Cline
Open source coding agent for the editor, the terminal and your own apps
Cline is an open source coding agent that runs as an IDE extension, as a command line tool and as an embeddable SDK, and works with whichever model provider you already pay for rather than reselling inference. It makes coordinated edits across many files, runs shell commands and reacts to their output, and separates planning from execution through a Plan-and-Act mode so you can agree the approach before anything is changed. Standards live in .clinerules files alongside the code, capabilities extend through MCP servers and plugins, and it connects to Slack, Linear, GitHub Actions and CI systems. It is Apache 2.0 licensed and supports Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Bedrock, Vertex, Ollama and any OpenAI-compatible API.
- Multi-file edits with coordinated changes across a project
- Runs bash commands and reacts to the live output
- Plan-and-Act mode agrees the approach before executing
- Rules and skills defined in .clinerules files in the repo
- Works with every major model provider, or your own endpoint
- Extends through MCP servers and a plugin marketplace
- Multi-agent teams with coordination and scheduling
- Extensions for VS Code, JetBrains, Cursor and a CLI
Based on what people have said
Every answer links back to the mentions it came fromWhat are the common complaints regarding Cline's performance and resource usage?
Users report that Cline can be resource-intensive, with some noting that the client laptop must perform significant overhead work to render streaming responses. Others have observed the agent repeatedly reading the same files, experiencing long 'thinking' periods, or encountering issues where the agent bogs down during high-context tasks. Additionally, some users suggest that the agent's tendency to resend large conversation histories at every step can lead to high token consumption.
6 mentions · r/LocalLLM · r/LocalLLM · r/LocalLLM · r/LocalLLM · r/DeepSeek · Aug 2026 – Sep 2026
How do users feel about the cost of using Cline?
Opinions on pricing are mixed. Some users find the cost reasonable, while others report that the agent can quickly exhaust API credits or subscription limits. There is disagreement regarding value, with some users preferring alternative tools like OpenCode when comparing subscription costs, while others note that tasks which previously cost several dollars can now be completed for significantly less.
6 mentions · r/artificial · r/opencode · r/DeepSeek · r/CLine · Aug 2026 – Sep 2026
What is the user experience like regarding Cline's 'plan-and-act' workflow?
The experience is subjective; some users find the mandatory plan-and-act structure to be too hands-on, while others appreciate the visual feedback, task lists, and code diffs provided by the agent. However, some users have expressed frustration that they cannot expand the 'thinking' block to monitor the model's internal process.
2 mentions · r/LocalLLM · r/LocalLLM · Sep 2026
Can Cline be used with different model providers and local endpoints?
Yes, users report running Cline with various setups, including local OpenAPI-compatible endpoints, LM Studio, and free model providers. However, some users have encountered difficulties with authentication requirements when attempting to use local endpoints.
4 mentions · @k2sbhai · r/LocalLLaMA · r/CLine · r/Jetbrains · Aug 2026 – Sep 2026
These summarise counts and dates only. Read the quotes themselves under what people are saying.
What people are saying about Cline
44% positive“cline cli start up on windows is keep pop up some terminal tui， and then disapare。。”
“I have been been using LM studio to run Qwen, and have him set up in Cline for vs code. I then use MCP to give him tool access in Unity.”
“Why does Cline agent keep showing this stupid error? Its been 3 days since I subscribed to clinepass and downloaded the cline agent.”
“anyone using cline in termux? I do and I love it!”
“Whats a better AI coding plan? Cline-pass, Command Code, Opencode? Or other?”
“Cline Desktop is now available in beta for macOS and Windows. I used to really enjoy using it in VS Code. Now I can use it without opening an editor.”
“I was an early cline power user but haven’t touched it in a while. This is making me look at it again.”
“The Cline team gave me early invite access to Cline Desktop ahead of launch, and running autonomous agents on open-weight models locally hits differently.”
“I like Cline Desktop a lot. It's an open-source app for open-weight models.”
“Testing the new @cline Desktop app 🚀 Got early access from the Cline team to try it out, so I’ve been exploring how it fits into my development workflow.”
“DeepSeek V4 Flash, GLM 5.3 Flash, and Laguna S 2.1 are all available in Cline Desktop with no API key required.”
“Cline Desktop just launched. An open-source workspace for open-weight models 🤯”
“I got early access to the new @Cline Open Source Desktop app! I wanted to see how it would fit into my everyday development workflow, so I tested it with the free GLM-5.3 Flash model across coding, scheduled reviews, and conversation handoffs.”
“Cline Desktop shipped features into my 19,000-line game that I couldn't build myself.”
“Review in Cline (with Kimi, GLM, Qwen, or DeepSeek)”
“The part that stuck with me is you’re not tied to one model. I could switch models and providers depending”
“DeepSeek V4 Flash, GLM 5.3 Flash, and Laguna S 2.1 are now available for free inside Cline Desktop, an open-source app for open-weight models.”
“At 2 AM, the agent ran the scan while I was asleep. All 3”
“Is Cline back? 👀”
“I gave Cline Desktop, an open source application for open weight models, my existing freelance project and basically asked it for some improvements. It understood the codebase, suggested an approach, and then made the changes for me.”
“Cline finally has a home outside the editor. Cline Desktop is an open-source app built for open-weight models - open a workspace, give it a task, and let it work across the codebase.”
“Whenever a new open-weight model drops, it's usually already in there, that's the part I like most.”
“Having a dedicated desktop app feels much better compared to an IDE sidebar. The agent handled the Three js”
“Something just launched that makes VS Code feel ancient. And im all in for it: Cline Desktop app, an open-source app for open-weight models (and you know how much i love open source) brings its coding agent into a standalone Cline Desktop app for Mac + Windows.”
“got early access to the new app directly from the Cline team, and it's pretty cool to see the same open source agent runtime work across the IDE, CLI, SDK and Desktop.”