Getting Started - Cline

What is Cline CLI?

Cline CLI brings the full power of Cline to your terminal. Whether you prefer an interactive experience or automated workflows for CI/CD pipelines, the CLI adapts to your needs.

The CLI supports macOS, Linux, and Windows, and works with all the same AI providers as the VS Code extension.

Two Ways to Use Cline CLI

The CLI operates in two distinct modes, automatically selecting the appropriate one based on how you invoke it:

Interactive Mode

Interactive mode is designed for hands-on development sessions where you want to collaborate with Cline in real-time. It provides a rich terminal interface that feels like chatting with an AI assistant.

When it activates: Running cline without arguments, or when stdin is a TTY (terminal).

bash

cline

Key features:

Real-time conversation - Type messages, see Cline's responses, and iterate on tasks
Visual feedback - Animated welcome screen, syntax-highlighted code, and progress indicators
File mentions with @ - Reference workspace files with fuzzy search autocomplete
Slash commands with / - Quick access to /settings, /history, /models, and workflows
Keyboard shortcuts - Tab to toggle Plan/Act, Shift+Tab for auto-approve all
Session summaries - See tasks completed, files modified, and token usage on exit
Settings panel - Configure providers, models, and features without leaving the CLI

Interactive mode keeps you in control. You review Cline's plan, approve or modify actions, and guide the conversation.

Learn more about interactive mode →

Headless Mode (Non-Interactive)

Headless mode is designed for automation, scripting, and CI/CD pipelines where human interaction isn't possible or desired.

When it activates: Using the -y/--yolo flag, --json flag, piping input/output, or when stdin is not a TTY.

bash

# Headless with auto-approval (YOLO mode)
cline -y "Run tests and fix any failures"

# Headless with JSON output for parsing
cline --json "List all TODO comments" | jq '.text'

# Headless via piped input
cat README.md | cline "Summarize this document"

# Chain multiple headless commands
git diff | cline -y "explain these changes" | cline -y "write a commit message"

Key features:

No visual interface - Clean text or JSON output suitable for scripting
Automatic execution - With -y, Cline approves all actions and runs autonomously
Process control - Exits automatically when the task completes
Piped workflows - Read from stdin, write to stdout, chain with other commands
Machine-readable output - Use --json to get structured output for parsing

<Warning> Headless mode with `-y` gives Cline full autonomy. Run on a clean git branch so you can easily revert changes if needed. </Warning>

Mode Detection Summary

Cline automatically detects which mode to use based on your invocation. This table shows how different command patterns trigger each mode, helping you predict behavior in scripts and interactive sessions.

Invocation	Mode	Reason
`cline`	Interactive	No arguments, TTY connected
`cline "task"`	Interactive	TTY connected
`cline -y "task"`	Headless	YOLO flag forces headless
`cline --json "task"`	Headless	JSON flag forces headless
`cat file \| cline "task"`	Headless	stdin is piped
`cline "task" > output.txt`	Headless	stdout is redirected

Learn more about headless mode →

Supported Model Providers

Cline CLI supports all providers available in the VS Code extension:

Anthropic (Claude)
OpenAI (GPT-4o, GPT-4)
OpenAI Codex (ChatGPT subscription)
OpenRouter
AWS Bedrock
Google Gemini
X AI (Grok)
Cerebras
DeepSeek
Ollama (local models)
LM Studio (local models)
OpenAI Compatible (any compatible API)

During setup, authenticate with cline auth to configure your preferred provider. See authentication →

What You Can Build

Automated Code Maintenance

Keep your codebase healthy with automated fixes. Cline scans for issues and applies corrections across multiple files.

bash

cline -y "Fix all ESLint errors in src/"

Finds and fixes linting violations throughout your source directory.

bash

cline -y "Update all deprecated React lifecycle methods"

Migrates legacy code patterns to modern equivalents (e.g., componentWillMount → useEffect).

bash

cline -y "Update dependencies with known vulnerabilities"

Identifies outdated packages with security issues and updates them to safe versions.

