Cline review

Q: How do I install Cline?

Run npm i -g cline. The install section above has the other options from the project's README.

Cline is an open source autonomous coding agent available as a CLI, desktop app, VS Code extension, JetBrains plugin, and SDK.

Updated Nov 1, 2026. Review written Oct 25, 2026 from the project's own sources; usage data refreshed every Monday.

TL;DR

Cline is an open source coding agent that edits files, runs terminal commands, and uses tools with human approval. Cline is for developers who want one agent across editor, terminal, desktop, and CI. Cline is not locked to one AI provider, works with local models through Ollama or LM Studio, and offers Plan and Act modes.

71.1kGitHub stars
+368new stars, week of Oct 25
~116.6kdownloads a week, +37% vs 4-week avg
#47in Coding agents this week

Cline at a glance

Category: Coding agents
Maintained by: Cline (organization, @cline on GitHub)
License: Apache 2.0
Language: TypeScript, JavaScript, Rust
Repository: github.com/cline/cline
Website: cline.bot
npm package: cline 3.0.73
Latest release: desktop-v0.0.48 on GitHub, Oct 17, 2026
First published: Jul 6, 2024

What Cline does

Cline makes coordinated multi-file edits, watches linter and compiler errors, and shows each edit as a reviewable diff with checkpoints for undo.
Cline runs bash commands in your terminal and reacts to output from long-running processes like dev servers and tests.
Cline offers Plan mode to explore and strategize, and Act mode to execute, with per-step approval or auto-approve.
Cline follows project rules defined in .clinerules files across the CLI, VS Code extension, and JetBrains plugin.
Cline extends through SDK plugins with custom tools and lifecycle hooks, or through MCP servers managed with cline mcp.
Cline coordinates multi-agent teams and runs scheduled agents on cron for recurring automations like PR summaries.
Cline connects to Slack, Telegram, Discord, Google Chat, WhatsApp, and Linear, with access control for who can interact.

How it works

Cline runs as a CLI with interactive or headless mode, a native desktop app, a VS Code extension, or a JetBrains plugin, all sharing one agent engine. It connects to model providers such as Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, OpenRouter, AWS Bedrock, Ollama, LM Studio, or any OpenAI-compatible API. The SDK exposes the same engine as a Node.js API.

How to install and start using Cline

CLI with npm

npm i -g cline

SDK with npm

npm install @cline/sdk

Requirements

Access to an AI model, through a provider API key, an OpenAI-compatible endpoint, or a local runtime such as Ollama or LM Studio.
npm to install the CLI or SDK.
The desktop app runs on macOS and Windows, with a Linux download listed on the homepage.

First steps

Install the CLI with npm, or install the extension from the VS Marketplace or JetBrains Marketplace.
Choose a model provider and bring your own key, endpoint, or local model weights.
Add a .clinerules file to your repo with coding standards and conventions.
Start in Plan mode to align on a strategy, then switch to Act mode to execute.

Who Cline is for

Developers who want to choose or switch AI providers, including local models.
Teams automating CI/CD tasks with a headless agent that outputs JSON.
Developers who want to review every edit and command before it runs.
Builders embedding a coding agent in their own products through the SDK.

Limitations to know

Cline's JetBrains plugin is not open source, unlike the other clients.
Cline Cloud sessions in hosted sandboxes were rolling out gradually and may not be available everywhere.
Cline's CLI no longer supports in-process plugins; plugins run in a worker or sandbox.

Is Cline growing? Usage data

In the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, Cline ranked #113 on the Devtoolwatch Board and #47 in Coding agents, with a momentum score of 60 out of 100. Its main package had about 116.6k downloads that week, +37% against its own 4-week average.

New GitHub stars per week for the last 12 weeks, from GitHub's stargazer history (today's stargazers by the week they starred).

Show the weekly numbers

New GitHub stars per week for Cline
Week of	New stars
Aug 9, 2026	408
Aug 16, 2026	487
Aug 23, 2026	517
Aug 30, 2026	429
Sep 6, 2026	401
Sep 13, 2026	969
Sep 20, 2026	636
Sep 27, 2026	444
Oct 4, 2026	384
Oct 11, 2026	409
Oct 18, 2026	422
Oct 25, 2026	368

On Hacker News

Why Cline doesn't index your codebase, 178 points and 124 comments (May 27, 2025)
Cline and LM Studio: the local coding stack with Qwen3 Coder 30B, 80 points and 20 comments (Aug 31, 2025)
Cline founder stole my code, 22 points and 1 comments (Feb 9, 2025)
Cline: Autonomous Coding Agent for VS Code, 6 points and 2 comments (Mar 14, 2025)
Cline-Bench: A Real-World, Open-Source Benchmark for Agentic Coding, 6 points and 0 comments (Nov 20, 2025)

The Board ranks tools by four signals each week: new stars, new stars for the repo's size, added downloads and download growth beyond the market. How the ranking works.

