Directory / Cline
Cline
Verified
Open-source VS Code coding agent with visible tool approvals.
Cline is an open-source VS Code coding agent that plans, edits, runs terminal commands, and can use a browser. A human can approve each tool call, and the operator supplies the model. Roo Code is a related fork with a separate product surface.
- Model support
- Multi-model
- Deployment
- Self-hosted
- Open source
- Yes
- License
- Apache-2.0
- Pricing model
- Mixed
- Added / updated
- 19 Aug 2026 / 19 Aug 2026
Assessment
Cline provides editor-based agency without Cursor's closed runtime. Tool approvals help interactive work but make unattended execution awkward unless configured away. Roo Code is the closest fork to compare before standardizing.
Strengths
- Visible tool calls and diffs in VS Code.
- Apache-2.0 source with multiple forks.
- Terminal and browser tools.
Limitations
- Editor-bound; headless use needs additional integration.
- Default approvals impede unattended CI.
- Inference is billed separately from the client.
Compare
- vs roo-code : Related VS Code agents with different product and governance choices.
- vs kilo-code : Open VS Code agents with different model-routing choices.