  The X-ray transient MAXI J1659-152 was discovered by Swift/BAT and it was
initially identified as a GRB. Soon its Galactic origin and binary nature were
established. There exists a wealth of multi-wavelength monitoring data for this
source, providing a great coverage of the full X-ray transition in this
candidate black hole binary system. We obtained two epochs of European VLBI
Network (EVN) electronic-VLBI (e-VLBI) and four epochs of Very Long Baseline
Array (VLBA) data of MAXI J1659-152 which show evidence for outflow in the
early phases. The overall source properties (polarization, milliarcsecond-scale
radio structure, flat radio spectrum) are described well with the presence of a
compact jet in the system through the transition from the hard-intermediate to
the soft X-ray spectral state. The apparent dependence of source size and the
radio core position on the observed flux density (luminosity dependent core
shift) support this interpretation as well. We see no evidence for major
discrete ejecta during the outburst. For the source proper motion we derive 2
sigma upper limits of 115 microas/day in right ascension, and 37 microas/day in
declination, over a time baseline of 12 days. These correspond to velocities of
1400 km/s and 440 km/s, respectively, assuming a source distance of 7 kpc.
