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Cline

IDE extension

Cline Bot Inc.

Open-source AI coding agent for VS Code (plus CLI and SDK) with Plan/Act modes, MCP support, and human-in-the-loop approval of every file change and command.

MCP

Supported

Configure MCP servers in cline_mcp_settings.json under the mcpServers key (editable via the MCP Servers panel). Supports local stdio servers and remote servers over Streamable HTTP or legacy SSE.

Verified 2026-07-12Docs
Transportsstdiohttpsse
Authheadersoauth

Config files

PathScopeFormatKey
~/.cline/data/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json

Shared by the VS Code extension, CLI, and SDK. Open via MCP Servers > Configure > Configure MCP Servers in the extension.

GlobaljsonmcpServers
~/.cline/mcp.json

CLI MCP config (cline mcp wizard).

GlobaljsonmcpServers
.cline/mcp.json

Project-level MCP server config (documented in the CLI reference).

ProjectjsonmcpServers

Fields

FieldTypeDescription
commandstringCommand to start a local (stdio) server.
argsstring[]Arguments passed to the command.
envrecord<string, string>Environment variables for the server.
urlstringEndpoint URL for a remote server.
type"streamableHttp" | "sse"Remote transport type. Defaults to legacy sse when omitted.
headersrecord<string, string>HTTP headers for a remote server (e.g. Authorization).
disabledbooleanToggle a server off without deleting it.
autoApprovestring[]Tool names that run without per-call approval.

Capabilities

ToolsSupported
ResourcesSupported

Examples

Local stdio server
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "local-server": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/server.js"],
      "env": { "API_KEY": "your_api_key" },
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": []
    }
  }
}
Remote server (Streamable HTTP)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "remote-server": {
      "type": "streamableHttp",
      "url": "https://example.com/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer your-token" },
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": []
    }
  }
}
  • Omitting type on a remote server defaults to the legacy sse transport; set type to streamableHttp explicitly for the recommended transport.
  • The Cline CLI reads ~/.cline/mcp.json and .cline/mcp.json (project) with the same server definitions; the extension shares config under ~/.cline/data/.
  • Legacy installs stored the file in VS Code globalStorage (saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json); the extension migrates it to ~/.cline/data/settings/.
  • OAuth credentials for remote servers are stored under each server's oauth key (managed by the extension, verified from source).
  • Per-tool auto-approval via the autoApprove array; the Auto Approve setting 'Use MCP servers' gates MCP tools and resources globally.

Skills

Supported

SKILL.md skill folders with progressive loading: only name and description (~100 tokens) load at startup; the full instructions load when Cline triggers the skill via the use_skill tool or you invoke it as a slash command.

Verified 2026-07-12Docs
Invokeautomatic/skill-name

Config files

PathScopeFormatKey
.cline/skills/<name>/SKILL.md

Recommended project location; commit to share with your team. .clinerules/skills/ and .claude/skills/ are also discovered.

Projectmarkdown
~/.cline/skills/<name>/SKILL.md

Global skills available across all projects.

Globalmarkdown

Fields

FieldTypeDescription
name*stringSkill identifier; must exactly match the directory name. Use kebab-case.
description*stringTells Cline when to use the skill (max 1024 characters). Determines automatic triggering.

Examples

Data analysis skill
---
name: data-analysis
description: Analyze data files and generate insights. Use when working with CSV, Excel, or JSON data files that need exploration, cleaning, or visualization.
---

# Data Analysis

When analyzing data files, follow this process:

## 1. Understand the Data
- Read a sample of the file to understand its structure
- Identify column types and data quality issues
  • Skills can bundle supporting files (docs/, templates/, scripts/) that load only as needed; script output enters context, not the script itself.
  • Every skill has an enable/disable toggle in the Skills menu; skills are enabled by default when discovered.
  • When a global and project skill share a name, the global skill takes precedence.
  • Keep SKILL.md under ~5k tokens; split detail into docs/ files referenced from the instructions.

Rules

Supported

Markdown rule files in .clinerules/ (workspace) and a global Cline Rules directory, with per-file enable/disable toggles and optional paths frontmatter for conditional activation. Cursor rules, Windsurf rules, and AGENTS.md are auto-detected.

Verified 2026-07-12Docs

Config files

PathScopeFormatKey
.clinerules/

Primary format: directory of .md/.txt rule files at the project root (a single .clinerules file also works).

Projectmarkdown
AGENTS.md

Standard cross-tool format, auto-detected at the project root.

Projectmarkdown
~/Documents/Cline/Rules/

Global rules directory (Windows: Documents\Cline\Rules). ~/.cline/rules/ is also read.

Globalmarkdown
~/.agents/AGENTS.md

Cross-tool global AGENTS instructions.

Globalmarkdown

Fields

FieldTypeDescription
pathsstring[]Frontmatter glob patterns that scope the rule; it activates when any pattern matches a file in the current context. Empty array disables the rule.

Examples

Conditional rule scoped to React code
---
paths:
  - "src/components/**"
  - "src/hooks/**"
---

# React Component Guidelines

When creating or modifying React components:
- Use functional components with React hooks
- Extract reusable logic into custom React hooks
  • Cline processes all .md and .txt files inside .clinerules/, combining them into a unified rule set; workspace rules win over global rules on conflict.
  • Conditional rules use YAML frontmatter with a paths array of globs, matched against open tabs, visible files, files mentioned in your prompt, and files Cline edits. Rules without frontmatter are always active.
  • Cross-tool formats are auto-detected: .cursorrules, .windsurfrules, AGENTS.md, and global ~/.agents/AGENTS.md.
  • The /newrule slash command creates a rule interactively; the CLI/SDK also read global rules from ~/.cline/rules/.
  • On Linux/WSL the global directory may be ~/Cline/Rules if ~/Documents/Cline/Rules does not exist.

