Overview
Cline is an open-source AI coding assistant designed to amplify developer impact by providing a collaborative AI partner within the IDE. It features dual Plan/Act modes, terminal execution, and Model Context Protocol (MCP) for VS Code, serving as an alternative to GitHub Copilot with extensible tools and real-time debugging.
Key Features:
- Dual Plan/Act modes for thoughtful planning before action.
- Terminal execution and environment monitoring (terminals, files, error logs).
- Model Context Protocol (MCP) for VS Code, allowing integration with external databases and live docs.
- Automatic issue detection and fixes.
- Open-source and 100% transparent codebase.
- Access to frontier AI models (Claude 3.7 Sonnet, DeepSeek Chat, Gemini 2.0 Flash).
- Checkpoint system for reviewing changes, comparing versions, and rolling back to previous states.
- Enterprise-level security and privacy, with access to top-tier models via AWS Bedrock, GCP Vertex, or Azure endpoints.
- Seamless integration of existing and external codebases through MCP.
- Does not track or store user data.
Use Cases:
- Collaborative AI coding partner for engineering teams.
- Streamlining development workflows beyond just code generation.
- Generating and editing files.
- Executing terminal commands.
- Debugging with headless browser capabilities.
- Exploring new ideas and testing innovative solutions rapidly.
- Building full-stack applications.
Benefits:
- Elevates engineering teams with a collaborative AI partner.
- Amplifies developer impact and productivity (e.g., shipping 10x faster).
- Provides a highly skilled coding assistant available 24/7 within the IDE.
- Offers controlled progress with the ability to review and approve changes.
- Ensures data security and privacy for enterprise use.
- Reduces platform fees, as users pay only what the provider charges for inference.
- Allows developers to focus on innovation by handling routine tasks and fixes.
- Offers instant access to frontier AI models with free credits for new users.
Capabilities
- Collaborates with developers in Plan/Act modes, explaining reasoning and soliciting user input
- Manages complex development tasks by breaking them into step-by-step processes
- Monitors development environments, including terminals, files, and error logs
- Extends functionality through integration with MCP Servers for external databases and live documentation
- Automates issue detection and resolution within codebases
- Ensures code security by accessing top-tier AI models (AWS Bedrock, GCP Vertex, Azure) without tracking or storing user data
- Integrates existing and external codebases via MCP
- Provides version control through a checkpoint system for reviewing, approving, and rolling back changes
- Supports multiple frontier AI models, including Anthropic Claude 3.7 Sonnet, DeepSeek Chat, and Google Gemini 2.0 Flash
- Processes natural language requests to define goals, provide context, and execute actions
- Generates and edits files directly within the IDE
- Executes terminal commands from the agent interface
- Debugs code, including headless browser functionalities