# Cline
Cline, meaning "CLI and Editor", is a free and open source coding agent that can be integrated in [[Visual Studio Code (VSCode)]].
It can create/edit files, execute commands, use the Web browser, etc.
Cline can leverage various [[Large Language Models (LLMs)]], and it can also integrate with [[OpenRouter]].
Similar to [[Cursor.com]], Cline can use context. It also has checkpoints, a way to take a snapshot of the workspace at each step.
Cline also has a powerful CLI.
Interestingly, Cline also deeply integrates the [[Model Context Protocol (MCP)]]. It can interact with MCP servers (acting as a client), build and install custom MCP servers, etc. The MCP servers are configured through a `cline_mcp_settings.json` file. The main UI panel of Cline also shows the configuration, lets you enable/disable MCP servers, etc.
## AI Rules
Similar to [[Cursor.com]], it's possible to create a `.clinerules` file to provide AI with initial context: https://docs.cline.bot/improving-your-prompting-skills/prompting
## References
- Official website: https://cline.bot/
- Documentation: https://docs.cline.bot/
- Source code: https://github.com/cline/cline
- Download: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=saoudrizwan.claude-dev
- Discord: https://discord.gg/cline
- Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/cline/