Installing Plugins

The Cline CLI provides a plugin install command to install plugins from various sources. You can also load plugins programmatically via session config.

CLI Installation

Use the cline plugin install command to install plugins from npm, git repositories, or local paths.

cline plugin install <source> [options]

The shorthand cline plugin i works as well.

Install from npm

cline plugin install --npm @scope/plugin-name

Installs the package from the npm registry into the Cline plugin directory.

Install from Git

cline plugin install --git https://github.com/owner/repo.git
cline plugin install --git github.com/owner/repo

Clones the repository (shallow, with blobless filter for speed) and installs its dependencies. The .git directory is excluded from the final install.

Install from Local Source

cline plugin install ./path/to/plugin.ts     # Single file
cline plugin install /absolute/path/to/dir   # Directory with package.json

Supports both files and directories. Local installs copy the source, filter out .git and node_modules, and run npm install to resolve dependencies.

Options

Examples

# Install a local plugin directory
cline plugin install ./my-custom-plugin

# Install an npm package as a plugin
cline plugin install --npm @cline/plugin-sql

# Install from a GitHub repo
cline plugin install --git https://github.com/my-org/my-plugin.git

# Force reinstall an existing plugin
cline plugin install --force --npm @scope/plugin-name

# Use shorthand
cline plugin i --git github.com/owner/repo

Listing Installed Plugins

Installed plugins appear in the plugins section of your CLI config:

cline config

Programmatic Installation

Using pluginPaths (ClineCore)

In SDK code, load plugins from file paths using the pluginPaths session config option:

import { ClineCore } from "@cline/sdk"

const cline = await ClineCore.create({ clientName: "my-app" })

await cline.start({
  config: {
    systemPrompt: "Analyze this project",
    // ...model/runtime config
    pluginPaths: ["/absolute/path/to/plugin.ts"],
  },
})

Plugin files must export an AgentPlugin as the default export.

Using plugins (Agent Runtime)

When using the Agent or AgentRuntime directly, pass plugin instances in the plugins array:

import { Agent } from "@cline/sdk"
import { myPlugin } from "./my-plugin"

const agent = new Agent({
  providerId: "anthropic",
  modelId: "claude-sonnet-4-6",
  plugins: [myPlugin],
})

Using extensions (ClineCore)

With ClineCore, use the extensions config array instead:

import { ClineCore } from "@cline/sdk"

const cline = await ClineCore.create({ clientName: "my-app" })

await cline.start({
  config: {
    systemPrompt: "Analyze customer records",
    extensions: [myPlugin],
  },
})

Next Steps

• Learn about Plugins — Understand what plugins are and their benefits.
• Follow the Writing Plugins guide — Build and distribute your own plugin.
• Explore Plugin Examples — Copy ready-to-run plugin examples from the SDK repository.