Cline
Open-source autonomous coding agent for VS Code, formerly known as Claude Dev.
Cline is an open-source autonomous coding agent for VS Code, formerly known as Claude Dev. Runs inside VS Code as an extension, no separate app to install.
About Cline
Cline is an open-source autonomous coding agent that runs inside VS Code — formerly known as Claude Dev.
Its draw is transparency in a familiar editor: it's a VS Code extension with no separate app, open source under Apache 2.0 with an agent loop you can inspect, and it supports plan/act modes with approval-gated terminal execution.
It's for VS Code users who want an inspectable agent with a human in the loop. Two caveats: it needs your own API key — there's no managed pricing tier — and cost can escalate quickly without per-task budgets.
It's the in-VS-Code, open option next to terminal agents like Aider and Claude Code.
Sources: cline.bot, this listing
What it does well
- Runs inside VS Code as an extension, no separate app to install.
- Open source under Apache 2.0; transparent agent loop you can inspect.
- Supports plan/act modes and approval-gated terminal execution.
Where it falls short
- Requires bringing your own API key — no managed pricing tier.
- Cost can escalate quickly without per-task budgets.
Tagged
- Bring Your Own Key
- Supports Claude
- Supports GPT
- VS Code Extension
- Agentic Mode
- Multi-file Edits
- Terminal Execution
- Free
- Open Source
Compared with similar things
Picked by shared tags inside the AI Coding Agents.
- 01Free →Roo Code
Open-source autonomous coding agent for VS Code, forked from Cline with multi-mode workflows.
- 02Freemium →OpenHands
Open-source autonomous coding agent platform, formerly OpenDevin, by All Hands AI.
- 03Free →Aider
Open-source CLI coding agent that pair-programs in your terminal and commits to git automatically.
- 04Freemium →n8n
Open-source workflow automation with native LLM nodes — self-host on your own infrastructure.
- 05Freemium →LangChain
Most-used framework for building LLM applications with retrieval, agents, and chains.
- 06Freemium →Zed
High-performance multiplayer code editor written in Rust with built-in AI chat and inline edits.
Featured in
- 6 Best GitHub Copilot Alternatives in 2026
The strongest GitHub Copilot alternative for agentic work is Cursor — an AI-native editor whose multi-file agent goes further than Copilot's. Windsurf is the other agent-first editor. For free unlimited completion, use Codeium; for open-source, bring-your-own-key control, try Cline, Aider, or Continue. Every option here has a free tier.
- 7 Best Cursor Alternatives in 2026
The closest Cursor alternative is Windsurf — the other AI-native editor, with a multi-step Cascade agent and a more generous free tier. To leave the IDE for a terminal agent, use Claude Code or Aider. For free, open-source, bring-your-own-key tools, try Cline or Continue. Every option here has a free tier.
Related reading
- Claude Code Memory
Claude Code has built-in memory — a CLAUDE.md file it reads each session — but it only holds short, hand-written notes. To make it understand a large codebase or docs set, you add a second brain: turn the repo into a knowledge graph, fold that into an Obsidian vault, and let the agent query the map instead of re-reading every file.
Read guide → - How to Do Your Own SEO with Claude Code
Claude Code can do most of your SEO — build a crawlable static site, write and optimize pages, fix the technical layer, even bottle the whole workflow into a reusable skill. What it can't do is invent authority or pick keywords, and if you let it generate 10,000 pages you'll get de-indexed, not ranked. Here's the honest, hands-on version for a maker whose site shipped last week.
Read guide → - The Best Vibe Coding Tools
The best vibe-coding tools aren't another AI model — they're the open-source Claude Code repos you stack on top of it. The right ones turn the agent from a fancy autocomplete into a disciplined senior engineer: it plans before it codes, designs properly, maps your codebase, and gets scanned for security. Here are eight worth installing.
Read guide →
Concepts you should know
- AI agent
An LLM-powered program that pursues a goal over multiple steps by calling tools, observing results, and replanning. Agents differ from single-turn chatbots in that they can take real actions (run shell commands, edit files, hit APIs) and iterate without human intervention between steps.
- Coding agent
An AI agent specialised for software-engineering tasks. Exposes file editing, terminal execution, code search, and git operations as tools and pursues multi-step coding goals like "add a /signup route with tests".
- MCP
Model Context Protocol — an open protocol introduced by Anthropic in November 2024 that lets LLM clients (editors, agents, assistants) connect to external tools and data sources through a standard JSON-RPC interface.
- Plan/Act mode
A two-stage agent workflow: in Plan mode the agent reasons about the task and outputs a structured plan; in Act mode the agent executes the plan with file edits and commands. Lets the user approve the plan before any code is touched.
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</a>Frequently asked questions
- What is Cline?
- Cline is an open-source autonomous coding agent for VS Code, formerly known as Claude Dev.
- Is Cline free?
- Cline is free to use. There is no paid tier as of the last index update.
- What platforms does Cline support?
- Cline runs on vscode-ext.
- What category does Cline belong to?
- Cline is in the AI Coding Agents category — Autonomous agents that write, edit, run, and review code. Includes CLI agents, agentic IDE add-ons, and code-review bots.
- What are the downsides of Cline?
- Requires bringing your own API key — no managed pricing tier. Cost can escalate quickly without per-task budgets.