Blog · October 24, 2026 · Agentdex Editorial

Cline Guide (2026): Setup, Features, Models and Costs

Cline (Agentdex profile) is a free, open-source AI coding agent that works inside your editor, in your terminal and in the cloud. It reads your codebase, proposes a plan, edits files and runs commands, and it asks for your approval along the way unless you tell it not to. You choose the model: your own API key, Cline's pay-as-you-go credits, a ClinePass subscription, or a local model. This guide covers what Cline is, where it runs, how to set it up, and how to get good results, based on Cline's official site and docs as of October 24, 2026.

Key Takeaways

Cline is open source under the Apache 2.0 license. The software is free for individuals; you pay only for the AI model you use.
It runs as a VS Code extension (also installable in Cursor (Agentdex profile), VSCodium and other VS Code-based editors via Open VSX), a JetBrains plugin, a CLI, a desktop app and as cloud agents in the browser.
Plan & Act mode lets you agree on an approach before Cline changes any code. Checkpoints let you roll back.
Model options: bring your own key (Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, OpenRouter, Bedrock, Vertex AI and more), Cline credits, ClinePass at $9.99/month for selected open models, or local models through Ollama or LM Studio.
Costs depend on the model and the size of your tasks. Check your usage dashboard after the first few sessions instead of guessing.

A developer at a desk with several monitors showing a code editor, terminal windows and coding tasks

What is Cline?

Cline is an autonomous coding agent. You describe a task in plain English, and it works out which files matter, writes a plan, edits code, runs terminal commands, reads the output and keeps going until the task is done or it needs your input. By default it shows you each file change and command for approval, so you stay in control of what happens to your project.

The project lives on GitHub under the Apache 2.0 license and is under active development. As of October 24, 2026, the main repository has about 70,800 stars. Because the code is open, you can see exactly what the agent sends to models and run it with any provider you like, which is a big reason teams with strict data rules pick it.

Where Cline runs

Surface	What it is	Good for
VS Code extension	The original Cline, in a sidebar inside VS Code. Also installable in Cursor, VSCodium and other VS Code-based editors via Open VSX	Day-to-day coding with an agent beside your editor
JetBrains plugin	Cline for IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm and other JetBrains IDEs	Teams on JetBrains IDEs (Cline's pricing page lists the JetBrains extension among its Enterprise features)
CLI	`npm install -g cline`; interactive or headless	Terminal work, scripts, CI/CD and GitHub Actions
Cline Desktop	Open-source desktop app for macOS and Windows (Windows in beta)	Parallel sessions, scheduled tasks and open-weight models
Cloud Agents	Run Cline in a cloud sandbox on a GitHub repo from app.cline.bot	Tasks that should run without tying up your laptop
Kanban (preview)	`npx kanban` board that runs agents in separate git worktrees	Running several agent tasks in parallel
SDK	`npm install @cline/sdk`	Building Cline's agent loop into your own tools

The CLI also has an Agent Client Protocol mode (cline --acp) so editors such as Zed (Agentdex profile), Neovim and Emacs, and JetBrains AI Assistant, can use Cline as their agent.

How to install and set up Cline

In VS Code (or Cursor)

Open the Extensions view, search for "Cline" and install the extension published by Cline. In Cursor and other VS Code-based editors, it installs from Open VSX.
Click the Cline icon in the sidebar and sign in, or choose a provider and paste your API key.
Pick a model. Start with a strong model for planning, and switch to a cheaper one for routine edits once you see how much each task uses.
Open your project folder and give Cline a small first task, such as "explain how authentication works in this repo".

In the terminal

Install Node.js 20 or newer (Cline recommends 22).
Run npm install -g cline, then cline auth to sign in or add a provider key.
Start an interactive session with cline, or run a one-off task with cline "add unit tests for the date utils".
For CI, Cline's docs cover headless mode and GitHub Actions so it can run tasks without a person at the keyboard.

A dark terminal window showing command output and code diffs from a coding agent

Core features

Plan & Act

In Plan mode, Cline reads the code and discusses an approach with you without changing anything. When you are happy, switch to Act mode and it carries out the plan. This is the single most useful habit for getting good results: most wasted tokens come from an agent charging off in the wrong direction.

Approvals, auto-approve and checkpoints

Cline asks before editing files or running commands. You can auto-approve specific actions, such as reading files, once you trust the workflow, and there is a fully autonomous mode for sandboxed environments. Checkpoints snapshot your workspace as Cline works, so you can compare changes or restore an earlier state if a task goes wrong.

Rules, skills and Memory Bank

Rules files (.clinerules) tell Cline your conventions: languages, test commands, folder structure and things it must never touch. Skills package reusable instructions for specific jobs, and the Memory Bank approach keeps project context in files so new sessions start with the background they need. Our guide to writing agent rules applies directly to Cline.

