Cline

Cline is an Apache-2.0 coding agent that runs in VS Code, JetBrains, a terminal CLI and a desktop app. It asks your approval for every file edit and command, works with almost any model, and is free for individuals; you pay only for model usage. A $9.99 a month ClinePass bundles open-weight models. Checked 31 October 2026.

At a glance

What Cline is

The README calls it "the open source coding agent in your IDE, terminal, & desktop." Cline reads your project, edits files across it, runs commands, watches the output and keeps going until the task is done. Its pitch is control: "Every action requires your explicit approval" says the docs, with an optional auto-approve if you want it to run on its own.

It began as a VS Code extension and has grown into a family. The repository index lists an SDK, a CLI, the VS Code extension, a desktop app (a Tauri shell with a Next.js UI) and a JetBrains plugin, all sharing one agent core.

Surfaces

The docs overview lists editor support for VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf (now Devin Desktop), JetBrains, Antigravity, Zed and Neovim through ACP mode.

Plan and Act

The mode that defines Cline. In Plan mode it explores your code, asks clarifying questions and writes a strategy. In Act mode it executes the plan. Each edit and command needs your approval unless you turn on auto-approve. All changes are tracked with checkpoints, so you can undo the agent's work. It also monitors linter and compiler errors while working and fixes things like missing imports and type mismatches.

For long-running processes such as a dev server, the README says Cline keeps working in the background and reacts to new output, catching compile errors and crashes as they appear.

Rules, skills and MCP

• Rules. Project rules go in .clinerules files: coding standards, architecture conventions, deployment steps, test requirements. The CLI, VS Code extension and JetBrains plugin pick them up automatically. Cline's rules docs say it also reads AGENTS.md from the project root or ~/.agents/AGENTS.md, plus .cursorrules and .windsurfrules.
• Skills. They let the model load specific rules when needed.
• MCP. Connect databases, APIs and cloud systems. In the CLI, manage servers with cline mcp. There is an MCP marketplace linked from the site. See MCP servers.
• Plugins. With the SDK you register tools and lifecycle hooks programmatically, for logging, auditing or policy checks.

Newer features in the README

The README now describes several features that go beyond a coding extension:

• Multi-agent teams. A coordinator splits work among specialist agents, with team state saved across sessions: cline --team-name auth-sprint "Plan and implement user authentication with tests".
• Scheduled agents. Cron-style runs such as daily pull request summaries, using cline schedule create.
• Chat connections. Talk to an agent from Telegram, Slack, Discord, Google Chat, WhatsApp or Linear, with access control.

These make Cline closer to an automation platform. They also widen what you must secure; give a scheduled or chat-connected agent narrow permissions.

Models

The README table lists Anthropic (Claude Opus, Sonnet, Haiku), OpenAI, Google, OpenRouter with 200+ models, Vercel AI Gateway, AWS Bedrock, Azure and GCP Vertex, Cerebras and Groq, Ollama and LM Studio for local models, and any OpenAI-compatible API. Bring your own key, or use the Cline provider.

That freedom is useful when prices or quality shift: you can change model in a setting without changing tools. For model prices see LLM API prices; for local setup see run an LLM locally.

Price

Cline's pricing page says the open-source plan is "completely free for individual developers", with pay-as-you-go inference, no subscriptions and no seat fees. You can use your own keys or the Cline provider, where you buy credits and pay for what you use. The page gives no per-credit price or bundle sizes.

ClinePass is separate, at $9.99 a month, a subscription to a curated list of 14 open-weight models: GLM 5.3 Flash, GLM 5.3 and GLM 5.2 from Z.ai; Kimi K3, Kimi K2.7 Code and Kimi K2.6 from Moonshot; DeepSeek V4 Pro and V4 Flash; MiniMax M3; MiMo V2.5 Pro and V2.5; and Qwen3.7-Max, Qwen3.7-Plus and Qwen3.8-Max. Quotas are described as "2-5x the usage compared to standard API rate limits", with no hard caps published. The page says $9.99 is the standard rate "after promotion period" without naming the promotional price, and a footnote says an additional processing fee may apply without giving it. You can use a ClinePass key with other coding agents.

Enterprise is custom. It adds the JetBrains extension, SSO, SLA, centralised billing, role-based access, per-team model and tool controls, remote configuration and observability integrations (OpenTelemetry, Datadog, Grafana, Splunk).

Privacy

Cline runs on your machine, and with your own key requests go to the model provider you chose. The pages we read do not describe Cline's own telemetry or data retention for the Cline provider. Cline's privacy notice says it collects the content you send when you use Cline-provided API keys, in order to pass requests to the model provider, and that some providers may train on content unless you opt out. It gives no retention period. For regulated work, pair it with a local model or a provider whose terms you accepted.

