Cline
Also known as: Cline Bot, Cline CLI
Cline is an open-source (Apache-2.0) autonomous coding agent available in VS Code and compatible editors, JetBrains IDEs, Zed, Neovim, a CLI, and a desktop app for macOS and Windows. It reads and writes files, runs terminal commands, and can use a browser, with every action requiring your explicit approval. It separates planning from execution with Plan and Act modes, supports .clinerules (as well as .cursorrules, .windsurfrules, and AGENTS.md), and connects to MCP servers. You bring your own API key for providers such as Anthropic, OpenAI, Google Gemini, and AWS Bedrock, or use local models via Ollama and LM Studio.
Agent Information
- Provider
- Cline Bot Inc. (open source)
- Supported IDEs
- VSCode, Cursor, Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf), JetBrains, Antigravity, Zed, Neovim, Terminal / CLI, Desktop app
Feature Support Matrix
| Feature | Support Level | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Execution | ||
| Automatic Context Awareness | ✅ Full Support | Cline loads project context automatically; .clineignore exists to filter "what Cline loads automatically". |
| Filesystem Access | ✅ Full Support | Cline reads and writes files and runs commands, with every action requiring your explicit approval. |
| MCP Server Support | ✅ Full Support | MCP lets Cline use external tools and data sources through MCP servers. |
| Editor Integration | ||
| Broad IDE Integration | ✅ Full Support | Available for VS Code, Cursor, Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf), JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm), Antigrav... |
| Model Support | ||
| Latest Claude Model Support | ✅ Full Support | Claude Sonnet 4.6 is available through the Cline provider (anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6), and the CLI docs configure clau... |
| Context Window Management | ✅ Full Support | The window depends on the selected model. When a conversation approaches the model's context limit, Cline automatically ... |
| Debugging | ||
| Console Error Integration | ❓ Unknown | Not documented: the full official documentation (https://docs.cline.bot/llms-full.txt) was searched on 2026-09-30 withou... |
| Interactive Element Selection | ❓ Unknown | Not documented: the full official documentation (https://docs.cline.bot/llms-full.txt) was searched on 2026-09-30 withou... |
| Live Web Preview | ⚠️ Partial | Cline can use a browser to browse the web as part of a task; an embedded preview panel inside the editor is not document... |
| Configuration | ||
| Dedicated Instruction File | ✅ Full Support | Workspace rules live in .clinerules/ or .cline/rules/; .cursorrules, .windsurfrules, and AGENTS.md are also recognized. |
| Fine-Grained Instruction Control | ✅ Full Support | Conditional rules use YAML frontmatter with glob paths (for example "src/components/**") and activate only when the curr... |
| Supports Scoped Instructions | ✅ Full Support | Supports workspace rules (.clinerules/) and global rules (Documents/Cline/Rules on Windows, ~/Documents/Cline/Rules on m... |
| Planning | ||
| Planner Strategy | ✅ Full Support | Plan mode is read-only exploration and strategy; Act mode executes the plan with full context. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Cline is open source under the Apache 2.0 license. There are three ways to access models: a Cline account with usage-based billing and free model options, ClinePass (a flat $9.99/month subscription with 2-5x the usage on popular open coding models compared to standard API rates), or your own provider credentials (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google Gemini, AWS Bedrock, OpenRouter, and others, or local models via Ollama and LM Studio). Cline can also be configured with a Claude Code subscription.
In Plan mode, Cline can read your codebase, run searches, and discuss strategy, but cannot modify files or execute commands. In Act mode, it keeps the full context from planning and can modify files, run commands, and execute the strategy.
Yes. Besides .clinerules/ (or .cline/rules/), Cline recognizes .cursorrules, .windsurfrules, and AGENTS.md, and shows all detected rules together in its Rules panel.