npm i -g cline
Excerpts from the project README on GitHub. Copyright and licensing remain with the respective authors.
Cline is an autonomous coding agent for VS Code that can plan, edit files, run commands and use the browser, with your approval at each step.
| Category | Coding assistant |
| Type | IDE agent |
| License | Apache-2.0 |
| Runs locally | Cloud-optional |
| Built with | TypeScript |
| Skill level | Intermediate |
| Best for | developers who want an agentic, multi-step coder |
Other open-source coding assistant tools worth comparing:
ContinueOpen-source autocomplete and chat in your IDE
AiderAI pair programming in your terminal
Roo CodeCustomizable agentic coder (Cline fork)
TabbySelf-hosted Copilot alternative
GooseOn-machine AI agent for engineering tasks
OpenCodeOpen Claude-Code-style agent for your terminal
VoidOpen-source Cursor alternative on VS Code
ZedBlazing-fast editor with native AI and collab
PlandexPlan-first agent for large codebases
Sourcegraph CodyCodebase-aware AI assistant
GPT EngineerGenerate a whole codebase from a prompt
SweepTurn issues into pull requests
PuppyoneA local-first editor built for you and your agentsCline is free and open-source (Apache-2.0 license), so you can use, self-host and modify it at no cost.
Cline can be used locally or in the cloud depending on your setup.
Popular open-source alternatives include Continue, Aider, Roo Code. See the comparisons above to choose.
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