Can't create files. Please stop feature development and fix the base...

[k-stamp]

Before submitting your bug report

• I've tried using the "Ask AI" feature on the Continue docs site to see if the docs have an answer
• I'm not able to find a related conversation on GitHub discussions that reports the same bug
• I'm not able to find an open issue that reports the same bug
• I've seen the troubleshooting guide on the Continue Docs

Relevant environment info

- OS: Windows 11
- Continue version: 1.0.52
- IDE version: IntelliJ IDEA 2025.2.4 (Community Edition)
- Model: Claude 4.5 Sonnet

Description

Continue fails to create files, especially during the /Init Shortcut.

create_new_file failed with the message: `filepath` argument is required and must not be empty or whitespace-only. (type string)

Please try something else or request further instructions.

Stacktrace:

java.util.ConcurrentModificationException
	at java.base/java.util.ArrayList.sort(ArrayList.java:1806)
	at java.base/java.util.Collections.sort(Collections.java:178)
	at kotlin.collections.CollectionsKt__MutableCollectionsJVMKt.sortWith(MutableCollectionsJVM.kt:42)
	at com.intellij.openapi.keymap.impl.KeymapImplKt.sortInRegistrationOrder(KeymapImpl.kt:821)
	at com.intellij.openapi.keymap.impl.KeymapImplKt.access$sortInRegistrationOrder(KeymapImpl.kt:1)
	at com.intellij.openapi.keymap.impl.KeymapImpl.getActionIds(KeymapImpl.kt:536)
	at com.intellij.openapi.keymap.impl.KeymapImpl.getActionIds(KeymapImpl.kt:508)
	at com.intellij.openapi.keymap.impl.KeymapImpl.getActionIds(KeymapImpl.kt:427)
	at com.github.continuedev.continueintellijextension.activities.ContinuePluginStartupActivity.removeShortcutFromAction(ContinuePluginStartupActivity.kt:106)
	at com.github.continuedev.continueintellijextension.activities.ContinuePluginStartupActivity.runActivity(ContinuePluginStartupActivity.kt:92)
	at com.intellij.ide.startup.impl.StartupManagerImpl.runOldActivity(StartupManagerImpl.kt:359)
	at com.intellij.ide.startup.impl.StartupManagerImpl.access$runOldActivity(StartupManagerImpl.kt:72)
	at com.intellij.ide.startup.impl.StartupManagerImpl$Companion$addActivityEpListener$1$extensionAdded$2.invokeSuspend(StartupManagerImpl.kt:95)
	at kotlin.coroutines.jvm.internal.BaseContinuationImpl.resumeWith(ContinuationImpl.kt:33)
	at kotlinx.coroutines.DispatchedTask.run(DispatchedTask.kt:100)
	at kotlinx.coroutines.scheduling.CoroutineScheduler.runSafely(CoroutineScheduler.kt:613)
	at kotlinx.coroutines.scheduling.CoroutineScheduler$Worker.executeTask(CoroutineScheduler.kt:1189)
	at kotlinx.coroutines.scheduling.CoroutineScheduler$Worker.runWorker(CoroutineScheduler.kt:778)
	at kotlinx.coroutines.scheduling.CoroutineScheduler$Worker.run(CoroutineScheduler.kt:765)

We really want to use Continue productive, but unfortunately this Plugin is a mess... Every Week there is another base feature broken. Especially the IntelliJ Plugin is a nightmare.
I don't understand why there is so much feature development active instead of making the basic stuff working.

To reproduce

1. Open Project
2. Use /Init Task
3. See how it fails to create files

Log output

[RomneyDa]

@k-stamp thank you for the feedback. It looks like you're using sonnet 4.5. What is your configuration setup? I'd like to try to replicate this so I can get a hotfix in.

[RomneyDa]

Note, I tried IntelliJ with Claude Sonnet 4.5 using local config, ran /init and did not have this issue. Could you share model configuration?

[CreatorEdition]

Note, I tried IntelliJ with Claude Sonnet 4.5 using local config, ran /init and did not have this issue. Could you share model configuration?

I have the same bug in Vscode use Claude Sonnet and win11 system

Subject: File Creation and Path Resolution Issues in Continue Agent

Hi Continue Dev Team,

I'm experiencing consistent issues with file operations in Continue Agent. Here are the specific problems:

Issue 1: File Creation Failure
When Agent attempts to create a new file, it fails with an empty filepath error:

Continue tried to create hna-plus/OPTIMIZATION.md
create_new_file failed with the message: filepath argument is required
and must not be empty or whitespace-only. (type string)
Expected behavior: Agent should create the file OPTIMIZATION.md in the hna-plus directory.

Actual behavior: The filepath argument appears to be empty or invalid when passed to the creation function.

Issue 2: Path Resolution Problems
Agent struggles with Windows path formats, consistently failing with path-related errors:

multi_edit failed: File c:/code/tamper/update-pages/ai-chat/script.user.js does not exist
ls failed: Directory c:/code/tamper/update-pages/ai-chat not found.
Make sure to use forward-slash paths
Note: The file DOES exist at that location, but Agent cannot resolve the path correctly.

Issue 3: File Size Limit
When attempting to read large files:

read_currently_open_file failed: File is too large (48704 tokens vs 16384 token limit)
This is expected behavior, but Agent should have fallback strategies for handling large files.

Workaround Found
I've managed to partially mitigate these issues by optimizing the Rules prompts to guide Agent toward better file handling, but the problems still occur intermittently. Agent can sometimes create/read files successfully, but the failures are unpredictable.

Environment Details
OS: Windows (using paths like c:/code/...)
File paths: Using forward slashes, but Agent still has resolution issues
File operations affected: create_new_file, multi_edit, ls, read_currently_open_file
Suggestions
Filepath validation: Add better filepath argument validation before tool execution
Path normalization: Implement robust Windows path handling (handle both C:\ and c:/ formats)
Better error messages: Provide clearer feedback about which part of the path resolution failed
Large file handling: Implement automatic chunking or alternative strategies for files exceeding token limits
Impact
This issue blocks basic file operations and significantly impacts productivity when working with Agent. Users need to manually create files or repeatedly retry operations.

I see similar reports from other users on the forum. Please prioritize fixing these core file operation issues before adding new features.

Request: Could you investigate the root cause of empty filepath arguments in the create_new_file tool call?

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

[torpkev]

I'm experiencing the exact same issues on Windows 11

@tingwai - can you share the rules you've added? I can't use Continue at all in its current state

[deepakgarg08]

I'm experiencing the exact same issues on Windows 11

@tingwai - can you share the rules you've added? I can't use Continue at all in its current state

i am running locally this ollama based model, and this configuration worked for me
in your case, ask gpt models to create a config file as per your requirements

// .continue/config.yaml
`name: Local Ollama Config
version: 1.0.0
schema: v1

models:

• name: DeepSeek Coder 6.7B
  provider: ollama
  model: deepseek-coder:6.7b
  roles:
  • chat
  • edit
    defaultCompletionOptions:
    temperature: 0.2
    maxTokens: 2048

rules:

• Prefer clear, complete code
• Output full files when creating new files

context:

• provider: diff
• provider: file
• provider: code
  `
  For reference, visit - 'https://docs.continue.dev/reference#config-yaml-reference'
  I am not able to figure out how this extension can automatically create/modify files, it provide option to create but does not do it automatically