Cline is one of my favorite AI programming agents in VS Code. I don’t treat it as just a completion tool, but rather as a “commandable programming assistant”: tell it what to do, and it will first build a plan, then execute step by step, run commands in the terminal, open browsers, and monitor outputs.
My Usage Impression
Cline features a “Plan ↔ Act” dual mode, capable of building task plans based on user prompts, breaking down complex multi-step processes, and executing corresponding operations such as creating files, editing code, running terminal commands, debugging programs, and scrolling browsers, while displaying execution progress and diff results in real-time. It deeply integrates with VS Code’s terminal, supporting command execution and real-time output monitoring, and can enable auto-reply buttons to automate task progression. Leveraging Claude 3.5 Sonnet’s Computer Use capabilities, Cline has headless browser automation abilities, suitable for end-to-end testing and interface debugging. Additionally, Cline supports the MCP protocol, allowing users to dynamically add tools (such as JIRA, AWS EC2, PagerDuty, etc.) to extend its functionality. In terms of security control, all operations require user confirmation and are automatically saved in snapshots, making it easy to rollback and compare, ensuring operations are controllable and secure.
Notes
- Watch your token usage - if tasks are broken down finely with frequent model calls, you can easily consume several dollars in a short time.
- It needs to warm up when handling workspace context, and each new session’s initial repository scan may result in varying execution speeds.
- Sometimes it wraps up after completing the plan without handling branches, requiring you to actively request “continue” or modify the plan.
Who Is It For
If you like active process control, need automated script execution or end-to-end testing, and don’t mind paying token costs for context richness, Cline is an excellent choice.
If you prefer quick completions, lightweight interactions, or are particularly sensitive to token costs, you might find it “a bit heavy.”
