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By default, when you first install Cline, it appears in VS Code’s left sidebar alongside your file explorer and other extensions. However, for a better coding experience, we recommend moving Cline to the right sidebar. This allows you to keep your project files visible in the left sidebar while chatting with Cline on the right, giving you full visibility of your codebase as Cline works on your project.

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VS Code

To open Cline in the right sidebar:
1

Align Extension View

Make sure your extension view is aligned vertically to the left
2

Open Right Side View

Click the button that opens the right side panel in VS Code (typically used to open GitHub Copilot chat). Optionally use the Option + CMD/Ctrl + B shortcut.
3

Drag Cline Icon

Drag the Cline icon over to the nav panel at the top of that right view
VS Code Right Sidebar Setup

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Cursor

To open Cline in the right sidebar:
1

Align Extensions

Cursor uses a horizontal activity bar by default to optimize space for the AI chat interface (see here for details). To switch to vertical:
  1. Open the Command Palette (CMD/Ctrl + Shift + P)
  2. Search for “Preferences: Open Settings (UI)”
  3. Search for workbench.activityBar.orientation
  4. Set the value to vertical
  5. Restart Cursor for the changes to take effect
2

Open the AI Pane

Click the Cursor cube icon button (AI Pane) that opens Cursor’s agent (right side view panel)
3

Drag Cline to the AI Pane Sidebar

Drag the Cline icon directly into the AI Pane sidebar.
Cursor Right Sidebar Setup
Once set up, Cline will load on the right side and you can use it as normal.