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Cline CLI Cheat Sheet

Search and one-click copy every Cline CLI (Cline CLI 2.0) command by category. Covers CLI commands, flags, slash commands, keyboard shortcuts, and configuration.

Last updated:

Version: Cline CLI 2.0 (npm cline v3.0.x) | Updated July 2026

How to use

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  2. 2

    Filter by category

    Switch between CLI commands, flags, slash commands, keyboard shortcuts, config, and workflows to reach what you need fast.

  3. 3

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Latest updates

Recent notable updates to Cline CLI. See the full history at the bottom of the page.

cline v3.0.x (July 2026)

  • Verified against the npm cline package v3.0.39 series; the 74 listed items are unchanged
  • ClinePass enabled for all CLI users; refreshed Plan/Act accent colors (Act = blue, Plan = amber) and changed the default --thinking level to Medium
  • Gracefully handles malformed tool calls from weaker models like DeepSeek; fixed switch_to_act_mode to take effect immediately from Plan mode

--worktree flag added (2026)

  • --worktree auto-creates an isolated git worktree under ~/.cline/worktrees/ and runs the task there
  • Works with --taskId and --continue so you can resume a task inside the isolated worktree
  • CLI auto-update now uses npm update to apply updates reliably while preserving the installed release channel (e.g. nightly)
See full update history

CLI Commands

cline

Start an interactive session (TUI) with no arguments. The entry point for Cline's terminal agent.

Examples

cline
Start an interactive session

cline "task"

Start a session with a task passed directly, handing work to the agent right away.

Examples

cline "refactor this module to use async/await"
Start with a task

cline auth

Configure authentication with an AI provider; sign in interactively for the chosen provider.

Examples

cline auth
Start auth configuration

cline config

Show the current configuration (provider, model, settings directory, etc.).

Examples

cline config
Show current configuration

cline connect

Connect Cline to messaging platforms such as Slack.

Examples

cline connect
Choose an adapter and connect

cline mcp

Manage MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers.

Examples

cline mcp
Manage MCP servers

cline dev

Developer tools and utilities.

Examples

cline dev
Launch developer tools

cline doctor

Diagnose configuration issues and fix the ones it can automatically.

Examples

cline doctor
Diagnose and repair config

cline history

List and manage session history (alias: cline h).

Examples

cline history
Show session history

cline hook

Handle a hook payload received from stdin.

Examples

cat payload.json | cline hook
Pass a hook payload

cline plugin install <source>

Manage Cline plugins; install from URLs, npm, git, or local paths.

Notes

  • --npm treats the source as an npm package; --git as a git repository
  • --force replaces an existing install for the same source

Examples

cline plugin install ./my-plugin
Install from a local path

cline schedule

Manage scheduled agents.

Examples

cline schedule
Manage scheduled agents

cline hub

Manage the local hub daemon (the runtime for background sessions).

Examples

cline hub
Manage the hub daemon

cline update

Check for updates and install if available.

Examples

cline update
Update to the latest version

cline version

Show the Cline CLI version number (same as cline -V).

Examples

cline version
Show version

cline kanban

Launch the kanban app and exit; view tasks on a board.

Examples

cline kanban
Launch the kanban app

CLI Flags

-V, --version

Output the version number.

Examples

cline -V
Show version

-p, --plan

Run in plan mode; have Cline propose a plan for approval before executing.

Examples

cline -p "design migration plan"
Start with planning

--json

Output messages as JSON instead of styled text; ideal for headless integration.

Examples

cline --json "list TODO comments"
Get results as JSON

--auto-approve <boolean>

Set tool auto-approval for all tools (default: true); skip confirmations for unattended runs.

Examples

cline --auto-approve true "run tests and fix failures"
Run without confirmations

-t, --timeout <seconds>

Optional timeout in seconds (default: 0 for no timeout).

Examples

cline --timeout 600 "run full test suite"
Stop after up to 600 seconds

-m, --model <model-id>

Model to use for the session with the selected provider.

Examples

cline -m claude-sonnet-4 "fix this bug"
Run with a specific model

-v, --verbose

Show verbose output.

Examples

cline -v "explain this error"
Run with verbose logs

-c, --cwd <path>

Working directory.

