Authentication

Every request to the Cline API requires authentication via a Bearer token in the Authorization header.

Authentication Methods

There are two ways to authenticate:

Both methods use the same header format:

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN

API Keys

API keys are the recommended authentication method for programmatic access.

Creating a Key

Deleting a Key

You can revoke an API key at any time from the same Settings > API Keys page. Deleted keys stop working immediately.

You can also manage keys programmatically through the Enterprise API:

# List your keys
curl https://api.cline.bot/api/v1/api-keys \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"

# Delete a key
curl -X DELETE https://api.cline.bot/api/v1/api-keys/KEY_ID \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"

Account Auth Tokens

When you sign in to the Cline extension (VS Code, JetBrains) or CLI, an account auth token is generated and managed automatically. You do not need to handle these tokens manually.

The Cline CLI uses these tokens when you authenticate via:

# Interactive sign-in
cline auth

# Or quick setup with an API key
cline auth -p cline -k "YOUR_API_KEY" -m anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6

See the CLI Reference for all auth options.

Security Best Practices

Do:

• Store API keys in environment variables or a secrets manager
• Use different keys for development and production
• Rotate keys periodically
• Delete keys you no longer use

Do not:

• Commit keys to version control
• Share keys in chat or email
• Embed keys in client-side code (browsers, mobile apps)
• Log keys in application output

Using Environment Variables

# Set the key
export CLINE_API_KEY="your_api_key_here"

# Use it in requests
curl -X POST https://api.cline.bot/api/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CLINE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"model": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6", "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}]}'

Using a .env File

# .env (add to .gitignore)
CLINE_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

import os
from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    base_url="https://api.cline.bot/api/v1",
    api_key=os.environ["CLINE_API_KEY"],
)

Custom Headers

The Cline API accepts optional headers for tracking and identification:

Related