Cline alternatives

Other AI coding agents on the Board in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, by momentum:

Coding agents ranked by momentum, the week of Oct 25–31, 2026
Rank	Tool	Stars	Downloads/wk
#1	CindyCindy is an open-source AI agent app for desktop and mobile that combines Claude Code, Codex and Pi across your connected devices.	8.8k	–
#2	OpenMausBotOpenMausBot is an open-source desktop chat app where each contact is a local Claude, Codex, or Grok CLI agent with its own computer.	9.6k	–
#3	OrcaOrca is a desktop agent development environment for running Claude Code, Codex, and other CLI coding agents in parallel, each in its own…	111.7k	–
#4	OpenBotOpenBot is an open-source, self-hosted template for AI coworkers that each get their own browser, files and granted tools, with every…	9.1k	–
#5	Agent ReachAgent Reach is a Python CLI that lets AI agents search and read platforms such as Twitter, Reddit, YouTube, GitHub, Bilibili and…	107.2k	–
#6	Skill RecorderSkill Recorder is a desktop app that records your on-screen work session and turns it into a reusable agent Skill or Automation.	5.6k	–

All AI coding agents, ranked

Recent Cline releases

desktop-v0.0.48, Oct 17, 2026
cli-v3.0.73, Oct 17, 2026
sdk/sdk/v0.0.95, Oct 17, 2026
v4.1.25, Oct 16, 2026
desktop-v0.0.47, Oct 16, 2026

Cline FAQ

Is Cline free and open source?

Yes. Cline's source code is on GitHub (cline/cline) under the Apache 2.0 license, so you can use it for free. Its website also links to a pricing page (https://cline.bot/pricing) for any paid plans.

How do I install Cline?

Run npm i -g cline. The install section above has the other options from the project's README.

Is Cline still maintained?

Yes. The cline/cline repository was last updated on Oct 25, 2026, and the latest release, desktop-v0.0.48 on GitHub, came out on Oct 17, 2026.

How popular is Cline?

Cline has 71.1k GitHub stars as of Nov 1, 2026. It gained 368 new stars in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, against a 12-week average of 490 a week. Its main package had about 116.6k downloads that week, +37% against its own 4-week average. That made it #47 among AI coding agents on the Devtoolwatch Board.

Cline vs OpenCode: how do they compare?

Cline and OpenCode are both tracked by Devtoolwatch as AI coding agents. Cline has 71.1k GitHub stars and OpenCode has 223.6k. OpenCode is an open source AI coding agent that helps you write and run code in a terminal, desktop app, or IDE extension. OpenCode review.

Cline vs Claude Code: how do they compare?

Cline and Claude Code are both tracked by Devtoolwatch as AI coding agents. Cline has 71.1k GitHub stars and Claude Code has 154.1k. In the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, Cline's main package had 116.6k downloads and Claude Code's had 11.6M. Claude Code is Anthropic's agentic coding tool that reads your codebase, edits files, runs commands, and handles git workflows through natural language. Claude Code review.

What are the best alternatives to Cline?

Other AI coding agents on the Devtoolwatch Board in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, by momentum: Cindy (#1), OpenMausBot (#2), Orca (#3), OpenBot (#4), Agent Reach (#5). The alternatives table above has their numbers.

Is Cline open source?

Yes. Cline is open source under the Apache 2.0 license. The JetBrains plugin is the exception and is not currently open sourced.

How do I use Cline in VS Code?

Install the Cline extension from the VS Marketplace. In the editor, Cline creates files, runs commands, browses the web, and uses tools with human-in-the-loop approval, showing each edit as a diff.

Can I use Cline with Ollama or a local LLM?

Yes. Cline supports Ollama and LM Studio for running local models on your machine, plus any OpenAI-compatible self-hosted endpoint.

Can I use Cline in Cursor?

Yes. The Cline homepage offers an install option for Cursor, along with Visual Studio Code, Windsurf, and JetBrains.

Is Cline safe to use?

Cline requires your approval for every file edit and terminal command by default. Auto-approve is optional. Edits are tracked with checkpoints so you can undo the agent's work.

Sources

Cline README badge

Maintainers can show the tool's weekly Board rank in their README:

[![Devtoolwatch](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/badge/cline.svg)](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/cline/)

How this page is made: Devtoolwatch writes each review from the project's README, releases, package metadata and website, with an AI model, then checks every claim against the source it cites and drops what the sources don't support. The numbers come from Devtoolwatch's daily GitHub snapshots, GitHub's stargazer history, and the npm and PyPI download APIs. Spotted an error? Email [email protected].