Cline Download: Open-Source AI Coding Agent for VS Code

Cline is an autonomous coding agent: you describe what you want, and it plans the change, edits files across your project and runs commands, asking for your approval along the way. It is available as a VS Code extension, a JetBrains plugin, a command-line tool and a desktop app for macOS and Windows.

What does Cline do?

• Project-wide edits: Makes coordinated changes across many files while watching linter and compiler errors. Every edit appears as a diff, and checkpoints let you undo the agent’s work.
• Terminal commands: Runs commands and reacts to their output, such as build errors.
• Plan and Act modes: Explore and outline first, then execute, with optional auto-approval.
• Project rules and skills: .clinerules files and skills that load when needed.
• Any model: Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, OpenRouter, AWS Bedrock and others, or local models through Ollama and LM Studio.
• Extensible: MCP servers, an SDK and a headless mode for CI/CD.

Who is it for?

It suits developers who want an AI agent that does real work in their codebase, including those who prefer to keep code on their own machine with a local model.

Where to get Cline

• VS Code: Install “Cline” from the Visual Studio Marketplace, or search for Cline in the Extensions panel.
• JetBrains IDEs: Install the Cline plugin from the JetBrains Marketplace.
• Command line:

npm i -g cline

Then choose a model provider in Cline’s settings. For local use, select Ollama or LM Studio and pick a model you have downloaded.

Requirements

• Editor: VS Code or a JetBrains IDE. The CLI installs through npm, which ships prebuilt binaries for macOS, Linux and Windows.
• Models: With a cloud provider, any computer that runs your editor is enough. Local models through Ollama or LM Studio need enough RAM and GPU memory for the model you choose.

License

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