Learn how to set up local LLM code completion in VS Code using Ollama and Continue. Get Copilot-like autocomplete with full privacy — no cloud, no data leaks.

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Set up local LLM code completion in VS Code using Ollama and the Continue extension to replicate GitHub Copilot functionality while keeping all code on your machine. The guide covers installing Ollama, pulling code-specialized models like Qwen2.5-Coder 7B, configuring Continue with production-ready settings, and optimizing performance for different hardware configurations. Local completion eliminates data privacy concerns that led companies like Samsung and Apple to ban cloud-based AI tools, requires 16GB RAM minimum (32GB recommended), and provides offline capability with quality approaching Copilot for 7B models and matching it for 33B models.

Set Up Local LLM Code Completion in VS Code

Why Companies Are Banning Copilot and What You Can Do About It

Architecture Overview: How Local Code Completion Works

Step 1: Installing and Configuring Ollama

Step 3: Optimizing for Real-World Code Completion

Practical Demo: Local Code Completion in a React Project

The Future of Local AI-Assisted Development