Cline
AIOpen-source coding agent runtime that runs in your IDE, your terminal or embedded via SDK, works with any model, and asks approval on every step.
Cline
Open-source coding agent runtime that runs in your IDE, your terminal or embedded via SDK, works with any model, and asks approval on every step.
About Cline
Cline is an open-source (Apache 2.0) autonomous coding agent that ships as one runtime with three surfaces: a VS Code extension, a command-line tool installed via npm, and an SDK for embedding the agent in other products. The defining design choice is model neutrality — Cline works with Claude, GPT, Gemini, local Ollama or LM Studio models and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, so teams bring their own key, endpoint or weights rather than being tied to one vendor's model or billing. Its Plan-and-Act split lets you align on an approach before any code is written, then switch to execution, approving each step or enabling auto-approve for unattended runs. In practice the agent reads and understands a codebase, makes coordinated multi-file edits with linter-aware fixes, and presents diffs and checkpoints with one-click undo at every step. It also runs shell commands in your terminal and reacts to output as it streams, which covers long-running dev servers, test suites and deploys. Repository-level behaviour is configurable through .clinerules files checked into the repo, teaching the agent a team's coding standards, architecture and deployment conventions. Beyond single-agent work, coordinator agents can delegate to specialists with their own tools and context, and runs can be scheduled on cron. Cline extends through MCP servers and SDK lifecycle hooks, and connects to Slack, Discord, Telegram and Linear, or runs headlessly inside GitHub Actions, GitLab and other CI pipelines. The project reports over 8 million installs and 250+ contributors.
Screenshots
Key Features
Use Cases
Frequently asked questions about Cline
What is Cline?
Open-source coding agent runtime that runs in your IDE, your terminal or embedded via SDK, works with any model, and asks approval on every step.
How does Cline work?
Cline works by combining One runtime, three surfaces: The same agent runs as a VS Code extension, a terminal CLI, or embedded in your own product through the SDK, Model agnostic: Works with Claude, GPT, Gemini, local Ollama or LM Studio models and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, using your own key or weights, Plan then Act: Align on a strategy in Plan mode before execution, then approve each step in Act mode or flip on auto-approve, Multi-file edits with undo: Coordinated changes across a project with linter-aware fixes, diffs, checkpoints and one-click undo on every step, Live terminal execution: Runs bash commands and reacts to output as it appears, handling dev servers, test runs and deploys to help users with A developer onboarding to an unfamiliar codebase and asking the agent how files, dependencies and behaviour fit together, Refactoring across a large repository while keeping imports, types and behaviour consistent, Running recurring maintenance — dependency bumps, lint sweeps, scheduled checks — from cron or a CI pipeline, A team that must keep code on self-hosted or local models for compliance reasons, pointing the agent at its own endpoint, Embedding an agent loop inside an internal developer platform via the SDK instead of building one from scratch.
What are the main features of Cline?
Key features include One runtime, three surfaces: The same agent runs as a VS Code extension, a terminal CLI, or embedded in your own product through the SDK, Model agnostic: Works with Claude, GPT, Gemini, local Ollama or LM Studio models and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, using your own key or weights, Plan then Act: Align on a strategy in Plan mode before execution, then approve each step in Act mode or flip on auto-approve, Multi-file edits with undo: Coordinated changes across a project with linter-aware fixes, diffs, checkpoints and one-click undo on every step, Live terminal execution: Runs bash commands and reacts to output as it appears, handling dev servers, test runs and deploys.
Who is Cline for?
Cline is useful for anyone interested in A developer onboarding to an unfamiliar codebase and asking the agent how files, dependencies and behaviour fit together, Refactoring across a large repository while keeping imports, types and behaviour consistent, Running recurring maintenance — dependency bumps, lint sweeps, scheduled checks — from cron or a CI pipeline, A team that must keep code on self-hosted or local models for compliance reasons, pointing the agent at its own endpoint, Embedding an agent loop inside an internal developer platform via the SDK instead of building one from scratch.
How much does Cline cost?
Cline offers a free tier with paid plans for advanced features.
How do I get started with Cline?
Visit https://cline.bot/ to sign up and explore Cline.
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