All Cline Tools - Cline

Cline has access to a set of tools for various tasks. This reference covers all available tools and how to use them.

What Can Cline Do?

Edit and create files in your project
Run terminal commands
Search and analyze your code
Help debug and fix issues
Automate repetitive tasks
Integrate with external tools via MCP

File Operations

Tool	Description
`write_to_file`	Create or overwrite files
`read_file`	Read file contents
`replace_in_file`	Make targeted edits to files
`search_files`	Search files using regex
`list_files`	List directory contents
`list_code_definition_names`	List code definitions in files

Examples

Create a new file:

xml

<write_to_file>
<path>src/components/Header.tsx</path>
<content>
import React from "react"

interface HeaderProps {
  title: string
}

export default function Header({ title }: HeaderProps) {
  return (
    <header style={{ padding: "1rem", borderBottom: "1px solid #eee" }}>
      <h1>{title}</h1>
    </header>
  )
}
</content>
</write_to_file>

Search for a pattern:

xml

<search_files>
<path>src</path>
<regex>function\s+\w+\(</regex>
<file_pattern>*.ts</file_pattern>
</search_files>

Terminal Operations

Tool	Description
`execute_command`	Run CLI commands

Run a command:

xml

<execute_command>
<command>npm install axios</command>
<requires_approval>false</requires_approval>
</execute_command>

Browser Operations

Tool	Description
`browser_action`	Interact with websites through Puppeteer

See Browser Automation for details.

MCP Tools

Tool	Description
`use_mcp_tool`	Use tools from MCP servers
`access_mcp_resource`	Access MCP server resources

MCP tools extend Cline's capabilities through external integrations. See MCP documentation for details.

Interaction Tools

Tool	Description
`ask_followup_question`	Ask user for clarification
`attempt_completion`	Present final results

New Task Tool

The new_task tool enables context management and task continuity. It packages current progress and context into a fresh task with a clean context window.

When to Use

Context window filling up but work isn't done
Completing a logical subtask before starting the next
After research phase, ready to implement

How It Works

Cline proposes creating a new task with summarized context
You can refine the proposed context
Once approved, current task ends and new one begins with the context preloaded

Using the /newtask Command

Type /newtask in chat to manually trigger this process. Cline will:

Analyze the conversation
Propose distilled context to carry forward
Let you refine before creating the new task

This works like a developer handoff, packaging what matters (plan, work done, files, next steps) while leaving behind noise.

Source Code

For the most up-to-date implementation details, see the Cline repository.