MCP, browser use and subagents

Cline supports the Model Context Protocol, with an MCP Marketplace for adding tools such as databases, docs and issue trackers. It can drive a browser to check a running web app, and it can hand parts of a task to subagents. Hooks and plugins let you run your own scripts at points in the agent's workflow.

Choosing a model and paying for it

Cline itself is free, so your bill is whatever your model costs. There are four routes:

Option	Cost	Notes
Bring your own key	Your provider's normal API rates	Anthropic, OpenAI, Google Gemini, OpenRouter, Amazon Bedrock, Vertex AI, Groq, Cerebras, Vercel AI Gateway, DeepSeek and more
Cline credits	Pay as you go	One account for many models; some are free during limited-time promotions
ClinePass	$9.99/month	2 to 5 times the usage on selected open coding models compared with standard API rates
Local models	Free per token	Run through Ollama or LM Studio; needs capable hardware

An agent reads files and loops over many turns, so a single task can use a lot of tokens, especially with frontier models on large codebases. The full breakdown, including Cline Enterprise, is in our Cline pricing guide.

Split view of cloud server racks on one side and a local workstation with a GPU on the other

Cline Desktop and Cloud Agents

Two newer surfaces are worth knowing about if you run more than one task at a time.

Cline Desktop is an open-source app built around open-weight models, available for macOS and Windows (Windows is in beta). It runs parallel sessions, can schedule recurring tasks, can import sessions from Claude Code (Agentdex profile) and Codex (Agentdex profile), and can work on remote machines over SSH. Through the Cline provider it gives access to more than 300 models.

Cloud Agents run Cline in a cloud sandbox from the browser at app.cline.bot. You connect a GitHub repository, describe the task, and the agent works on a branch prefixed with cline/ and can open a pull request for review. The sandbox pauses after 15 minutes of inactivity. Cline's pricing page lists up to 10 sessions running at once and 50 new sessions a day.

Tips for better results

Plan first, every time. Ask for a plan, correct it, then act.
Keep tasks small. "Add input validation to the signup form" works better than "improve the app".
Point at files. Mention the files or folders Cline should look at so it does not read the whole repo.
Give it a way to check its work. Tell it your test or lint command and ask it to run it before finishing.
Start fresh sessions. Long sessions build up context and cost. Start a new task when you change topic.
Review diffs. Treat Cline's changes like a pull request from a new teammate.

Cline vs other AI coding tools

	Cline	Cursor	GitHub Copilot
Type	Open-source agent (extension, CLI, desktop, cloud)	AI code editor	AI assistant across editors, GitHub and the CLI
Software price	Free	Free plan; paid from $8/month	Free plan; paid from $10/month
Model choice	Any provider, your own key or local	Grok on all paid plans; third-party models on Premium and above	Models included in your Copilot plan; bring your own key in VS Code
MCP support	Yes	Yes	Yes
Open source	Yes (Apache 2.0)	No	No

Cline suits developers who want full control over models and spending and like seeing every step. A flat subscription can be simpler and cheaper if you use frontier models heavily. For detailed comparisons, see Cline vs Cursor, Cline vs Copilot and Cline vs Roo Code. If you used Roo Code (Agentdex profile), which shut down in May 2026, our Roo Code guide explains how to move to Cline.

Security and teams

Because Cline runs on your machine and talks directly to the provider you choose, your code goes only where you send it. Using a local model keeps it on your hardware. For organizations, Cline Enterprise adds SSO, OIDC, SCIM, role-based access control, audit and authentication logs, VPC deployment, OpenTelemetry, an SLA and the ability to limit which inference providers developers can use. Pricing is custom.

FAQ

Is Cline free?

Yes. Cline is open source under the Apache 2.0 license and free for individuals. You pay for the AI model you use, unless you use a promotional free model or a local model.

What models does Cline support?

Cline works with models from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, DeepSeek and others through your own API keys, through providers such as OpenRouter, Amazon Bedrock and Vertex AI, through Cline credits, or locally through Ollama and LM Studio.

Can I use Cline in Cursor?

Yes. Cline installs from Open VSX in Cursor and other VS Code-based editors, so you can run it alongside or instead of Cursor's own agent.

Does Cline work in JetBrains IDEs?

There is a Cline plugin for JetBrains IDEs, and Cline's pricing page lists the JetBrains extension among its Enterprise features. The CLI's ACP mode also works with JetBrains AI Assistant.

What is Plan and Act mode?

Plan mode lets Cline explore your code and propose an approach without editing anything. Act mode carries out the plan. Using both cuts wasted work and tokens.

What is ClinePass?

ClinePass is an optional $9.99/month subscription that gives 2 to 5 times the usage on selected open coding models compared with paying standard API rates.

Written by Agentdex Editorial. Agentdex is an independent directory reviewing AI coding tools; we are not affiliated with the companies mentioned. Prices and features are as of October 24, 2026, from official sources linked above. Always confirm on the vendor's site.