install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install cline

provider-native install command

overview

Package summary

AI-powered coding agent for complex work

Project links

Homepage

Commands and aliases

cline

history

Project history and usage

Cline is an open source AI coding agent for IDE and terminal workflows. The official repository describes Cline as a coding agent in the IDE and terminal and organizes the project around a shared SDK, CLI, VS Code extension, JetBrains plugin, Kanban surface, and documentation.

Project history

The GitHub repository was created in 2024 and the changelog records an initial 0.0.6 release followed by rapid VS Code extension iteration. Version 2.0 renamed the project to Cline and described it as an assistant that can use the CLI and editor; later releases added browser/computer-use style capabilities, model-provider breadth, MCP support, and shared agent infrastructure.

Adoption history

Cline's adoption path differs from older Unix tools: it grew through editor marketplaces, npm, community channels, and then Homebrew for the CLI. The official README links the VS Code Marketplace, JetBrains Marketplace, npm installation for the CLI and SDK, Discord, Reddit, and documentation, while the batch input lists Homebrew as the package-manager distribution for this formula.

How it is used

The CLI can run interactively, in one-shot mode, as JSON output, yolo/headless mode, or background hub mode. Official docs and README examples cover editing code across a project, running shell commands, Plan/Act mode, checkpoints, MCP servers, providers such as Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, OpenRouter, Bedrock, Vertex, and OpenAI-compatible APIs, plus scheduled and connector-driven agents.

Why package nerds care

Cline is package-nerd significant because it shows an AI coding agent becoming a normal command-line package rather than only an editor extension. Its CLI packaging brings credentials, provider selection, MCP servers, plugins, schedules, and headless automation into shell workflows where package managers can install and update the agent like other developer tools.

Timeline

2024: cline/cline GitHub repository created and changelog records initial 0.0.6 release.
2024: Version 2.0 changelog announces the Cline rename and CLI/editor assistant positioning.
2026: CLI 3.0.x changelog shows active terminal-agent releases, plugin/MCP work, Cline Hub, connectors, and provider updates.
2026: Version 4.0.0 changelog describes migration to a shared SDK-backed VS Code extension runtime.

Related projects

Officially related surfaces include the Cline CLI, VS Code extension, JetBrains plugin, Cline SDK, Cline Kanban, and Cline plugins. Functionally, it belongs to the same package-manager category as terminal coding agents, editor AI assistants, MCP clients, and OpenAI-compatible provider tooling.

Sources

security posture

No protected-tool coverage found yet

No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for cline. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL.

Install behavior

No Homebrew bottle metadata was recorded.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Unix: ~/.cline/~/.cline/data/settings/providers.json~/.cline/data/settings/global-settings.json~/.cline/data/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json.cline/.clineignore

Credential files

Credential-bearing paths to review before unattended agent runs.

Unix: ~/.cline/data/settings/providers.json

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`cline`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-08-03

manager version3.0.3

manager updated2026-05-18

local dataunknown

upstreamnot available

latest detectednot detected

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:cline
Version	3.0.3
Package manager	Homebrew
Homepage	https://cline.bot
Last updated	2026-05-18T08:53:32-04:00
Pulse	updated
Bottle	not recorded
Service	none declared

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/cline.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
curated configuration and credential file locations
curated package history
pkgdb category and tag curation

Install cline with Homebrew