Alt: man using laptop computer and headphones
Title: AI Coding Assistant

Meta Description: Learn how to create a blazing fast and fully private AI coding assistant locally using Qwen3, Ollama, and Continue.dev in this comprehensive guide.

Introduction

In today’s fast-paced software development landscape, efficiency and privacy are paramount. An AI Coding Assistant can significantly enhance your productivity by providing intelligent code suggestions, debugging assistance, and more. This guide will walk you through building a blazing fast and fully private AI coding assistant locally using Qwen3, Ollama, and Continue.dev.

The Need for a Local AI Coding Assistant

Developers often juggle multiple AI tools and sessions, leading to lost context and inefficient workflows. Existing solutions like GitHub Copilot, Cursor, and Windsurf offer varying degrees of assistance but come with limitations such as cost, speed, and data privacy concerns. A local AI coding assistant addresses these challenges by ensuring complete privacy, instant response times, and seamless integration into your development environment.

Introducing Dereference AI Codetabs

Dereference AI Codetabs revolutionizes software development by enabling multi-session orchestration with various AI models like Claude, GPT-4, and Gemini. Key features include:

• Multi-Session Orchestration: Conduct simultaneous interactions with different AI models.
• Atomic Branching and Merging: Explore alternative solutions without losing context.
• Privacy-First Architecture: Local processing ensures data security without leaks.

Built entirely on a Rust framework, Dereference Codetabs offers lightning-fast native performance and intelligent context management, making it an indispensable tool for modern developers.

Building Your Local AI Coding Assistant

Follow these steps to set up your own local AI coding assistant:

Step 1: Install Ollama

Ollama is essential for hosting large language models (LLMs) locally.

• Mac:
  bash
brew install ollama
• Windows:
  Download the installer from ollama.com/download and run it.

After installation, launch Ollama to ensure it’s set up correctly.

Step 2: Pull Qwen3 & Embedding Models

Open your terminal or PowerShell and execute the following commands:

ollama pull qwen3:30b-a3b
ollama pull nomic-embed-text

• qwen3:30b-a3b: Serves as the main AI brain, handling chat, autocomplete, edits, and more.
• nomic-embed-text: Enables the AI to understand your entire codebase, enhancing its contextual awareness.

Step 3: Install Continue.dev Extension in VS Code

1. Open Visual Studio Code.
2. Navigate to the Extensions tab (🔍 icon on the left sidebar).
3. Search for “Continue” and click Install.

Step 4: Configure Continue to Use Qwen3

1. In VS Code, go to the Continue tab (🧠 icon).
2. Click the gear ⚙️ icon and select Open Config.

3. Replace the default configuration with the following YAML:

   yaml
name: Local Assistant
version: 1.0.0
schema: v1
models:
- name: Qwen3-30b
provider: ollama
model: qwen3:30b-a3b
roles:
- chat
- edit
- autocomplete
- apply
- summarize
- name: embeddingsProvider
provider: ollama
model: nomic-embed-text
roles:
- embed
context:
- provider: code
- provider: docs
- provider: diff
- provider: terminal
- provider: problems
- provider: folder
- provider: codebase

Configuration Breakdown:

• Models: Defines the AI models powering your assistant.
• Context: Specifies the data sources the AI can access, ensuring comprehensive problem-solving capabilities across your entire project.

Step 5: Finalize Setup

You’ve successfully set up your local AI coding assistant! Here’s what you gain:

• Privacy: No data leaks or external tracking.
• Speed: Fast processing on your machine without relying on external APIs.
• Power: Competitively matches the capabilities of GPT-4 and Claude 3.7.
• Offline-Ready: Work without an internet connection, ensuring uninterrupted productivity.

Advantages of a Local AI Coding Assistant

Building a local AI coding assistant offers several benefits:

• Enhanced Productivity: Intelligent code suggestions and debugging assistance streamline your workflow.
• Data Security: Ensures your codebase remains private and secure.
• Customization: Tailor the assistant to fit your specific development needs and preferences.
• Cost Efficiency: Avoid recurring subscription fees associated with cloud-based AI tools.

Conclusion

Creating a local AI Coding Assistant with Qwen3, Ollama, and Continue.dev transforms your development experience by combining speed, privacy, and powerful AI capabilities. Whether you’re a professional developer, an AI enthusiast, or part of a tech company, this setup can significantly enhance your coding efficiency and productivity.

Ready to elevate your development workflow? Visit Dereference.dev to explore more about Dereference AI Codetabs and how it can revolutionize your software development process.

Unlock the Future of Coding with Dereference AI Codetabs Today!

Explore the full potential of your development projects by integrating advanced AI tools designed for efficiency and privacy. Get Started Now