Cline is an open-source autonomous coding agent available as a CLI, a VS Code and JetBrains extension, and an SDK. It supports plan and act modes, MCP servers, and multi-agent teams.
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
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Open source - Apache 2.0, with 250+ contributors.
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Plan mode - review the agent’s plan before it touches code.
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Act mode - executes edits, terminal commands, and browser actions.
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Multi-file diffs - linter-aware coordinated edits.
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Bring-your-own-model - Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Ollama, and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint.
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Integrations - Slack, Linear, Discord, Telegram, GitHub Actions, GitLab.
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MCP and plugins - extend the agent with custom tools.
Install
VS Code extension, or CLI:
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.