Hooks

Supported

Executable hook scripts named after lifecycle events, placed in .clinerules/hooks/ (workspace) or the global hooks directory. Hooks receive event JSON on stdin and return JSON on stdout that can block execution or inject context.

Verified 2026-07-12Docs
EventsTaskStartTaskResumeTaskCancelTaskCompleteUserPromptSubmitPreToolUsePostToolUsePreCompact

Config files

PathScopeFormatKey
.clinerules/hooks/<EventName>

Executable script in any language with a shebang. File name must equal the event name, e.g. .clinerules/hooks/PreToolUse.

Projectexecutable
~/Documents/Cline/Hooks/<EventName>

Executable script, applies to all workspaces (see format caveat above). The CLI also reads ~/.cline/hooks/.

Globalmarkdown

Fields

FieldTypeDescription
cancel*booleanHook output: false to continue, true to block execution and surface errorMessage.
contextModificationstringHook output: context added to the conversation for future AI decisions (max 50KB).
errorMessagestringHook output: error details shown when blocking.

Examples

PreToolUse hook blocking .js files in a TypeScript project
#!/usr/bin/env bash
input=$(cat)
tool_name=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.preToolUse.toolName')
path=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.preToolUse.parameters.path // ""')

if [[ "$tool_name" == "write_to_file" && "$path" == *.js ]]; then
  echo '{"cancel": true, "errorMessage": "Use .ts files only"}'
  exit 0
fi

echo '{"cancel": false}'
  • Hooks must be enabled via the 'Enable Hooks' checkbox in Cline settings (Feature Settings).
  • Hook files carry no extension, need a shebang, and must be executable; Windows is not currently supported. Verified from the official repo's .clinerules/hooks/README.md.
  • Output JSON: { cancel, contextModification, errorMessage }. cancel: true blocks execution; contextModification (max 50KB) affects future AI decisions, not the current tool call.
  • TaskComplete and PreCompact are documented as 'coming soon'. All matching hooks (global + workspace) run concurrently; if any returns cancel: true, the action is blocked.
  • Default timeout is 30 seconds. The CLI also reads ~/.cline/hooks/ and a directory set via --hooks-dir / CLINE_HOOKS_DIR; the docs site's hooks page additionally covers SDK plugin lifecycle hooks (beforeTool, afterRun, etc.).

Commands

Supported

Built-in slash commands (/newtask, /smol, /newrule, /deep-planning, /reportbug), plus user-defined workflows: markdown files invoked by filename (e.g. /release.md) and enabled skills triggered as slash commands.

Verified 2026-07-12Docs
Invoke/command/workflow-name.md/skill-name

Config files

PathScopeFormatKey
.clinerules/workflows/*.md

Workspace workflows, version-controlled with the repo.

Projectmarkdown
~/Documents/Cline/Workflows/*.md

Global workflows for all projects (Windows: Documents\Cline\Workflows).

Globalmarkdown

Examples

PR review workflow (.clinerules/workflows/pr-review.md)
1. Check out the PR branch: `gh pr checkout [id]`
2. Run the test suite and note any failures
3. Review the diff against our coding standards
4. Summarize findings and suggest changes
  • Workflows are manual-only markdown step lists; type / in chat to see autocomplete for built-ins, workflows, and enabled skills.
  • Workflow files can reference Cline's built-in tools (e.g. ask_followup_question), CLI tools, and MCP tools, and chain steps in sequence.
  • Workspace workflows take precedence over global workflows with the same name; each workflow has an enable/disable toggle in the Workflows tab.
  • Workspace workflow location .clinerules/workflows/ verified from the official repo; the CLI/SDK also resolve global workflows from ~/.cline/data/workflows/.
  • /smol has alias /compact.

Settings

Partial

Extension behavior (Auto Approve permissions, YOLO Mode, feature toggles) is configured through the Cline settings UI; persistent configuration lives under ~/.cline/ in documented settings files shared by the IDE extension, CLI, and SDK.

Verified 2026-07-12Docs

Config files

PathScopeFormatKey
~/.cline/data/settings/global-settings.json

Global settings shared across Cline applications (IDE, CLI, SDK).

Globaljson
~/.cline/data/settings/providers.json

API keys and model provider configuration.

Globaljson
.cline/

Project config root (rules/, skills/, hooks/, plugins/, mcp.json); directories hold markdown/scripts rather than a single JSON settings file.

Projectjson

Fields

FieldTypeDescription
CLINE_COMMAND_PERMISSIONSstring (JSON)Environment variable restricting shell commands: { allow: string[], deny: string[], allowRedirects: boolean }.
CLINE_DATA_DIRstringEnvironment variable overriding the data directory (default ~/.cline/data).

Examples

Command permission policy
{
  "allow": ["npm *", "git *"],
  "deny": ["rm -rf *"],
  "allowRedirects": false
}
  • Auto Approve is evaluated per tool call with per-category permissions (read/edit project or all files, safe/all commands, browser, MCP); YOLO Mode auto-approves everything.
  • Field-level schemas for global-settings.json and providers.json are not documented; the directory layout is.
  • CLINE_COMMAND_PERMISSIONS env var applies a JSON allow/deny policy for shell commands, e.g. {"allow": ["npm *"], "deny": ["rm -rf *"]}; deny overrides allow.
  • CLINE_DATA_DIR overrides the data directory; enterprise deployments add remote-managed provider config and controls (YOLO Mode lockdown, MCP allowlists).