Examples

cline -c ./packages/api "add tests"
Run in a specific directory

--config <path>

Configuration directory (default: ~/.cline/data/settings).

Examples

cline --config ./.cline-config
Switch the config directory

--data-dir <path>

Use isolated local state (default: ~/.cline).

Examples

cline --data-dir ./tmp-cline
Run with isolated state

--thinking <level>

Set reasoning effort (none / low / medium / high / xhigh).

Examples

cline --thinking high "design an architecture"
Raise the reasoning level

--retries <count>

Maximum consecutive mistakes before halting.

Examples

cline --retries 3 "refactor safely"
Set the mistake limit

--hooks-dir <path>

Directory path to additional hooks (default: ~/.cline/hooks).

Examples

cline --hooks-dir ./.cline/hooks
Add a hooks directory

--acp

Run in Agent Client Protocol (ACP) mode to enable editor integration.

Examples

cline --acp
Integrate with Zed/Neovim, etc.

-i, --tui

Open the terminal user interface (TUI) for interactive sessions.

Examples

cline -i "fix the layout issue"
Open the TUI and iterate

--id <session-id>

Resume an existing session by ID.

Examples

cline --id abc123 "continue the task"
Resume a session

-k, --key <api-key>

API key override for this run.

Examples

cline -k sk-... "quick task"
Temporarily override the API key

-P, --provider <id>

Provider id (default: cline).

Examples

cline -P openai "summarize"
Specify a provider

-s, --system <prompt>

Override the default system prompt.

Examples

cline -s "You are a senior reviewer" "review PR"
Replace the system prompt

-z, --zen

Start a session that runs in the background hub.

Examples

cline -z "long running task"
Run in the background

-h, --help

Display help for command.

Examples

cline --help
Show help

Slash Commands

/settings

Access settings configuration.

/model

Change or view the active model.

/account

Manage account information.

/mcp

Configure MCP settings.

/compact

Toggle compact display mode.

/undo

Revert the previous action.

/clear

Clear the conversation history.

/history

View the conversation history.

/help

Display help information.

/quit

Exit the TUI.

Keyboard

Tab
Toggle between Plan and Act modes (a core Cline concept that separates planning from execution).
Shift+Tab
Toggle auto-approve for all tools; adjust how much oversight you want.
Ctrl+C
Abort the running turn; press again while empty to exit.
Ctrl+D
Exit when the prompt is empty and idle.
Ctrl+L
Clear the chat view or the current conversation.
@
Use @ to mention files and pass them as workspace context (e.g. @./src/index.ts).

Configuration

~/.cline/data/settings

Global settings directory; stores provider config, rules, and skills.

Examples

~/.cline/data/settings
Default settings directory path

providers.json

File that stores API keys and provider config (inside the settings directory).

Examples

~/.cline/data/settings/providers.json
Provider config file

rules/

Directory for global rules (inside the settings directory).

skills/

Directory for global skills (inside the settings directory).

.cline/mcp.json

MCP server config file placed in .cline/ at the project root.

Examples

.cline/mcp.json
Per-project MCP config

.cline/agents.yaml

Agent definitions file placed in .cline/ at the project root.

Examples

.cline/agents.yaml
Per-project agent definitions

CLINE_DATA_DIR

Environment variable that overrides the settings directory (default: ~/.cline/data/).

Examples

CLINE_DATA_DIR=./.cline-data cline
Change the data directory

CLINE_HUB_ADDRESS

Environment variable that overrides the hub address (default: 127.0.0.1:25463).

CLINE_SESSION_BACKEND_MODE

Force the session backend mode (local / hub / remote / auto; default: auto).

CLINE_SANDBOX_DATA_DIR

Environment variable for the sandbox session storage directory.

CLINE_SANDBOX

Environment variable that enables sandbox mode.

CLINE_HOOKS_DIR

Environment variable for an additional hooks directory.

CLINE_BUILD_ENV

Set to development to enable debug features.

CLINE_DEBUG_PORT_BASE

Environment variable for the base port of the Node.js inspector.

CLINE_COMMAND_PERMISSIONS

Environment variable that passes a JSON policy restricting shell commands.

Workflows

cline -p "design plan"

A two-step flow: create a plan in Plan mode, review it, then execute in Act mode.

