cline/cline

Autonomous coding agent as an SDK, IDE extension, or CLI assistant.

What it solves

Cline is an open-source coding agent that automates software development tasks across an entire project. It solves the problem of AI assistants that are limited to single-file edits or simple chat, by allowing an agent to read project structures, execute terminal commands, and make coordinated changes across multiple files while monitoring for errors.

How it works

Cline operates as an agentic system that can be integrated into IDEs (VS Code, JetBrains), a desktop app, or a CLI. It uses a "Plan and Act" workflow where it first explores the codebase and strategizes in Plan mode, then executes changes in Act mode. It can read files, run bash commands, and monitor linter/compiler output in real-time to fix bugs. Users can guide the agent using .clinerules files for project-specific standards and extend its capabilities via an SDK, plugins, or the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to connect to external APIs and databases.

Who it’s for

It is designed for software developers who want an autonomous AI coding partner that can handle complex refactoring, package installation, and testing, as well as DevOps engineers who want to integrate AI agents into CI/CD pipelines via a headless CLI.

Highlights

  • Multi-platform support: Available as a VS Code extension, JetBrains plugin, and native desktop app for macOS and Windows.
  • Model Agnostic: Works with a wide range of providers including Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and local models via Ollama or LM Studio.
  • Autonomous Execution: Can run bash commands, install packages, and manage databases with human-in-the-loop approval or auto-approve mode.
  • Extensibility: Supports plugins and MCP servers for custom tools and integrations.
  • Advanced Agentic Features: Supports multi-agent teams for complex tasks and scheduled agents for recurring automations.
  • External Integrations: Can be connected to messaging platforms like Slack, Telegram, and Discord.

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