Cline Blog
cline.bot/blog
Why AI Engineers Need Planning More Than Perfect Prompts
The best AI engineers I know follow a specific pattern. They don't obsess over prompt crafting – they obsess over planning. There's a reason for this, and it's not what most people think. The Reality Check Here's what typically happens when someone starts working with AI: 1. They throw requirements at the model 2. They get mediocre outputs 3. They blame their prompting skills 4. They spend hours "optimizing" prompts 5. They still get mediocre results Sound familiar? But here's what eli
Everyone's Talking About R1 vs o1 Benchmarks. But Here's What Really Matters.
In an interesting coincidence, DeepSeek released R1 on the same day we launched Plan & Act modes in Cline. And something fascinating started happening immediately: developers began naturally using R1 for planning phases and 3.5-Sonnet for implementation. Not because anyone suggested it – it just made sense. 0:00 /0:54 1× What's Actually Happening Here's what developers discovered works best: 1. Start new tasks in Plan mode using R1 ($0.55/M tokens)
The Developer's Guide to MCP: From Basics to Advanced Workflows
Picture this: You're deep into development with your AI assistant, trying to juggle multiple tools – GitHub issues need updating, tests need running, and documentation needs reviewing. But instead of the seamless workflow you imagined, you're stuck with manual context switching and disconnected tools. Your AI assistant, brilliant as it is, feels trapped in its chat window. This is where the Model Context Protocol (MCP) changes everything. It's not just another developer tool – it's a fundamenta
Best AI Coding Assistant 2025: Complete Guide to Cline and Cursor
Updated March 4, 2025 article to reflect recent developments Remember when GitHub Copilot first launched and we thought AI-assisted coding couldn't get more revolutionary? Two years later, we're seeing a fascinating divergence in how AI coding assistants approach development. With recent releases from both Cline (now 3.5) and Cursor (0.46), we're witnessing not just a battle of features, but a philosophical split in how AI should partner with developers. I've watched both tools mature. Let's c
DeepSeek's Wild Week: A View from the Developer Trenches
Last week, Chinese AI startup, DeepSeek, caused the biggest single-day drop in NVIDIA's history, wiping nearly $600 billion from the chip giant's market value. But while Wall Street panicked about DeepSeek's cost claims, Cline users in our community were discovering a more nuanced reality. The Promise vs The Reality "R1 is so hesitant to open and read files while Claude just bulldozes through them," observed one of our users. This perfectly captures the gap between DeepSeek's impressive bench
The Local LLM Reality Check: What Actually Happens When You Try to Run AI Models on Your Computer
If you've used DeepSeek's R1 (or V3 for that matter), you've probably been impressed at its performance for the price. And if you've run into issues with its API recently, your next thought was probably, “Hey, I’ve got a decent computer—maybe I can run this locally and run this myself!” Then reality hits: the full DeepSeek R1 model needs about 1,342 GB of VRAM—no, that’s not a typo. It’s designed to run on a cluster of 16 NVIDIA A100 GPUs, each with 80GB of memory (source). Let’s break down wha
What AI Companies Actually Need Right Now
At Cline, we've scaled to 500k+ users and raised significant funding from top-tier VCs. As Head of AI, I recently interviewed a strong ML engineer candidate. Despite their solid background, I voted "no hire." Let me explain why - it reveals a broader pattern about what AI companies actually need right now, and getting this wrong can be a $200k+ mistake. The $200k Mistake: Why Hiring MLEs Too Early Kills AI Startups Here's a pattern I see repeatedly in well-funded AI startups: 1. Raise a sub
The Last AI Coding Agent
It feels like every month there's a new "must-have" AI coding tool. The FOMO is real; but so is the fatigue of constantly switching, learning new workflows, and migrating settings. It’s exhausting, but that's the price for developers who want to be armed with the greatest leverage powered by AI. The magic of AI coding isn't just in the tool itself; it's in the power of the underlying model. And the "best" model is a moving target. One year ago, GPT-4o led the way. Then Anthropic's Claude 3.5 So
Why Human Intent Matters More as AI Capabilities Grow
Remember when AI coding meant tab autocomplete? The human did 95% of the work: navigating the codebase, finding the right files, locating the exact spot to edit, beginning to type, and only then could AI offer a helpful suggestion. The human was the driver, AI was barely a passenger. Today's agentic AI can search codebases, read files, write entire modules, refactor systems, and orchestrate complex changes across multiple files. With tools like Cline, AI has eaten up nearly the entire coding pi
Cline 3.17.9: Enhanced Claude 4 Support (Experimental), Upgraded Task Timeline & CSV/XLSX Support
Hello Cline community 🫡 We've been burning the candle at both ends to make Cline work as well as possible with the new Claude 4 family of models, and we're excited to share that Cline 3.17.9 includes experimental Claude 4 support that addresses reliability issues, an upgraded task timeline with scrolling navigation, and expanded file upload capabilities for data analysis. Experimental Claude 4 Support If you've been using Claude 4 with Cline, you've probably noticed some frustrating edit fai
Why We Built Cline to Never Hold You Hostage
Yesterday, Windsurf users lost access to Claude 3.x models with five days' notice. OpenAI's acquisition of Windsurf created competitive tensions with Anthropic, and developers got caught in the crossfire. Picture this: you're deep into a critical project, and suddenly your AI coding assistant is crippled by corporate politics. Free tier users lost access entirely; paid subscribers face severe capacity constraints. This validates why we built Cline differently from day one. When Corporate War
What Makes a Coding Agent?
