Cline

What Cline is

Cline is an open-source coding agent runtime. It works as a VS Code extension, a CLI, or an embeddable SDK. It uses a “Plan, then Act” workflow: first it proposes a plan, then it executes with your approval.

Key features

• Open source - Apache 2.0, with 250+ contributors.
• Plan mode - review the agent’s plan before it touches code.
• Act mode - executes edits, terminal commands, and browser actions.
• Multi-file diffs - linter-aware coordinated edits.
• Bring-your-own-model - Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Ollama, and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint.
• Integrations - Slack, Linear, Discord, Telegram, GitHub Actions, GitLab.
• MCP and plugins - extend the agent with custom tools.

Install

VS Code extension, or CLI:

npm i -g cline

Use case

Cline is a good choice if you want an open, model-agnostic agent that lets you approve plans before execution. The VS Code extension is the most popular entry point.

License

Apache 2.0.

Honest caveat

Cline’s broad feature set means a steeper setup than simpler agents. You will spend time connecting models, MCP servers, and integrations to get the most from it.