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What Can Cline Do?

Cline is your AI assistant that can:

  • Edit and create files in your project
  • Run terminal commands
  • Search and analyze your code
  • Help debug and fix issues
  • Automate repetitive tasks
  • Integrate with external tools

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First Steps

  1. Start a Task

    • Type your request in the chat
    • Example: “Create a new React component called Header”

  2. Provide Context

    • Use @ mentions to add files, folders, or URLs
    • Example: “@file:src/components/App.tsx”

  3. Review Changes

    • Cline will show diffs before making changes
    • You can edit or reject changes

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Key Features

  1. File Editing

    • Create new files
    • Modify existing code
    • Search and replace across files

  2. Terminal Commands

    • Run npm commands
    • Start development servers
    • Install dependencies

  3. Code Analysis

    • Find and fix errors
    • Refactor code
    • Add documentation

  4. Browser Integration

    • Test web pages
    • Capture screenshots
    • Inspect console logs

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Available Tools

For the most up-to-date implementation details, you can view the full source code in the Cline repository.

Cline has access to the following tools for various tasks:

  1. File Operations

    • write_to_file: Create or overwrite files
    • read_file: Read file contents
    • replace_in_file: Make targeted edits to files
    • search_files: Search files using regex
    • list_files: List directory contents

  2. Terminal Operations

    • execute_command: Run CLI commands
    • list_code_definition_names: List code definitions

  3. MCP Tools

    • use_mcp_tool: Use tools from MCP servers
    • access_mcp_resource: Access MCP server resources
    • Users can create custom MCP tools that Cline can then access
    • Example: Create a weather API tool that Cline can use to fetch forecasts

  4. Interaction Tools

    • ask_followup_question: Ask user for clarification
    • attempt_completion: Present final results

Each tool has specific parameters and usage patterns. Here are some examples:

  • Create a new file (write_to_file):

    <write_to_file>
<path>src/components/Header.tsx</path>
<content>
// Header component code
</content>
</write_to_file>

  • Search for a pattern (search_files):

    <search_files>
<path>src</path>
<regex>function\s+\w+\(</regex>
<file_pattern>*.ts</file_pattern>
</search_files>

  • Run a command (execute_command):

    <execute_command>
<command>npm install axios</command>
<requires_approval>false</requires_approval>
</execute_command>

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Common Tasks

  1. Create a New Component

    • “Create a new React component called Footer”

  2. Fix a Bug

    • “Fix the error in src/utils/format.ts”

  3. Refactor Code

    • “Refactor the Button component to use TypeScript”

  4. Run Commands

    • “Run npm install to add axios”

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Getting Help