When developers first encounter Cline, they often describe it as their "AGI moment" – that pivotal instant when they realize AI has crossed from helpful suggestion tool to genuine coding partner. But what exactly separates a true coding agent from the growing crowd of AI-powered development tools? The answer lies in understanding what the word "agent" actually means. Defining the Agent OpenAI defines an agent as "a system that independently accomplishes tasks on your behalf." Anthropic takes
AI Engineering Isn't Magic, It's Method: Key Strategies for Building Better Software Faster
If you've been in tech for a while, you've seen the cycles. Skepticism greets nearly every major shift. We've certainly observed some resistance from engineers, a common echo of the "pessimistic streak" that often surfaces in tech hubs when new technologies emerge. It's reminiscent of the doubts that once surrounded Linux, the cloud, and even JavaScript on the server. History tends to rhyme, and the current wave of AI in software development is no different. But here’s the thing: while some deb
Cline: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced – Finding Your Ideal Setup
When you first dive into a powerful tool like Cline, it's natural to wonder, "What's the best way to set this up?" The beauty of Cline is that it's designed to adapt and grow with you. There isn't a one-size-fits-all answer, but rather a spectrum of configurations that can match your immediate needs and the complexity of the tasks you're tackling. This post will walk you through three common setup approaches – Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. My goal is to help you find what works best for
Cline v3.15: Unveiling Task Timeline, Gemini Implicit Caching & New Community Docs
Welcome to Cline v3.15! This update is all about refining the experience of Cline as your daily driver. Let's get right into it. Task Timeline = Story board of your conversation Ever wished you could instantly see the "story" of how Cline tackled a complex task? With v3.15, we're introducing the Task Timeline, a sleek, visual "storyboard" integrated directly into your task header. This isn't just a log; it's an intuitive series of blocks charting every key step Cline takes – from tool calls t
Plan Smarter, Code Faster: Cline's Plan & Act is the Paradigm for Agentic Coding
The allure of AI in development often conjures images of instant solutions: a quick prompt, a flash of code, and on to the next task. But as many developers have discovered, this path can quickly become a frustrating loop of near-misses, endless re-prompting, and AI-generated code that feels strangely disconnected from the project's core. This isn't merely inefficient; it represents a fundamental misunderstanding of how to truly harness the power of coding agents. At Cline, we see a more robust
Why Patterns Matter: Lessons From Hyper-Growth Startups
I've heard it said that "patterns are what companies talk about when they're dying". This may be true, but it is also what companies talk about once they've hit PMF. Don't fool yourself, do you really need scale? If you haven't experienced a hyper growth startup before, it can be easy to dismiss things like composability, scalability, security, testability, redundancy, CI/CD, and the like as a needless waste of time. It's true that most startups think about these things way too early. Until y
Cline v3.14: Improved Gemini Caching, /newrule Command, Enhanced Checkpoints & Key Updates
We're excited to announce Cline v3.14, bringing significant improvements to Gemini caching and cost transparency, more flexible checkpoints, a new command for rule creation, LaTeX support, and a host of quality-of-life updates driven by community feedback. Let's dive into the highlights: Improved Gemini Caching & Transparency We know accurate cost tracking and efficient model usage are crucial. While Gemini's context caching offers potential savings, ensuring its effectiveness and providing
Secure AI Adoption is Sponsored AI Adoption
In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, artificial intelligence has transformed from a futuristic concept to an essential productivity tool for software engineers. However, many organizations find themselves at a crossroads: how to harness the power of AI while maintaining security, compliance, and control over sensitive code and data. The answer lies not in restricting AI access, but in strategically implementing secure, enterprise-ready AI solutions that empower development teams
What Model Should I Use in Cline?