Examples

cline -p "design migration plan"
1. Create a plan
cline "apply migration"
2. Execute after approval

git diff | cline "review these changes"

Pipe git diff to have Cline review the changes.

Examples

git diff | cline "review these changes"
Review the diff

cline --json "summarize" | jq -r '.text'

Parse the --json headless output with jq to embed it in scripts.

Examples

cline --json "summarize this changelog" | jq -r '.text'
Extract just the result text

cline --auto-approve true "run tests and fix failures"

Use --auto-approve true to run tests and fix failures autonomously without confirmations.

Examples

cline --auto-approve true "run tests and fix failures"
Run unattended

cat README.md | cline "summarize setup steps"

Pipe file contents to have Cline summarize or explain them.

Examples

cat README.md | cline "summarize key setup steps"
Summarize a README

cline --timeout 600 "run full test suite"

Use --timeout to cap long-running tasks and run them safely.

Examples

cline --timeout 600 "run full test suite"
Run with a 600-second cap

Version history

The Cline CLI versions and key changes used to verify the data on this page.

cline v3.0.x (July 2026)

View official changelog

  • Verified against the npm cline package v3.0.39 series; the 74 listed items are unchanged
  • ClinePass enabled for all CLI users; refreshed Plan/Act accent colors (Act = blue, Plan = amber) and changed the default --thinking level to Medium
  • Gracefully handles malformed tool calls from weaker models like DeepSeek; fixed switch_to_act_mode to take effect immediately from Plan mode
--worktree flag added (2026)

View official changelog

  • --worktree auto-creates an isolated git worktree under ~/.cline/worktrees/ and runs the task there
  • Works with --taskId and --continue so you can resume a task inside the isolated worktree
  • CLI auto-update now uses npm update to apply updates reliably while preserving the installed release channel (e.g. nightly)
Cline CLI 2.0 (February 2026)

View official changelog

  • Full rewrite from the IDE sidebar to the terminal (released 2026-02-13); plan, approve, and iterate entirely in an interactive TUI
  • Adds Tab to toggle Plan/Act, Shift+Tab to toggle auto-approve, and parallel subagent execution
  • --json or piped stdin switches to headless mode automatically; --acp integrates with editors like Zed, Neovim, and JetBrains

About the Cline CLI Cheat Sheet

The Cline CLI Cheat Sheet lets you search and one-click copy the commands, flags, slash commands, keyboard shortcuts, configuration, and workflows of Cline's terminal agent (Cline CLI 2.0), grouped by category. The data is verified against the official documentation (docs.cline.bot) and the official changelog.

Key features

  • Search across CLI commands, flags, slash commands, keyboard shortcuts, config, and workflows
  • Filter by category to reach the right information fast
  • One-click copy any command to paste into your terminal
  • Includes Cline-specific concepts like Plan/Act modes and auto-approve
  • Follows the official docs, with version history and source links

When it helps

  • When moving from the Cline VS Code extension to the CLI (terminal)
  • When you need to quickly check flags and modes like --auto-approve or Plan/Act
  • When you want to recall slash commands or keyboard shortcuts
  • When building headless or piped workflows

Frequently asked questions

How is the Cline CLI different from the Cline VS Code extension?

Cline CLI 2.0 is an agent that runs in the terminal instead of the IDE sidebar. It features an interactive TUI, headless execution, parallel subagents, and editor integration via ACP. This page covers the CLI (terminal) commands.

What are Plan/Act modes?

Plan mode has Cline propose a plan for you to review before executing; Act mode applies the actual changes. In the interactive TUI you toggle them with Tab, and on the command line you can start in Plan mode with -p / --plan.

How do I run autonomously without confirmations?

Add --auto-approve true to auto-approve all tools and run unattended. In the interactive TUI you can toggle auto-approve with Shift+Tab. Be mindful of your working directory and permissions when destructive operations are involved.

Which version is listed here?

This targets the Cline CLI 2.0 generation (the npm cline package v3.0.x series), verified against the official documentation and changelog as of July 2026. See the update history at the bottom of the page for details.

How do I install Cline?

Install with npm install -g cline, then set up authentication with cline auth. Update with cline update or npm update -g cline.

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