Cline

Cline is an open‑source, locally‑executed AI coding agent that integrates with VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, and a terminal‑first CLI to provide context‑aware multi‑file edits, automated refactoring, and command execution while keeping all source code and prompts on the developer’s machine. It supports a model‑agnostic backend for Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, Bedrock, or self‑hosted LLMs and includes enterprise extensions such as SSO, on‑prem deployment, and centralized policy management.

Updated 2 months ago

Funding

Funding not disclosed

Funding rounds are not available yet.

Founders

Founder details are not available yet.

Product

Problem

Developers spend excessive time navigating large codebases, manually coordinating multi‑file refactors, and stitching together disparate AI services, which slows delivery and introduces consistency and security risks. Existing assistants often require cloud calls that expose proprietary code and lack deep integration with IDEs or CI pipelines.

Solution

Cline delivers an open‑source, locally‑executed AI coding agent that embeds directly into VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, and a terminal‑first CLI. It builds a full context of the repository, enabling accurate multi‑file edits, automated refactoring, and command execution while keeping all code and prompts on the developer’s machine. The platform supports a model‑agnostic backend, allowing teams to connect to Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, Bedrock, or self‑hosted inference engines without vendor lock‑in. Its Plan & Act workflow lets users review a generated implementation plan before the agent applies changes, ensuring human oversight. Enterprise extensions add SSO, role‑based access, VPC or on‑prem deployment, and centralized policy management for secure, scalable adoption. Cline also exposes a Model Context Protocol (MCP) for custom tool integration and can be scripted in CI/CD pipelines for repeatable, autonomous code updates.

Target Audience

Software engineers and development teams that need AI‑assisted code comprehension, large‑scale refactoring, and automated workflow integration, as well as enterprise IT groups requiring on‑prem security and governance.

Features

IDE plugins for VS Code and the JetBrains suite that provide context‑aware suggestions, diff previews, and one‑click apply/rollback.
Cline CLI with ACP compatibility for terminal‑only workflows, CI/CD automation, and headless execution (`cline -y`).
Client‑side architecture: all source files and prompts remain on the developer’s hardware; no telemetry is sent unless an external model API is invoked.
Multi‑model support (Anthropic Claude, OpenAI GPT, Google Gemini, AWS Bedrock, local Ollama/LM Studio) with seamless provider switching via environment variables or config files.
Plan & Act mode: the agent first outlines a step‑by‑step plan, obtains user approval, then executes edits, runs commands, and updates the repository.
Extensible Model Context Protocol (MCP) enabling custom tools (e.g., Jira ticket fetcher, AWS EC2 manager) to be added as first‑class agents.
.clinerules and workflow scripts for project‑specific coding standards, security policies, and token‑efficient prompting.
Enterprise security layer: SSO/OIDC, audit logs, VPC/on‑prem deployment, and fine‑grained permissioning for large teams.