# Cline

Open-source autonomous coding agent for VS Code that creates and edits files, executes commands, and uses a browser — all with human approval at every step.

## Agent Decision Summary
- Risk level: elevated
- Source confidence: high
- Recommended workflows: Browser automation, Coding agent workflow
- Permission surface: browser, shell/files, external services
- Agent JSON: https://www.openagent.bot/agents/cline.agent.json

## Summary
Cline is an open-source autonomous coding agent that runs as a VS Code extension with 5M+ installs and 58K+ GitHub stars. It can create and edit files, execute terminal commands, use a headless browser for testing, and integrate with MCP tools. Every action requires human approval, keeping developers in control while automating complex development workflows.


## Guide
Cline is the pioneer of human-in-the-loop autonomous coding agents. With 5M+ VS Code installs and 58K+ GitHub stars, it has become the reference implementation for the open-source coding agent ecosystem, inspiring major forks while continuing to innovate with its own SDK and multi-editor support.

### What it is
Cline is an open-source autonomous coding agent that runs as a VS Code extension. It can create and edit files, execute terminal commands, use a headless browser, and work with MCP tools — all with human approval at every step.

### Why it matters
Cline introduced the Plan/Act mode split that has become a standard pattern across the coding agent space. Its emphasis on human oversight, combined with browser automation and MCP extensibility, makes it one of the most capable and trustworthy open-source coding agents available.

### How it works
Start with one safe workflow for Cline. Inspect official setup instructions, required credentials, execution logs, approval points, and failure recovery before expanding from a sandbox task into production automation.


## Use Cases
- Safe refactoring with review: Let Cline plan a refactoring, review the proposed changes in Plan mode, then approve execution file by file in Act mode.
- End-to-end feature implementation: Describe a feature, let Cline create files, run the app, test in a browser, and iterate — all with approval at each stage.
- Automated bug fixing: Point Cline at a failing test or error message, let it investigate, propose a fix, and verify the solution.

## Alternatives
- Use OpenCode for multi-provider flexibility and terminal-native workflow vs OpenCode: Cline offers deeper IDE integration and browser automation. OpenCode provides 75+ provider support and works across terminal, IDE, and desktop.
- Use Aider for terminal-only git-native workflows vs Aider: Cline is IDE-native with browser automation. Aider is terminal-native with best-in-class git integration.

### Getting Started
- Read the documentation: https://docs.cline.bot
- Inspect the repository: https://github.com/cline/cline

### FAQ
- What should I check before using Cline?
  - Start with one safe workflow for Cline. Inspect official setup instructions, required credentials, execution logs, approval points, and failure recovery before expanding from a sandbox task into production automation.
- Is Cline open source?
  - Cline is listed with Apache-2.0 based on the official source links in this profile. Re-check the repository, model card, or docs before production use.
- Who should evaluate Cline?
  - Cline is most worth evaluating for developers who want step-by-step approval control over AI coding actions.
- What editors does Cline support?
  - Cline started as a VS Code extension and has since expanded to support JetBrains, Cursor, Windsurf, Zed, Neovim, and a preview CLI.
## What It Does
Cline is an open-source autonomous coding agent that runs as a VS Code extension. It can create and edit files, execute terminal commands, use a headless browser, and work with MCP tools — all with human approval at every step.

## How To Evaluate
Start with one safe workflow for Cline. Inspect official setup instructions, required credentials, execution logs, approval points, and failure recovery before expanding from a sandbox task into production automation.

## Why It Matters
Cline pioneered the human-in-the-loop autonomous coding agent model. Its Plan/Act split, MCP marketplace, and checkpoints system have become reference architecture for the entire open-source coding agent ecosystem, inspiring major forks like Roo Code and Kilo Code.


