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continue/docs/troubleshooting.mdx
Brian Douglas b4ecff3d38 docs: Add troubleshooting guide for MCP ENAMETOOLONG error on macOS (#8389)
docs: Add MCP ENAMETOOLONG error troubleshooting guide

- Add troubleshooting section for 'spawn ENAMETOOLONG' error on macOS
- Include workaround using full command paths instead of PATH resolution
- Reference related GitHub issues #7870 and #6699
- Update table of contents to include new section

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Co-authored-by: Continue <noreply@continue.dev>
2025-10-23 15:25:08 -07:00

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---
title: "Troubleshooting"
description: "Comprehensive guide to resolving common issues with Continue, including logging, keyboard shortcuts, networking problems, model capabilities, and extension configuration troubleshooting"
---
1. [Check the logs](#check-the-logs)
2. [Try the latest pre-release](#download-the-latest-pre-release)
3. [Download an older version](#download-an-older-version)
4. [Resolve keyboard shortcut issues](#keyboard-shortcuts-not-resolving)
5. [MCP Server connection issues](#mcp-server-connection-issues)
6. [Check FAQs for common issues](/faqs)
## Check the logs
To solve many problems, the first step is reading the logs to find the relevant error message. To do this, follow these steps:
### VS Code
#### Console logs
<Info>
In order to view debug logs, which contain extra information, click the
dropdown at the top that says "Default levels" and select "Verbose".
</Info>
1. `cmd` + `shift` + `P` for MacOS or `ctrl`
- `shift` + `P` for Windows
2. Search for and then select "Developer: Toggle Developer Tools"
3. This will open the [Chrome DevTools window](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/devtools/)
4. Select the `Console` tab
5. Read the console logs
#### Prompt Logs (Continue Console)
To view prompt logs/analytics, you can enable the Continue Console.
1. Open VS Code settings (`cmd/ctrl` + `,`)
2. Search for the setting "Continue: Enable Console" and enable it
3. Reload the window
4. Open the Continue Console by using the command palette (`cmd/ctrl` + `shift` + `P`) and searching for "Continue: Focus on Continue Console View"
![Continue Console](/images/images/continue-console-d387a10c2918c117c6c253a3b5f18c22.png)
### JetBrains
Open `~/.continue/logs/core.log` to view the logs for the Continue plugin. The most recent logs are found at the bottom of the file.
Some JetBrains-related logs may also be found by clicking "Help" > "Show Log in Explorer/Finder".
## Download the latest pre-release
### VS Code
We are constantly making fixes and improvements to Continue, but the latest changes remain in a "pre-release" version for roughly a week so that we can test their stability. If you are experiencing issues, you can try the pre-release by going to the Continue extension page in VS Code and selecting "Switch to Pre-Release" as shown below.
![Pre-Release](/images/images/prerelease-9bed93e846914165d30a3b227a680d9b.png)
### JetBrains
On JetBrains, the "pre-release" happens through their Early Access Program (EAP) channel. To download the latest EAP version, enable the EAP channel:
1. Open JetBrains settings (`cmd/ctrl` + `,`) and go to "Plugins"
2. Click the gear icon at the top
3. Select "Manage Plugin Repositories..."
4. Add "[https://plugins.jetbrains.com/plugins/eap/list](https://plugins.jetbrains.com/plugins/eap/list)" to the list
5. You'll now always be able to download the latest EAP version from the marketplace
## Download an Older Version
If you've tried everything, reported an error, know that a previous version was working for you, and are waiting to hear back, you can try downloading an older version of the extension.
For VS Code, All versions are hosted on the Open VSX Registry [here](https://open-vsx.org/extension/Continue/continue). Once you've downloaded the extension, which will be a .vsix file, you can install it manually by following the instructions [here](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/extension-gallery#_install-from-a-vsix).
You can find older versions of the JetBrains extension on their [marketplace](https://plugins.jetbrains.com/plugin/22707-continue), which will walk you through installing from disk.
## Keyboard shortcuts not resolving
If your keyboard shortcuts are not resolving, you may have other commands that are taking precedence over the Continue shortcuts. You can see if this is the case, and change your shortcut mappings, in the configuration of your IDE.
- [VSCode keyboard shortcuts docs](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/getstarted/keybindings)
- [IntelliJ keyboard shortcut docs](https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/configuring-keyboard-and-mouse-shortcuts.html)
## MCP Server connection issues
### "spawn ENAMETOOLONG" error on macOS
If you're seeing an error like `Failed to connect to "<MCP Server Name>"` with `Error: spawn ENAMETOOLONG` when using MCP servers on macOS, this is due to the environment being too large when spawning the MCP process.
**Workaround:** Use the full path to the command instead of relying on PATH resolution:
```yaml
mcpServers:
- name: Memory MCP server
command: /usr/local/bin/npx # Use full path instead of just "npx"
args:
- -y
- "@modelcontextprotocol/server-memory"
```
To find the full path to a command on your system:
- For `npx`: run `which npx`
- For `docker`: run `which docker`
- For `uv`/`uvx`: run `which uv` or `which uvx`
This issue typically affects macOS users with large development environments and is being tracked in [#7870](https://github.com/continuedev/continue/issues/7870) and [#6699](https://github.com/continuedev/continue/issues/6699).
## Still having trouble?
You can also join our Discord community [here](https://discord.gg/vapESyrFmJ) for additional support and discussions. Alternatively, you can create a GitHub issue [here](https://github.com/continuedev/continue/issues/new?assignees=&labels=bug&projects=&template=bug-report-%F0%9F%90%9B.md&title=), providing details of your problem, and we'll be able to help you out more quickly.