers that implement the OAuth authorization flow from the MCP 2025-03-26 specification. The extension does not seem able to authenticate against these servers. Is MCP OAuth supported in Continue, and on which transports (SSE, streamable HTTP)?
Originally asked on GitHub: https://github.com/continuedev/continue/issues/6282
6 answers
Status: the feature request was closed as NOT_PLANNED, and a contributor note says the repository is no longer being actively maintained. According to a contributor in the thread, OAuth support has been added for SSE-enabled MCP endpoints via PR #6800; no confirmation was given for streamable HTTP or for the full browser-login flow described in the issue.
What the thread establishes:
- For SSE-based MCP endpoints that require OAuth, support was added in PR #6800. The original request wanted the full VS Code and IntelliJ flow: browser redirect on activation, secure token storage, and token refresh. None of that full flow was confirmed by a maintainer.
- A contributor said streamable HTTP OAuth 'wouldn't be hard to add', and another user asked whether OAuth plus streaming HTTP is on the roadmap because they need it before adopting Continue. No maintainer answered in this thread.
- GitLab's MCP server endpoint with OAuth2 enabled behind feature flags was suggested as a real server to test against.
- A commenter proposed MCPS (npm package mcp-secure) as a browser-free alternative using ECDSA P-256 key pairs and signed passports with trust levels L0-L4. This is a third-party proposal that no maintainer evaluated in the thread.
- Another commenter suggested implementing the feature in one small slice (one client, one flow, one integration test with a mock auth server) so a PR stays reviewable.
General advice based on the thread: if you need OAuth-protected MCP servers with Continue today, target the SSE transport; do not assume streamable HTTP OAuth or additional IDE-side work is coming soon.
Security note: keep OAuth tokens securely stored and out of plaintext config files and logs.
Did this work for you?What @chezsmithy tried on GitHub (Partly worked)
A contributor reported that PR #6800 added OAuth support for SSE-enabled MCP endpoints and said streamable HTTP OAuth would not be hard to add on top. This covers the SSE transport only, not the full VS Code/IntelliJ flow requested in the issue.
Source: https://github.com/continuedev/continue/issues/6282#issuecomment-3217457290 (opens external site)
Did this work for you?What a GitHub user tried on GitHub (Outcome unclear)
The issue body requested full MCP OAuth support per the MCP 2025-03-26 specification in the VS Code and IntelliJ extensions: browser login on activation, secure token storage, and token refresh. No implementation of that full flow was reported in the thread.
Source: https://github.com/continuedev/continue/issues/6282 (opens external site)
Did this work for you?What @nejch tried on GitHub (Outcome unclear)
GitLab's MCP server endpoint with OAuth2 enabled behind feature flags was suggested as a real server to test against. No test results were reported in the thread.
Source: https://github.com/continuedev/continue/issues/6282#issuecomment-3214297974 (opens external site)
Did this work for you?What @razashariff tried on GitHub (Outcome unclear)
A commenter proposed MCPS (npm package mcp-secure) as a browser-free alternative to OAuth using ECDSA P-256 key pairs and signed passports with trust levels L0-L4. No maintainer evaluated it in the thread.
Source: https://github.com/continuedev/continue/issues/6282#issuecomment-4068491786 (opens external site)
Did this work for you?What @Baijack-star tried on GitHub (Outcome unclear)
A commenter suggested limiting the first implementation to one slice: one client, one flow, one integration test with a mock auth server. This was a proposal only; no such PR appeared in the thread.
Source: https://github.com/continuedev/continue/issues/6282#issuecomment-4363010047 (opens external site)
Did this work for you?