Use the Vani API in VS Code (Continue, Cline and Copilot)

• Continue: config.yaml (the current format), with the key in a .env file the extension can read.
• Cline: the OpenAI Compatible provider.
• VS Code's own chat: VS Code 1.122 or later (the Custom Endpoint provider). It works without a GitHub sign-in; on Copilot Business or Enterprise an administrator controls bring-your-own-key.
• Vani has no embeddings, legacy completions or fill-in-the-middle endpoint: keep autocomplete, inline suggestions and codebase indexing on another provider.

1. 1Install Continue from the VS Code Marketplace.
2. 2Create ~/.continue/.env with VANI_API_KEY=vani_… (no quotes). The extension cannot read your shell's environment variables.
3. 3Open the local config: in the Continue panel open the config menu and click the gear next to Local Config (~/.continue/config.yaml).
4. 4Add the models below. useResponsesApi: false keeps Continue on /chat/completions, and capabilities: [tool_use] makes Agent mode available.
5. 5Restart VS Code and pick the model in Continue's model menu.

name: Vani
version: 1.0.0
schema: v1
models:
  - name: Vani GPT-6 Sol
    provider: openai
    model: openai/gpt-6-sol
    apiBase: https://api.vani.ai/v1
    apiKey: ${{ secrets.VANI_API_KEY }}
    useResponsesApi: false
    roles: [chat, edit, apply]
    capabilities: [tool_use]
  - name: Vani GPT-6 Sol Fast
    provider: openai
    model: openai/gpt-6-sol-fast
    apiBase: https://api.vani.ai/v1
    apiKey: ${{ secrets.VANI_API_KEY }}
    useResponsesApi: false
    roles: [chat, edit, apply]
    capabilities: [tool_use]
  - name: Vani Muse Spark 1.3
    provider: openai
    model: meta/muse-spark-1.3
    apiBase: https://api.vani.ai/v1
    apiKey: ${{ secrets.VANI_API_KEY }}
    useResponsesApi: false
    roles: [chat, edit, apply]
    capabilities: [tool_use]

VANI_API_KEY=vani_YOUR_API_KEY

1. 1Install Cline, open its panel and click the settings gear.
2. 2API Provider: OpenAI Compatible.
3. 3Base URL: https://api.vani.ai/v1. API Key: your Vani key. Model ID: openai/gpt-6-sol (or openai/gpt-6-sol-fast, meta/muse-spark-1.3).
4. 4Under Model Configuration set the context window and maximum output to the model's real limits (Cline cannot detect them for OpenAI-compatible providers) and turn Image Support on only for models that accept images.
5. 5Optional: Use different models for Plan and Act, for example openai/gpt-6-sol to plan and openai/gpt-6-sol-fast to act.

API Provider : OpenAI Compatible
Base URL     : https://api.vani.ai/v1
API Key      : vani_YOUR_API_KEY
Model ID     : openai/gpt-6-sol

1. 1Open the model menu in chat and choose Manage Language Models (or run Chat: Manage Language Models).
2. 2Click Add Models and choose Custom Endpoint. Enter a group name (Vani), a display name and your Vani key; VS Code keeps the key in its secret storage.
3. 3Choose the API type Chat Completions, then fill in the models in the chatLanguageModels.json file VS Code opens, with the full endpoint URL.
4. 4Set toolCalling: true so the model is offered in Agent mode. Keep maxInputTokens + maxOutputTokens within the model's context window.
5. 5If you are not signed in to GitHub, also set chat.utilityModel to a Vani model so titles and commit messages work.

[
  {
    "name": "Vani",
    "vendor": "customendpoint",
    "apiKey": "${input:vaniApiKey}",
    "apiType": "chat-completions",
    "models": [
      {
        "id": "openai/gpt-6-sol",
        "name": "Vani GPT-6 Sol",
        "url": "https://api.vani.ai/v1/chat/completions",
        "toolCalling": true,
        "vision": false,
        "maxInputTokens": 120000,
        "maxOutputTokens": 8000
      },
      {
        "id": "openai/gpt-6-sol-fast",
        "name": "Vani GPT-6 Sol Fast",
        "url": "https://api.vani.ai/v1/chat/completions",
        "toolCalling": true,
        "vision": false,
        "maxInputTokens": 120000,
        "maxOutputTokens": 8000
      },
      {
        "id": "meta/muse-spark-1.3",
        "name": "Vani Muse Spark 1.3",
        "url": "https://api.vani.ai/v1/chat/completions",
        "toolCalling": true,
        "vision": false,
        "maxInputTokens": 120000,
        "maxOutputTokens": 8000
      }
    ]
  }
]

Continue: 401, or ${{ secrets.VANI_API_KEY }} is not resolved

Put VANI_API_KEY in ~/.continue/.env or <workspace>/.continue/.env and restart VS Code. A variable exported in a terminal is not visible to the extension.

Continue: Agent mode is unavailable or tools are never called

Add capabilities: [tool_use] to the model; Continue cannot detect capabilities for Vani's ids.

404 Not Found

Continue and Cline take https://api.vani.ai/v1 (they append /chat/completions); VS Code's Custom Endpoint takes the full https://api.vani.ai/v1/chat/completions.

VS Code chat: the model is not listed in Agent mode

Set toolCalling: true, save the file and restart VS Code. On Business or Enterprise, check that bring-your-own-key is allowed.

Autocomplete or codebase indexing does not use Vani

Expected: Vani has no fill-in-the-middle or embeddings endpoint. Keep those roles on another provider.

401 Unauthorized

Use a Vani key (it starts with vani_) from the API console, not a key from another provider. Vani accepts Authorization: Bearer <key> or x-api-key: <key>; the Azure-style api-key header is not accepted. Check that no space or line break was pasted with the key.

Still stuck? Check service status or the API error reference.

• Continue: OpenAI provider (apiBase, useResponsesApi)
• Continue: config.yaml reference
• Continue: FAQs (secrets in .env)
• Continue: model capabilities
• Cline: OpenAI Compatible
• Cline: Plan & Act
• VS Code: AI language models (Custom Endpoint)
• VS Code 1.122 release notes
• GitHub Docs: bring your own key

Other guides: Xcode · Cursor · JetBrains IDEs · Microsoft Foundry · OpenAI and Anthropic SDKs