Cline

New
assess
First Added:May 21, 2026

Cline is an open-source (Apache 2.0) AI coding agent with one runtime across VS Code (and VS Code–compatible editors including Cursor and Windsurf), a CLI (npm i -g cline), JetBrains (early access), and an embeddable SDK. It supports Plan-and-Act workflows, multi-file edits with checkpoints, terminal execution, MCP, .clinerules, and bring-your-own-model across major providers and local inference. We rate it assess under AI Agent: mature open-source option in the same lane as OpenCode and Kilo.ai, but not our default stack (Cursor + cursor-agent for daily work).

Blurb

The Open Coding Agent. One open source agent runtime. Use it in your editor, your terminal, or embed it in your own products.

Summary

Cline (cline/cline on GitHub, 60k+ stars) runs as an IDE extension or headless CLI in your repo: coordinated edits, bash with live output, optional auto-approve, multi-agent teams with cron schedules, and integrations (Slack, Linear, GitHub Actions). Rules ship via .clinerules; skills and MCP extend tools. No vendor lock-in — Claude, GPT, Gemini, Bedrock, Azure, Vertex, Ollama, OpenRouter, and OpenAI-compatible endpoints.

Worth evaluating when you want a widely adopted, editor-agnostic open agent without switching IDEs, or when embedding agents via the SDK. Compare OpenCode for terminal-first multi-provider hubs; Kilo.ai for a similar VS Code + CLI story; Cursor when the editor platform and subscription are the anchor.

Details

  • Install: VS Code Marketplace / Open VSX (saoudrizwan.claude-dev legacy id → Cline); npm i -g cline for CLI; https://cline.bot/install
  • Docs: https://docs.cline.bot
  • License: Apache 2.0 (open source).
  • Models: BYOK or local weights; all major cloud providers plus OpenAI-compatible APIs.
  • Surfaces: IDE extension (VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code Insiders), CLI, SDK (embed), JetBrains EA.
  • Features: Plan/Act modes, checkpoints/undo, MCP, multi-agent coordinator, CI/Slack/Linear hooks.
  • Fit: Tool / AI Agent — open, multi-surface coding agent.
  • Contrast: OpenCode / Kilo.ai (peer open-source agents); Cursor + cursor-agent (default adopt stack).