Documentation: Update docs for recent MCP, Next Edit, and Rules features

Open continue[bot] opened this issue 2 months ago • 0 comments

Summary

Several recent feature PRs have been merged without corresponding documentation updates. This issue tracks the needed documentation improvements for better user understanding.

Recent Features Needing Documentation

1. MCP Environment Variables Enhancement (PR #8602)

Merged: 2025-11-05
Feature: Pass all environment variables to MCP servers instead of just PATH

Documentation Needed:

Update MCP documentation to explain that all environment variables are now automatically passed to MCP servers
Add a note about how explicit env configurations still take precedence
Include troubleshooting tips for environment variable inheritance

Current State: The MCP docs mention the env property but don't explain the automatic environment variable passing behavior.

2. Rules Privacy Enhancement (PR #8594)

Merged: 2025-11-07
Feature: Remove applied rules from chat history (store only metadata)

Documentation Needed:

Update Rules documentation to explain:
- Rules are no longer stored in full text in chat history
- Only metadata is retained (improves privacy and reduces payload size)
- How users can still access full rule content by opening the source
- Migration note: existing chats may still contain old rule text
Add a privacy/security benefits section

Current State: Rules documentation doesn't mention the metadata-only storage approach or privacy benefits.

3. Next Edit Security Enhancement (PR #8658)

Merged: 2025-11-10
Feature: Prevent sensitive files (like .env) from being included in Next Edit diffs

Documentation Needed:

Update Next Edit documentation to add:
- Security section explaining that sensitive files are automatically excluded
- List of file types considered sensitive (.env, credentials, etc.)
- Privacy benefits of this feature
- Note about isSecurityConcern() function for developers

Current State: Next Edit docs don't mention security considerations or file filtering.

4. MCP Error Handling Improvements (PR #8655)

Merged: 2025-11-10
Feature: Better error output from MCP servers, stderr handling, headless mode improvements

Documentation Needed:

Update MCP documentation to add:
- Troubleshooting section for MCP server errors
- Explanation of how stderr is captured and displayed
- Headless mode behavior (only fails on connection errors, not missing endpoints)
- Tips for debugging MCP server initialization issues

Current State: MCP docs have minimal troubleshooting guidance for server errors.

Proposed Documentation Structure Changes

MCP Documentation Enhancements

Add new sections:

Environment Variables (explaining automatic passing + explicit overrides)
Error Handling & Debugging (stderr capture, connection errors, troubleshooting)
Headless Mode Behavior (what causes failures vs warnings)

Rules Documentation Enhancements

Add new sections:

Privacy & Storage (metadata-only approach, benefits)
Rule History (how rules are tracked without storing full content)

Next Edit Documentation Enhancements

Add new sections:

Security & Privacy (sensitive file filtering, excluded file types)
File Filtering Behavior (what gets excluded and why)

Acceptance Criteria

[ ] MCP docs explain automatic environment variable passing
[ ] MCP docs include comprehensive error handling/troubleshooting section
[ ] Rules docs explain metadata-only storage and privacy benefits
[ ] Next Edit docs include security/privacy section about file filtering
[ ] All new features have clear examples
[ ] Cross-references are updated where relevant
[ ] Docs follow existing Continue documentation standards

Related PRs

#8602 - Pass all environment variables to MCP servers
#8594 - Remove applied rules from chat history
#8658 - Prevent sensitive files in Next Edit diffs
#8655 - Fix MCP error output and bugfixes

Notes

These documentation updates will help users understand:

The improved security posture of Continue features
Better debugging capabilities for MCP servers
Privacy enhancements in how rules are stored
How environment configuration works with MCP servers

Co-authored-by: bekahhw [email protected]

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This agent session was co-authored by bekahhw and Continue.

Nov 13 '25 09:11 continue[bot]