docs/cline-overview.mdx
Welcome to the Cline documentation. Whether you're just getting started or looking to unlock advanced capabilities, you'll find everything you need here.
Cline is an AI coding agent that lives in your editor and your terminal. It can read and write files, run terminal commands, use a browser, and help you build features through natural conversation. Every action requires your explicit approval. You're always in control.
Choose the model access path that fits your workflow:
<CardGroup cols={3}> <Card title="Cline Provider" icon="bolt" href="/getting-started/cline-provider"> Fastest setup path with one sign-in, built-in billing, and free model options. </Card> <Card title="ClinePass (beta)" icon="credit-card" href="/getting-started/clinepass"> Flat $9.99/month subscription for selected open coding models with 2-5x API rate limits. </Card> <Card title="Bring Your Own Key" icon="key" href="/getting-started/authorizing-with-cline#byok-cloud--local"> Use your own provider credentials for cloud providers or local runtimes. </Card> </CardGroup>These are end-user applications built on top of Cline's agent core:
<CardGroup cols={2}> <Card title="CLI" icon="terminal" href="/usage/cli-overview"> Run Cline in your terminal with interactive chat or fully headless automation for CI/CD and scripting.`npm i -g cline`
`npx kanban`
The SDK is Cline's agent core—use it to build your own applications, automations, and integrations. See SDK section for detailed functionality and architectural design of the Cline Agent.
<CardGroup cols={1}> <Card title="SDK" icon="cube" href="https://docs.cline.bot/sdk/overview"> Build AI agents and integrations powered by the same core engine behind the CLI, Kanban, VS Code extension, and JetBrains plugin.`npm install @cline/sdk`
Cline works across all major editors: VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, JetBrains (IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm), Antigravity, and Zed, Neovim via ACP mode.