CI/CD Integration

Integrate Cline into your continuous integration pipelines for automated code review and documentation.

bash

git diff origin/main | cline -y "Review these changes for issues"

Pipes your PR diff to Cline for automated code review, catching bugs and style issues before merge.

bash

git log --oneline v1.0..v1.1 | cline -y "Write release notes"

Generates human-readable release notes from your commit history between two tags.

bash

cline -y "Run tests and fix failures" --timeout 600

Executes your test suite, analyzes failures, and attempts fixes with a 10-minute timeout.

Development Workflows

From quick edits to complex refactors, Cline adapts to your workflow.

bash

cline

Launches interactive mode for exploratory development and back-and-forth collaboration.

bash

cline "Refactor this function to use async/await"

Executes a focused task directly from the command line with approval prompts at key steps.

bash

cline "Based on @src/api.ts, add error handling to all endpoints"

Uses file mentions (@) to give Cline context about specific files in your workspace.

Custom Shell Pipelines

Chain Cline with other CLI tools to build powerful automation workflows.

bash

gh pr diff 123 | cline -y "Review this PR"

Fetches a GitHub PR diff and pipes it directly to Cline for review.

bash

cline --json "List all TODO comments" | jq '.text'

Outputs structured JSON that you can process with tools like jq for scripting.

bash

git diff | cline -y "explain" | cline -y "write a haiku about these changes"

Chains multiple Cline invocations together for creative multi-step workflows.

Features at a Glance

Feature	Interactive Mode	Non-Interactive Mode
Interactive chat	✓	-
File mentions (@)	✓	✓ (inline)
Slash commands (/)	✓	-
Settings panel	✓	`cline config`
Plan/Act toggle	✓ (Tab)	`-p` / `-a` flags
Auto-approve	✓ (Shift+Tab)	`-y` flag
Session summary	✓	-
JSON output	-	`--json`
Piped input	-	✓

Installation & Setup

In just a few minutes, you can install the CLI, authenticate with your preferred AI provider, and start running tasks from any directory on your machine.

Prerequisites

Cline CLI requires Node.js version 20 or higher. We recommend Node.js 22 for the best experience.

Check your Node.js version:

bash

node --version

If you need to install or update Node.js, visit nodejs.org or use a version manager like nvm.

Install Cline CLI

Install globally via npm:

bash

npm install -g cline

Verify the installation:

bash

cline version

<Tip> To install a specific version, use `npm install -g [email protected]`. Check [npm](https://www.npmjs.com/package/cline) for available versions. </Tip>

Authenticate

After installation, run the authentication wizard:

bash

cline auth

This launches an interactive wizard with multiple options. Choose the method that works best for your workflow.

Option 1: Sign in with Cline (Recommended)

Select "Sign in with Cline" to authenticate with your Cline account via OAuth. Your browser opens automatically to complete sign-in.

Option 2: Sign in with ChatGPT Subscription

If you have a ChatGPT Plus or Pro subscription, select "Sign in with ChatGPT Subscription". This uses OpenAI's Codex OAuth to authenticate with your existing subscription.

Option 3: Import from Existing Tools

Already using another AI coding CLI? Cline can import your existing configuration:

Import from Codex CLI - Imports credentials from ~/.codex/auth.json
Import from OpenCode - Imports configuration from ~/.local/share/opencode/auth.json

Option 4: Bring Your Own API Key

Select "Bring your own API key" to manually configure any supported provider. Or skip the wizard entirely with flags:

bash

# Anthropic (Claude)
cline auth -p anthropic -k sk-ant-api-xxxxx -m claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929

# OpenAI
cline auth -p openai-native -k sk-xxxxx -m gpt-4o

# OpenRouter
cline auth -p openrouter -k sk-or-xxxxx -m anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929

# OpenAI-compatible provider with custom base URL
cline auth -p openai -k your-api-key -b https://api.example.com/v1

Quick Setup Flags:

Flag	Description
`-p, --provider <id>`	Provider ID (e.g., `anthropic`, `openai-native`, `openrouter`)
`-k, --apikey <key>`	Your API key
`-m, --modelid <id>`	Model ID (e.g., `claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929`, `gpt-4o`)
`-b, --baseurl <url>`	Base URL for OpenAI-compatible providers

<Tip> Flags are especially useful for scripting, CI/CD environments, or setting up multiple machines. </Tip>

Supported Providers

Provider	Provider ID	Notes
Anthropic	`anthropic`	Direct Claude API access
OpenAI	`openai-native`	GPT-4o, GPT-4, etc.
OpenAI Codex	`openai-codex`	ChatGPT subscription OAuth
OpenRouter	`openrouter`	Access multiple providers
AWS Bedrock	`bedrock`	Claude via AWS
Google Gemini	`gemini`	Gemini Pro, etc.
X AI (Grok)	`xai`	Grok models
Cerebras	`cerebras`	Fast inference
DeepSeek	`deepseek`	DeepSeek models
Ollama	`ollama`	Local models
LM Studio	`lmstudio`	Local models
OpenAI Compatible	`openai`	Any OpenAI-compatible API

Verify Your Setup

Confirm everything is working with a simple test:

bash

cline "What is 2 + 2?"

If Cline responds with an answer, your installation and authentication are complete.

Check your current configuration:

bash

cline config

Quick Start

Now you're ready to use Cline. Choose how you want to work:

Interactive Mode

Launch the interactive CLI for development:

bash

cline

You'll see the Cline welcome screen. Type your task and press Enter. Use:

Tab to toggle between Plan and Act modes
Shift+Tab to enable auto-approve
/help for available commands

Learn more about interactive mode →

Direct Task Execution

Run a task directly from your shell:

bash

cline "Add error handling to utils.js"

For non-interactive execution (perfect for scripts and CI/CD):

bash

cline -y "Run tests and fix any failures"

Learn more about headless mode →

Switching Providers

To change your configured provider at any time:

bash

cline auth

You can also use the settings panel in interactive mode:

bash

cline
# Then type: /settings
# Navigate to the API tab

Updating

Check for updates and install the latest version:

bash

cline update

Or update manually via npm:

bash

npm update -g cline

Troubleshooting

Command Not Found

If cline is not found after installation:

Ensure npm global bin is in your PATH:
bash
```
npm bin -g
```
Add the path to your shell configuration (.bashrc, .zshrc, etc.):
bash
```
export PATH="$PATH:$(npm bin -g)"
```
Restart your terminal or source your shell config.

Permission Errors

If you get permission errors during installation:

bash

# Option 1: Use a Node version manager (recommended)
# nvm, fnm, or volta handle permissions automatically

# Option 2: Fix npm permissions
# See: https://docs.npmjs.com/resolving-eacces-permissions-errors-when-installing-packages-globally

OAuth Flow Issues

If the browser doesn't open automatically during OAuth:

Copy the URL from the terminal
Paste it in your browser manually
Complete the sign-in flow
Return to the terminal

API Key Validation

If your API key is rejected:

Verify the key is correct and hasn't expired
Check that you've selected the correct provider
Ensure your API account has the necessary permissions

Provider-specific tips:

Anthropic: Keys start with sk-ant-
OpenAI: Keys start with sk-
AWS Bedrock: Requires AWS credentials configured separately. See AWS Bedrock documentation.

Uninstallation

To remove Cline CLI:

bash

npm uninstall -g cline

To also remove configuration data:

bash

rm -rf ~/.cline

Next Steps

Interactive Mode - Master the interactive CLI with shortcuts and slash commands
Headless Mode - Run Cline autonomously in scripts, CI/CD pipelines, and automated workflows
Configuration - Configure settings, rules, workflows, and environment variables
CLI Reference - Complete command documentation with all flags and options