How I Learned to Stop Course-Correcting and Start Using Message Checkpoints
Nick Baumann•July 2, 2025
Why hitting the reset button will actually save you time instead of fighting an upstream context current.
TheCollaborativeAI Coder
Elevate your engineering teams with a fully collaborative AI partner that's open source, fully extensible, and designed to amplify developer impact.
Helping Teams Ship 10x Faster
Why Cline is Different
Experience an AI development partner that amplifies your engineering capabilities
Collaborative
Cline isn't just an autonomous agent—it's your AI partner
Partners with you to create a thoughtful plan before taking action
Explains its reasoning and approach, asking for your input
Breaks down complex tasks step by step, clarifying the entire plan
Does a Lot More Than Coding
Cline is more than a code generator—it's your partner in streamlining your development workflow
Keeps an eye on your environment—from terminals and files to error logs—for smooth progress
Extends your reach with MCP Servers integration, connecting you to external databases and live docs
Automatically detects issues and applies fixes, letting you focus on innovation
Safe for Work
Cline is engineered for enterprise-level security and privacy
Access top-tier models via AWS Bedrock, GCP Vertex, or Azure endpoints while keeping your code secure
Integrate your existing and external codebases seamlessly through MCP
Rest easy—Cline never tracks or stores your data
And it's fully open-source.
Quick Setup Guide
Get started with Cline in minutes and begin building your next full-stack application. Open source and powered by the models you choose.
Getting Started with Cline
Follow these steps to get started with Cline
View Full Guide →Choose Your IDE
Install Cline in your preferred development environment
Cline works with VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Trae, and more
Click below to see all available options
Install Cline Extension
Create Your Cline Account
Step 1 of 3
Built Thoughtfully
Open source, transparent, and always under your control
Open Source & Instant Access
100% transparent codebase with instant access to frontier AI models. Start with free credits, no credit card needed.
Open source on GitHub with active community
Access to Claude 3.5-Sonnet, DeepSeek Chat, and Gemini 2.0 Flash
Manage credits easily through your Cline account
Safe, Controlled Development
Review every change and roll back anytime with our checkpoint system. No surprises, just controlled progress.
Review and approve changes before they happen
Checkpoint system for easy version comparison
Roll back to any previous state with one click
Latest from Our Blog
Updates and insights from the Cline team on AI, coding, and developer tools.
5 Recommended MCP Servers for Cline
Nick Baumann•June 30, 2025
An LLM's power isn't just in the model itself, but in the tools it can access. While base models are powerful, they often hit limitations when faced with tasks requiring up-to-the-minute information, interaction with live websites, or deep, structured reasoning. MCP servers are dedicated tools that extend Cline’s capabilities, allowing it to overcome the inherent limitations of large language models. By connecting Cline to specialized servers for search, documentation, browser control, and more
Cline v3.18: Gemini CLI Provider, Optimized Claude 4
Nick Baumann•June 26, 2025
Hello Cline community 🫡 Cline v3.18 is a focused release that introduces the Gemini CLI as a provider, delivers significant performance and reliability upgrades for the Claude 4 family, and ships several important core improvements. Gemini CLI Provider If you have the Gemini CLI tool installed and authenticated with your personal Google account, you can now leverage it directly within Cline. This gives you access to 1,000 free requests per day for the Gemini 2.5 Pro and Flash models, making
Common Questions
Get quick answers to the most common questions about using Cline.
How do I install Cline?
Open VS Code, click the Extensions icon, search for 'Cline' and install. Once installed, click the Cline icon or use CMD/CTRL + Shift + P. Add an API key to start using Cline.
What AI models are available with Cline?
When you create your Cline account, you get instant access to frontier AI models including Anthropic Claude 3.7 Sonnet (recommended for coding), DeepSeek Chat (cost-effective), and Google Gemini 2.0 Flash. New users start with free credits - no credit card needed.
How do I start a conversation with Cline?
Type your request in natural language—Cline understands plain English. For complex tasks: Start with your goal ('I want to build...'), provide context ('Here's what I have so far...'), and ask for specific actions ('Can you help me...').
- Open VS Code
- Click the Extensions icon in the Activity Bar
- Search for "Cline" and click Install
- Once installed, click the Cline icon or use CMD/CTRL + Shift + P
- Add an API key to start using Cline
Create your Cline account to get instant access to frontier AI models:
- Anthropic Claude 3.7 Sonnet (recommended for coding)
- DeepSeek Chat (cost-effective alternative)
- Google Gemini 2.0 Flash
New users start with free credits - no credit card needed.
Type your request in natural language—Cline understands plain English. For complex tasks:
- Start with your goal: "I want to build..."
- Provide context: "Here's what I have so far..."
- Ask for specific actions: "Can you help me..."
Join Our Community
Join a community dedicated to thoughtful coding practices and elevate your craft alongside like-minded developers.