One of the most common questions developers ask when getting started with Cline is: "Which AI model should I use?" With Cline's approach to supporting virtually all models from the top providers (Anthropic, Google Gemini, OpenAI, and others), the choices can be overwhelming. The truth is, there's no single "best" model for all situations. What works brilliantly for one development task might be overkill – or underpowered – for another. Let's break down how to think about model selection through
Double-clicking on toggleable .clinerules (+ self-improving Cline)
As Product Marketing Manager at Cline, I often experiment with ways to fine-tune Cline's behavior for different tasks. For a while, I relied on a system of .clinerules/ and clinerules-bank/ folders, manually dragging rule files back and forth to activate different instruction sets. Honestly? It was kind of annoying – difficult to keep track of which rules were active, easy to forget to switch them, and just generally cumbersome. But I did get tremendous value from the "modular" nature of these .
Cline v3.13: Toggleable .clinerules, Slash Commands & Previous Message Editing
Tired of manually managing context instructions for different tasks? Wish you could quickly branch explorations or fix a flawed prompt without starting over? Cline 3.13 tackles these workflow frustrations head-on. We're delivering precise control over your AI development process with three key updates: 1. Toggleable .clinerules for effortless context switching (docs) 2. Quick /newtask Slash Commands for session management (docs) 3. Message Editing with Checkpoint Restore for fearless explor
The Fighter Pilot's Guide to Software Strategy
AI companies are operating in arguably the most hotly contested market in human history. Earth shattering venture rounds incenting and empowering the brightest minds in the world in a winner take most (if not all!) race to the singularity. Amidst this battlefield, I find my thoughts returning to a little known fighter pilot from Pennsylvania who's contributions to strategy have come to rival those of Napoleon and Sun Tzu. Colonel John Boyd. If you've never heard of him, you're not alone. Today
Cline's Context Window Explained: Maximize Performance, Minimize Cost
Ever wondered why a simple "Hi" to Cline might seem to use more resources than expected? Or perhaps you've noticed performance subtly changing during a long coding session? The answer often lies in a crucial, yet sometimes misunderstood, concept: the context window. Understanding it is key to unlocking Cline's full potential while managing performance and cost effectively. Think of the context window as the AI's short-term memory. It's the space where all the information relevant to your curren
SICP Revisited: Writing Code for People and AI Agents
Since SICP, it's been a maxim of software engineering that "Programs must be written for people to read, and only incidentally for machines to execute." However, in the age of generative AI, code is increasingly often read by agents as well. As generative AI tools become popular, it's important that we as engineering leaders better understand how agents interpret the code we maintain. Understanding AI's Current Limitations Agents currently do not maintain a long-term understanding of our code
Unlocking Persistent Memory: How Cline's new_task Tool Eliminates Context Window Limitations
Context windows have been both the power and limitation of AI coding assistants. They enable the contextual understanding that makes tools like Cline so useful, but their finite nature has always imposed constraints on complex, long-running tasks. With Cline's latest features, we've created a solution that fundamentally changes how developers can work with AI assistants on complex projects. 0:00 /0:27 1× The Context Window Problem We implemented the
Cline v3.12: Faster Diff Edits, Model Favorites, and More
We're excited to announce the release of Cline v3.12, packed with diff edit improvements, model favorites, new auto-approve options, and more. Let's dive into the highlights: Faster Diff Application 0:00 /0:05 1× Applying code changes suggested by Cline is now significantly faster, especially in large files. v3.12 boosts diff edit performance for a smoother, more responsive experience, letting you iterate faster. We've also added an indicator in th
Inside Cline's Framework for Optimizing Context, Maintaining Narrative Integrity, and Enabling Smarter AI
Effective context management is the backbone of productive collaboration with AI coding assistants. As conversations with Cline evolve and become ever more complex, determining how to handle the persistent issue of limited room in the context window becomes increasingly more important – as well as ensuring narrative integrity is maintained during extended conversations. Why focus on token efficiency? Because we're learning that smarter context management is fundamental to performance. Trimming
Cline 3.10: Local Chrome Integration, YOLO Mode, Drag & Drop, and More Workflow Enhancements
Cline 3.10 is here, and it's packed with features designed to significantly enhance your development workflow, speed, and control. This release introduces a powerful new way to interact with the web, alongside several quality-of-life improvements and optimizations requested by the community. Let's dive in. Connect Cline to Your Local Chrome Browser The headline feature of 3.10 is a fundamental shift in how Cline interacts with web content: you can now connect Cline directly to your running lo
Manage Your Database Directly From Cline with the Supabase MCP
For developers using Cline, the gap between AI-assisted coding and direct database management just closed. Developers have been clamoring for it, and it's finally here: the official Supabase MCP Server is now live in the Cline MCP Marketplace. No more context switching between your editor, the Supabase dashboard, and SQL clients. You can now interact with your database – execute queries, manage schemas, fetch configurations, and more – all orchestrated by Cline, right where you code.