## Best For
- Developers who want step-by-step approval control over AI coding actions
- Teams that need an auditable, open-source coding agent with enterprise-grade governance
- Engineers who want browser automation integrated into their coding workflow

## Not For
- Users who prefer terminal-only workflows over IDE extensions
- Teams looking for a fully autonomous agent that operates without human oversight

## What It Actually Does
- Human-in-the-loop design: Every file edit, terminal command, and browser action requires explicit human approval with visible diff previews before execution.
  - Why it matters: Developers maintain full control and audit trail over AI actions, making Cline suitable for production codebases where mistakes are costly.
- Plan/Act mode separation: Cline separates planning from execution — Plan mode researches and proposes changes, Act mode executes with approval. This reduces errors and keeps the developer in the loop.
  - Why it matters: Planning before acting prevents the agent from making premature or incorrect changes, especially on complex multi-file tasks.
- Browser automation built in: Cline can launch a headless browser to test web applications, capture screenshots, verify UI changes, and debug frontend issues.
  - Why it matters: Full-stack developers can test visual changes without leaving their editor, closing the loop between code and verification.
- MCP marketplace: Access a growing marketplace of Model Context Protocol servers for custom tools, integrations, and extended capabilities.
  - Why it matters: Teams can extend Cline with custom MCP servers for their specific stack without modifying the core agent.

## Typical Use Cases
- Multi-file refactoring with safety: Use Cline's Plan mode to research architecture and propose changes, then Act mode to execute with per-file approval.
- Visual UI testing and debugging: Ask Cline to launch a browser, navigate to your app, and verify that UI changes look correct after code edits.
- Onboarding and codebase exploration: Let Cline read and explain unfamiliar codebases, then make targeted improvements with full approval control.

## How It Compares
- Choose Cline for governance and control vs Claude Code: Cline offers step-by-step approval, browser automation, and a rich MCP marketplace. Claude Code has deeper codebase reasoning but less granular action control.

## Fit Matrix
- Browser automation: strong. Cline has multiple signals for browser automation, including matching tags, capabilities, category, or positioning. Required check: Run one non-sensitive website task and inspect clicks, waits, retries, and changed URLs.
- Coding agent workflow: strong. Cline has multiple signals for coding agent workflow, including matching tags, capabilities, category, or positioning. Required check: Run a small repository change and inspect the diff, tests, and rollback path.
- Connector or protocol layer: partial. Cline has at least one signal for connector or protocol layer, but should be checked against a real task before adoption. Required check: Connect one low-risk service, then inspect schemas, auth scope, errors, and logs.
- Evaluation and observability: partial. Cline has at least one signal for evaluation and observability, but should be checked against a real task before adoption. Required check: Add one repeatable test case and confirm results can run again in review or CI.
- Reusable skill workflow: partial. Cline has at least one signal for reusable skill workflow, but should be checked against a real task before adoption. Required check: Run one skill end to end and check whether it produces evidence or structured output.
- Local or private AI stack: weak. Cline is not primarily positioned for local or private ai stack in the current metadata. Required check: Verify hardware requirements, data path, storage, and whether all calls stay in your environment.

## Evidence
- verified: Cline is listed as open source. Source: License metadata: Apache-2.0
- verified: Cline has a recorded GitHub repository: cline/cline. Source: Resource facts and GitHub source link.
- inferred: Cline supports these recorded deployment modes: cloud. Source: OpenAgent decision signal metadata.
- inferred: Cline is tagged with mcp, browser automation, workflow orchestration capabilities. Source: OpenAgent capability taxonomy.

## Missing Checks
- Repository freshness has not been recorded.

## Next Actions
- Inspect repository: https://github.com/cline/cline
- Open Homepage: https://cline.bot
- Read setup docs: https://docs.cline.bot
- Install Cline: Open VS Code → Extensions → Search 'Cline' → Install

## Command Line
### Install Cline
Install from the VS Code Marketplace, then configure your API key and start using the autonomous coding agent.

```bash
Open VS Code → Extensions → Search 'Cline' → Install
```

## Facts
- Category: agents
- Resource type: agent
- Open source: yes
- License: Apache-2.0
- Last verified: 2026-06-04
- GitHub repo: cline/cline
- GitHub stars: 58600

## Capabilities
- mcp
- browser-automation
- workflow-orchestration

## Structured Use Case Tags
- browser-agent
- developer-workflow

## Getting Started
- Open the GitHub repository: https://github.com/cline/cline
- Install from VS Code Marketplace: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=saoudrizwan.claude-dev
- Visit the project website: https://cline.bot

## Links
- GitHub: https://github.com/cline/cline
- Homepage: https://cline.bot
- Docs: https://docs.cline.bot
- Source: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=saoudrizwan.claude-dev

## Structured Outputs
- JSON: https://www.openagent.bot/agents/cline.json
- Markdown: https://www.openagent.bot/agents/cline.md
- Agent JSON: https://www.openagent.bot/agents/cline.agent.json
- Canonical: https://www.openagent.bot/agents/cline