Cline
Autonomous coding agent living inside your editor
Overview
Runs in VS Code and asks for approval before each file write or terminal command, which keeps a human in the loop without breaking flow. MCP support lets it reach tools beyond the editor. The approval prompts are the safety mechanism — turning them all off removes the main reason to prefer it.
What can you do with Cline?
- Plan first, then act — Plan mode explores the codebase and proposes a strategy before Act mode executes it, with every file edit and terminal command gated by approval and recorded as a reviewable diff with checkpoints to roll back.
- Run it headless in CI — git diff origin/main | cline "Review these changes for issues" pipes input straight in, and cline --json emits machine-readable events for jq to consume.
- Encode conventions in .clinerules — Coding standards, architecture rules and deployment procedures written into .clinerules files are picked up automatically by the CLI, VS Code extension and JetBrains plugin.
- Run many agents unattended — cline schedule create with --cron "0 9 * * MON-FRI" handles recurring jobs, and the Kanban board gives each task card its own git worktree with auto-commit.
- Reach external systems via MCP — cline mcp manages MCP server connections to databases and APIs, and createTool from @cline/sdk registers custom tools and lifecycle hooks in the same agent.
Documentation
Reproduced from the cline/cline README, published under Apache-2.0. Read the original ↗
CLI
Run Cline in your terminal. Interactive chat or fully headless for CI/CD and scripting.
npm i -g clineLearn more
Kanban
Run many agents in parallel from a web-based task board. Each card gets its own worktree, auto-commit, and dependency chains.
npm i -g kanbanLearn more
VS Code Extension
AI coding assistant in your editor. Create files, run commands, browse the web, and use tools with human-in-the-loop approval.
Install from VS Marketplace
JetBrains Plugin
The same Cline experience in IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, GoLand, and the rest of the JetBrains family.
Install from JetBrains Marketplace
SDK
Build your own AI agents and integrations powered by the same engine that runs the CLI, Kanban, VS Code extension, and JetBrains plugin. Custom tools, multi-agent teams, connectors, scheduled automations, and more.
npm install @cline/sdkDocumentation
Index
| Product | Description | Location | CHANGELOG |
|---|---|---|---|
| SDK | Node.js programmatic agent API and extension exports. | sdk/ | CHANGELOG.md |
| CLI | Terminal UI, headless mode, shell commands, and CLI-specific flows. | apps/cli/ | CHANGELOG.md |
| VS Code Extension | The Marketplace extension and extension host integration. | / (WIP migrating) | CHANGELOG.md |
| JetBrains Plugin | JetBrains-hosted client that talks to the shared agent core. | Currently we are not open-sourcing JetBrains plugins | - |
| Kanban | Web-based multi-agent task board. | cline/kanban | CHANGELOG.md |
| Docs site | Public documentation pages. | docs/ | - |
Edits Code Across Your Project
Cline reads your project structure, understands the relationships between files, and makes coordinated changes across your codebase. It monitors linter and compiler errors as it works, fixing issues like missing imports, type mismatches, and syntax errors before you even see them. In VS Code and JetBrains, every edit shows up as a diff you can review, modify, or revert. All changes are tracked with checkpoints, so you can easily undo the agent’s work.
Runs Bash Commands
Cline executes commands directly in your terminal and watches the output in real time. Install packages, run build scripts, execute tests, deploy applications, manage databases. For long-running processes like dev servers, Cline continues working in the background and reacts to new output as it appears, catching compile errors, test failures, and server crashes as they happen.
Plan and Act
Toggle between Plan mode and Act mode. In Plan mode, Cline explores your codebase, asks clarifying questions, and lays out a strategy. Once you’re aligned, switch to Act mode and Cline executes the plan. Every file edit and terminal command requires your approval, so you stay in control of what actually changes. Or toggle auto-approve and let Cline run autonomously.
Rules and Skills
Define project-specific rules in .clinerules files that guide how Cline works in your codebase: coding standards, architecture conventions, deployment procedures, testing requirements. Rules are picked up automatically by the CLI, VS Code extension, and JetBrains plugin. Use skills to let the model load specific rules when needed.
Works With Every Model
Cline is not locked to a single AI provider. Use whichever model fits your workflow:
| Provider | Models |
|---|---|
| Anthropic | Claude Opus, Sonnet, Haiku |
| OpenAI | GPT series models |
| Gemini series models | |
| OpenRouter | 200+ models from any provider |
| Vercel AI Gateway | Route to many providers through one gateway |
| AWS Bedrock | Claude, Llama, and more |
| Azure / GCP Vertex | All hosted models |
| Cerebras / Groq | Fast inference models |
| Ollama / LM Studio | Run local models on your machine |
| Any OpenAI-compatible API | Self-hosted or third-party endpoints |
Extend With Plugins or MCP Servers
Extend Cline’s capabilities with plugins. Using the SDK, register tools and lifecycle hooks programmatically through the plugin system for logging, auditing, policy enforcement, or adding domain-specific capabilities. Simple plugin example below.
import { Agent, createTool } from "@cline/sdk"
const deployTool = createTool({
name: "deploy",
description: "Deploy the current branch to staging.",
inputSchema: { type: "object", properties: { env: { type: "string" } }, required: ["env"] },
execute: async (input) => {
// your deployment logic
},
})
const agent = new Agent({ tools: [deployTool], /* ... */ })…or use MCP servers to connect to databases, query APIs, manage cloud infrastructure, and interact with external systems. Use community-built servers or ask Cline to create custom tools on the fly. In the CLI, manage servers with cline mcp.
Multi-Agent Teams
Coordinate multiple agents working together on complex tasks. A coordinator agent breaks the work into subtasks and delegates to specialist agents, each with their own tools and context. Team state persists across sessions so you can pick up where you left off.
cline --team-name auth-sprint "Plan and implement user authentication with tests"Scheduled Agents
Run agents on cron schedules for recurring automations. Daily PR summaries, weekly dependency checks, codebase health reports. Schedules persist across restarts and run independently of any terminal session.
cline schedule create "PR summary" \
--cron "0 9 * * MON-FRI" \
--prompt "List all open PRs and their review status" \
--workspace /path/to/repoConnect to Slack, Telegram, Discord, and More
Chat with your agent from any messaging platform: Telegram, Slack, Discord, Google Chat, WhatsApp, and Linear. Each conversation thread maps to an agent session with full context. Set up access control to restrict who can interact with your agent.
# Connect to Telegram
cline connect telegram -k $BOT_TOKEN
# Connect to Slack through webhook
cline connect slack --bot-token $SLACK_TOKEN --signing-secret $SECRET --base-url $URL
# Connect to Slack using socket mode
cline connect slack --bot-token $SLACK_TOKEN --app-token $SLACK_APP_TOKENHeadless CLI for CI/CD
Run Cline with zero interaction for scripting and automation. Pipe input, get JSON output, chain commands, integrate into CI/CD pipelines.
cline "Run tests and fix any failures"
git diff origin/main | cline "Review these changes for issues"
cline --json "List all TODO comments" | jq -r 'select(.type == "agent_event" and .event.text) | .event.text'