Human Intent in the Age of AI: Insights from Our Chat with Siddharth Ahuja, Creator of the Ableton & Blender MCPs
The developer community has been buzzing about the possibilities unlocked by the Model Context Protocol (MCP), and few examples have captured the imagination quite like Siddharth Ahuja's MCP servers for Ableton Live and Blender. These notoriously complex creative powerhouses, suddenly accessible through natural language prompts via tools like Cline, feel like a glimpse into a new era of software interaction. 🧩 Built an MCP that lets Claude talk directly to Blender. It helps you create beautifu
Supercharge Your Cline Workflow: 7 Essential MCP Servers
Cline is already transforming how developers approach complex coding tasks, acting as an autonomous agent within your IDE. But what if you could push its capabilities even further? What if Cline could not only write and refactor code but also conduct deep web research, generate UI components on the fly, convert documents, and even interact with creative software? That's what we envision for Model Context Protocol (MCP). MCP servers are like power-ups for Cline, allowing it to securely connect a
Cline 3.8.0: Workflow Integration, Account Management, and Provider Optimization
Here's what's new in 3.8.0: * Streamlined workflows: New 'Add to Cline' and 'Fix with Cline' code actions for faster problem-solving * Account view: Track billing and usage history for Cline accounts directly in the extension * Sort underlying provider routing: Choose how Cline routes API requests based on throughput, price, or latency to optimize for your specific needs * Rich MCP display improvements: Visualize data more effectively with dynamic image loading and GIF support directly in y
1,000,000 installs—and our all-in bet on the future of software engineering
From the jump, we've envisioned a bolder path forward in AI coding. While others perfect tab autocomplete, we've been building a truly collaborative coding agent that transforms how software gets created. From day one, we've given engineers full, unrestricted access to frontier models—exactly as they were designed to be used. No context limitations, no artificial constraints to fit subscription economics. This is AI coding in its purest form. What does this mean in practice? Cline reads entire
How Cline Creates Compound Productivity for Engineering Teams
Picture this: Your senior engineers spending most of their time on high-level architecture instead of debugging nested loops. Your new hires becoming productive in days instead of months. Your entire team shipping more code with fewer bugs while actually leaving work feeling energized instead of burnt out. Sound like fantasy? It's not. It's what happens when you put a senior engineer in everyone's back pocket. I've been watching engineering teams using Cline (our autonomous coding agent for VS
What Happens When You 5x The Output of Every Engineer: Unlocking Trillions in Economic Value
Last week, we spoke with a San Francisco-based startup that estimated Cline had boosted their engineering output fivefold. While startups tend to adopt new technologies more quickly, we're still in the early days of AI-powered coding. This "5x" increase offers a glimpse into what could be a shockingly transformative future. Welcome to part one of our 5x Engineer Series where we're exploring the world where AI quintuples engineering productivity. What happens when every software engineer on the
Beautiful UI Components: How to Use 21st.Dev's Magic MCP with Cline
Frontend development has always been a careful balance between creativity and tedium. For every exciting UX innovation you bring to life, there are dozens of navbar implementations, form components, and card layouts to build along the way. The repetitive nature of these tasks is a productivity killer—until now. By combining Cline's conversational AI capabilities with 21st.dev's Magic UI MCP, we've created a workflow that eliminates the most time-consuming parts of frontend development. The resu