Cline is an open-source autonomous AI coding agent for VS Code that can create and edit files, execute terminal commands, launch browsers, and perform complex multi-step development tasks with human approval at every step. It solves the problem of AI assistants being limited to code suggestions by providing a full agentic workflow where the AI can plan, implement, test, and debug code changes across your entire project. Trusted by over five million developers, Cline has become one of the most popular agentic AI tools for VS Code, pioneering the human-in-the-loop approach to AI-assisted development.
Cline features Plan and Act modes that let the AI first devise a strategy and then execute it step by step, a browser automation capability using Claude's Computer Use for interactive debugging and end-to-end testing, and deep terminal integration for running build scripts, installing packages, and managing deployments. It supports a wide range of AI providers including OpenRouter, Anthropic, OpenAI, Google Gemini, AWS Bedrock, and local models through LM Studio and Ollama. Cline also supports the Model Context Protocol for extending its capabilities with custom tools, and presents all file changes as diff views that developers can edit or revert directly.
Cline is designed for developers who want an autonomous AI coding agent that respects their control over the development process through explicit approval of every file change and terminal command. It is particularly popular among developers who prefer open-source tools with no vendor lock-in and want the flexibility to use any AI model provider. Compared to cloud-based AI coding agents like Devin, Cline offers a local-first approach that keeps code on your machine while still providing powerful agentic capabilities for feature implementation, bug fixing, and complex refactoring tasks.