Install and first task

For the VS Code extension, install it from the Marketplace (the extension identifier in the README is saoudrizwan.claude-dev). For the terminal:

npm i -g cline
cd your-project
cline

The CLI runs as interactive chat, or fully headless for CI and scripts. The desktop app is a download for macOS and Windows from the Cline site.

A sensible first run:

1. Open a small repository on a clean git branch.
2. Pick a provider and paste an API key. Set a monthly spend cap in the provider's console first.
3. In Plan mode, ask: "Explain how login works in this project and list the files involved."
4. Read the plan. Correct anything wrong.
5. Switch to Act mode with a small task, such as adding a unit test for one function.
6. Review the diff Cline shows, and check the checkpoint list so you know how to roll back.
7. Add a .clinerules file with the commands to build and test, and the style rules you keep repeating.

Because checkpoints are separate from git, commit on your own as well. A commit before each Act run gives you a clean undo point regardless of the tool.

Coming from another tool

From Roo Code. Roo started as a fork of Cline, so modes, rules and MCP settings will feel familiar. The Roo README points to Zoo Code (a community fork, Apache-2.0) and to Cline. Cline has the larger team and the more recent releases; Zoo Code has the closest feature set. See Roo Code.

From Cursor. Cline lives inside an editor you already use, so there is no new editor to learn. Move your rules into .clinerules or an instruction file, re-add MCP servers, and pick a model. You lose Cursor's own Tab completion, which Cline does not provide as far as the pages we read say. See Cursor alternatives.

From Claude Code. The ideas map: Plan and Act roughly match plan mode and normal mode, rules files match CLAUDE.md, and MCP is shared. You gain model choice and an editor; you give up Claude Code's hooks and subagent system. See Claude Code.

Using it safely

An agent that edits files and runs commands deserves a few ground rules.

• Keep approvals on for shell commands, even if you auto-approve file reads.
• Use a branch or a worktree so nothing touches your main line.
• Do not give it production credentials. Use test keys and a local database.
• Watch what it reads. Web pages and issue text can contain instructions meant for the agent.
• Limit scheduled agents. A cron-run agent has no human watching. Give it read-only tasks first.
• Check the bill. Agents that read large files repeatedly can burn tokens. Look at the provider's usage page after the first day.

For team rules, see enterprise AI coding agent security.

Strengths

• Open and active. A release on 26 October 2026 and a push the next days.
• Approval-first. Good for people who want to see every step.
• Model freedom. Plus ClinePass if you want a flat fee for open-weight models.
• Many surfaces. Editor, terminal, desktop and SDK.
• Heir to Roo. Roo Code users have a direct path.

Limits

• Approval fatigue. Constant prompts slow work; auto-approve trades speed for risk.
• Token use. Agents that read many files cost more on frontier models.
• JetBrains is closed.
• Moving target. The README now spans automation, chat and teams; features arrive fast.
• Pricing opacity. Credit prices and ClinePass processing fees are not on the pages we read.

Cline versus the others

See also open source AI agents.

A project rules file to start from

A short .clinerules file saves repeated corrections. A sketch:

## Build and test
- Install: npm ci. Test: npm test. Lint: npm run lint.
## Conventions
- TypeScript strict mode. No default exports.
- Keep functions under 40 lines; add a test for every bug fix.
## Safety
- Never edit files under /migrations without asking.
- Never run commands that delete files outside this repository.

Keep it short and concrete. Rules the agent can check, such as commands and file paths, work better than style advice.

Troubleshooting

• The agent keeps asking for approval. That is the default. Approve a narrow class of actions, such as reading files, before enabling anything broader.
• Costs are higher than expected. Check which model you picked and how many files it reads each step. Try Plan mode first, and a cheaper model for routine edits.
• It edits the wrong file. Name the file in your request and keep rules in .clinerules so the agent knows project structure.
• A change went wrong. Use the checkpoint list to roll back, and commit in git before each Act run so you have a second undo.
• The JetBrains plugin behaves differently. It is a separate, closed-source build, so check its release notes on the JetBrains Marketplace.

Our take

This is an editorial reading of the repository, pricing and docs, not a hands-on test.

Cline is the safest pick among open-source editor agents because it has the two things that matter: steady releases and a real business behind it. The Roo Code shutdown shows that those two things are not guaranteed, and that is the argument for preferring Cline over smaller forks. The product is also growing in a direction not everyone wants. If you just want an editor assistant, ignore the teams, schedules and chat connections.

Use your own API key first, set a spend limit with the provider, and keep auto-approve off until you trust a task. If cost matters more than top quality, try ClinePass for a month; the model list is open-weight, so compare results against a frontier model on your own tasks.

Checklist

• Install the VS Code extension or npm i -g cline
• Add a .clinerules file with your build and test commands
• Use Plan mode first, then Act
• Keep auto-approve off for new tasks
• Set a spend limit with your model provider
• Add one MCP server and test it
• Re-check ClinePass terms before subscribing