Cline

Getting Started

1. Install the Cline extension from the VS Code marketplace — search for “Cline” in the extensions panel.
2. Configure your preferred AI provider API key (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, DeepSeek, OpenRouter, or local models via Ollama).
3. Open Cline in the sidebar and describe a task — it creates a plan and asks for approval before each action.
4. Review and approve file edits, terminal commands, and browser actions as Cline works through the task step by step.

Key Features

• Human-in-the-loop by default — Every file edit, terminal command, and browser action is shown for your approval before execution. You stay in control.
• MCP server support — Connect to external tools and services via the Model Context Protocol. Add databases, APIs, and custom tooling directly to Cline’s capabilities.
• Browser integration — Can launch a headless browser to navigate websites, click elements, fill forms, and extract information for research and testing.
• Multi-provider support — Works with Claude, GPT-4, o3, Gemini, DeepSeek, Qwen, local models via Ollama, and 20+ providers via OpenRouter.
• File creation and editing — Creates new files and makes precise edits to existing code with diff previews before applying changes.
• Terminal command execution — Runs builds, tests, installations, linters, and any CLI tools within your VS Code terminal.
• Custom instructions — Configure project-specific instructions that guide Cline’s behavior, coding style, and preferences.
• Fully open-source — MIT licensed with a large active community contributing features, providers, and MCP tool integrations.