$ termdex

Coding agent (CLI) · Cline

Cline CLI

Open-source agent engine with a terminal front end: interactive TUI or headless runs with piped input and JSON output. Also offers ACP mode for editors, agent teams, scheduling, MCP and per-task git worktrees.

Reviewed by the Termdex team · facts checked 2026-10-28 against 12 vendor sources · how we check

Official site

Cline CLI, command-line coding agent, as shown on its official site
Cline CLI's own preview image. Image: Cline (official site).

Cline CLI review

Cline CLI is a terminal coding agent, the command-line front end of the Cline engine. It is free and Apache-2.0 licensed, and model cost comes from the provider you connect. We read the vendor's pages and repository in October 2026. We did not run an independent test.

Who it is for

Developers who want an open-source terminal and CI agent they can point at any provider, including local models.

What stands out

Install with `npm i -g cline`, then run `cline auth`. The package ships prebuilt binaries for macOS (arm64 and x64), Linux (arm64 and x64) and Windows (x64). It needs Node 22 or newer.

Headless mode starts by itself with `--json`, piped input or redirected output, with GitHub Actions samples in the docs. The CLI also has `--worktree`, Agent Teams, scheduling, MCP and an `--acp` mode for Zed, JetBrains and other ACP clients. Model choice is wide: Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, OpenRouter, Bedrock and 30-plus other providers, any OpenAI-compatible API, and local Ollama or LM Studio.

Price and licence

The licence is Apache-2.0, confirmed in the repository's LICENSE file, so this is open source. The docs call Cline free for individuals, with no tool subscription, seen 28 October 2026.

Model cost has three routes: your own provider keys, the pay-as-you-go Cline provider with prepaid credits, or ClinePass at $9.99 a month for 2-5x usage on selected open coding models. Enterprise features are custom-priced.

Where it falls short

Alternatives

For the wider field, see terminal coding agents. OpenCode and Aider are other open-source options.

Facts: platforms, price and licence

platforms
macOSLinuxWindowsPrebuilt binaries for macOS (arm64/x64), Linux (arm64/x64) and Windows (x64) via the 'cline' npm package; Node 22+ required for the package (docs also say Node 20+). The same engine also ships as a VS Code extension, JetBrains plugin, a desktop app (macOS, Windows beta) and an SDK; this entry covers the CLI.
price
FreeCline is free and open source for individuals (seen 2026-10-28); there is no tool subscription. Model cost comes from your own provider keys, the pay-as-you-go 'Cline' provider (prepaid credits, some models tagged free), or the optional ClinePass subscription at $9.99/month for 2-5x usage on selected open coding models. Enterprise features (SSO, audit logs, etc.) are custom-priced.
source
Open sourceLicence: Apache-2.0
github
cline/cline 70.9k stars, seen 2026-10-28

Cline CLI features

✓ documented · – absent or not in its feature list · ? not verified

Cline CLI strengths

  • Apache-2.0 repo with very frequent releases (CLI, desktop, SDK and extension all shipped in the last two weeks)
  • Headless mode triggers automatically on --json, piped stdin or redirected output; CI samples for GitHub Actions are documented
  • Wide model choice: BYOK across dozens of providers, OpenAI-compatible endpoints and local runtimes
  • CLI features include --worktree, Agent Teams, scheduling, MCP and an --acp mode for Zed, JetBrains and other ACP clients

Cline CLI weak points

  • Docs state the CLI has no allow or deny list for shell commands and defaults to auto-approve true, so unattended runs rely on hooks and clean branches; no CLI sandbox is documented
  • Several features (Agent Teams, Kanban) are labelled SDK/CLI/Kanban only, preview or not applicable to the IDE extensions, so behaviour differs across surfaces
  • The repository is shared with the extension, desktop app and SDK, so the star count and issues are not CLI-specific
  • Free tool but model inference is paid unless you run local models, and local-model guidance recommends compact prompts and strong hardware

Who Cline CLI is for

best for
Developers who want an open-source terminal and CI agent they can point at any provider, including local models.
look elsewhere if
Users who need a documented command sandbox out of the box or a single fixed-price plan covering all model usage.

Lists that include Cline CLI

Sources and what we could not verify

Checked 2026-10-28. Prices and features change; the vendor's page is the authority.

Not verified