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Cline CLI supports the Agent Client Protocol (ACP), an open standard that enables AI coding agents to work across different editors and IDEs. This means you can use the full Cline agent—with all its capabilities including Skills, Hooks, and MCP integrations—in your preferred development environment.

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Why ACP?

  • Editor flexibility: Use Cline in JetBrains, Neovim, Zed, or any ACP-compatible editor
  • No feature compromises: Full access to Cline’s capabilities regardless of editor
  • Team consistency: Same AI assistant across different developer workflows
  • Open standard: Built on Zed’s open Agent Client Protocol specification

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JetBrains IDEs

JetBrains IDEs include IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, and more. They offer built-in AI Assistant with ACP support.
Recommended: Native JetBrains PluginFor the best JetBrains experience, install the native Cline plugin from the JetBrains Marketplace. It provides full IDE integration and the complete Cline experience.The ACP setup below is an alternative way to use Cline CLI features in JetBrains IDEs.
Alternatively, you can run Cline CLI in IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, and all other JetBrains IDEs through their built-in AI Assistant with ACP support.

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Setup

  1. Install Cline CLI (if not already installed): 
    npm i -g cline
  2. Authenticate with Cline: 
    cline auth
  3. Configure JetBrains AI Assistant:
    • Open your JetBrains IDE
    • Navigate to Settings | Tools | AI Assistant | Agents
    • Click “Add Custom Agent”
    • This opens/creates ~/.jetbrains/acp.json
  4. Add Cline to acp.json: 
    {
  "agent_servers": {
    "Cline": {
      "command": "cline",
      "args": ["--acp"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}
  5. Use Cline:
    • Open the AI Chat tool window
    • Select “Cline” from the agent dropdown
    • Start coding with Cline in your JetBrains IDE!
JetBrains AI Assistant can expose its built-in MCP server to Cline, giving Cline access to IDE-specific tools and context.

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Neovim

Neovim is a hyperextensible Vim-based text editor loved by developers for its speed and flexibility. Use Cline in Neovim through the agentic.nvim or avante.nvim plugins, which provide ACP integration.

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Setup with agentic.nvim

  1. Install Cline CLI (if not already installed): 
    npm i -g cline
  2. Authenticate with Cline: 
    cline auth
  3. Install agentic.nvim using lazy.nvim: 
    {
  "carlos-algms/agentic.nvim",
  opts = {
    provider = "cline-acp",
    acp_providers = {
      ["cline-acp"] = {
        command = "cline",
        args = {"--acp"},
      },
    },
  },
  keys = {
    {"<C-\\>", function() require("agentic").toggle() end, mode={"n","v","i"}, desc="Toggle Cline Chat"},
  },
}
  4. Use Cline:
    • Press <C-\> to toggle Cline chat
    • Start coding with Cline in Neovim!

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Setup with avante.nvim

Follow the avante.nvim documentation for configuring external ACP agents and point it to cline --acp.

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Zed

Zed is a high-performance, multiplayer code editor built from the ground up for speed and collaboration. Zed’s team created the Agent Client Protocol, making Cline a natural fit for this editor.

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Setup

  1. Install Cline CLI (if not already installed): 
    npm i -g cline
  2. Authenticate with Cline: 
    cline auth
  3. Configure Zed:
    • Open Zed settings (Cmd/Ctrl + ,)
    • Add Cline to your settings.json:
    {
  "agent_servers": {
    "Cline": {
      "type": "custom",
      "command": "cline",
      "args": ["--acp"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}
  4. Use Cline:
    • Open the AI assistant panel
    • Select “Cline” from the agent dropdown
    • Start coding with Cline in Zed!

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Other Editors

Any editor that supports the Agent Client Protocol can run Cline. Check your editor’s documentation for ACP configuration instructions, then point it to: 
cline --acp

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Troubleshooting

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Agent not appearing

  • Ensure Cline CLI is installed globally: npm i -g cline
  • Verify authentication: cline auth
  • Check that cline --acp runs without errors
  • Restart your editor after configuration changes

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Permission errors

If Cline can’t access files or run commands:
  • Check that your editor’s ACP integration passes the correct working directory
  • Verify file permissions in your project
  • Ensure Cline has approval settings configured correctly

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Connection issues

  • Make sure no other Cline instance is using the same configuration directory
  • Check editor logs for ACP-related errors
  • Try running cline --acp manually to test the connection

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Learn More

CLI Overview

Learn about Cline CLI’s core capabilities and use cases.

Three Core Flows

Master interactive mode, headless automation, and multi-instance workflows.

Skills

Understand how Cline’s Skills work across all editors via ACP.

Hooks

Learn how to enforce policies with Hooks in any editor.