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Workflows in Cline are Markdown files that define a series of steps to guide Cline through repetitive or complex tasks. They are a powerful way to automate your development processes directly within your editor. To invoke a workflow, you simply type / followed by the workflow’s filename in the chat (e.g., /deploy.md).

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Why Use Cline Workflows?

  • Automation: Automate repetitive tasks like setting up a new project, deploying a service, or running a specific test suite.
  • Consistency: Ensure that tasks are performed the same way every time, reducing errors.
  • Reduced Cognitive Load: Don’t waste mental energy remembering complex sequences of commands or steps.
  • Contextual: Workflows run within your project’s context, so Cline has access to your files and can use its tools to interact with them.

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How They Work

A workflow file is a standard Markdown file with a .md extension. Cline reads this file and interprets the instructions step-by-step. The real power comes from Cline’s ability to use its built-in tools and other capabilities within these instructions:
  • Cline Tools: Use tools like read_file, write_to_file, execute_command, and ask_followup_question.
  • Command-Line Tools: Instruct Cline to use any CLI tool installed on your machine (e.g., git, gh, npm, docker).
  • MCP Tools: Reference tools from connected Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers.

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Workflows vs. Rules

It’s important to understand the difference between Cline Workflows and Cline Rules, as they serve different purposes:
FeaturePurposeWhen to Use
Cline RulesDefine how Cline should behave generally. They are always active (or contextually triggered) and set the “ground rules” for your project.Enforcing coding standards, tech stack preferences, or project-specific constraints (e.g., “Always use TypeScript”, “Never edit the db folder”).
Cline WorkflowsDefine what specific task Cline should perform. They are sequences of steps invoked on-demand to automate a process.Automating repetitive tasks like creating a component, running a release process, or generating a daily report.
Think of Rules as the environment Cline works in, and Workflows as the scripts you give Cline to execute.

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Example: Automating a Release

Imagine you need to prepare a new release for your library. Without a workflow, you might have to manually:
  1. Open package.json and bump the version number.
  2. Run your test suite to make sure everything is green.
  3. Update CHANGELOG.md with the latest commits.
  4. Run git commit -am "v1.0.1".
  5. Run git tag v1.0.1.
  6. Run git push origin main --tags.
This is tedious and easy to mess up. You might forget to run the tests or format the changelog correctly. With a Cline workflow, you define these steps once in a release.md file. Then, you just type: 
/release.md
Cline will then meticulously follow your instructions: updating files, running tests, and executing git commands—pausing only if it encounters an error or needs your input.

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Where are Workflows Stored?

You can store workflows in two locations, depending on whether they are specific to a project or meant to be global.
  • Project-Specific Workflows
  • Global Workflows
Store workflows that are specific to a single project in a .clinerules/workflows/ directory in your project’s root.
  1. Create a .clinerules folder in your project’s root directory (if it doesn’t already exist).
    The .clinerules directory may be hidden by default on some systems. You might need to enable Show Hidden Files to see it.
  2. Inside .clinerules, create a workflows folder.
  3. Create your Markdown workflow files (e.g., deploy.md) in this folder.
These workflows will only be available when you have this specific project open.

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Manage Workflows

You can easily manage your workflows directly within the extension. This feature provides a unified interface to handle all your automation needs without leaving your editor or hunting through file directories. It consolidates both project-specific rules and global workflows into one view, giving you full control over your automation environment.
  1. Click the Manage Cline Rules and Workflows button () at the bottom of the extension.
  2. This opens an interface where you can:
    • View all available workflows: See a comprehensive list of both project-specific and global workflows.
    • Control automation: Toggle individual workflows on and off as needed for your current task.
    • Create and Edit: Add new workflows or modify existing ones directly within the interface.
    • Clean up: Delete workflows you no longer need.
Manage Cline Rules and Workflows Interface

Manage Workflows

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Workflow Structure Example

Here is a simple example of a workflow file (daily-changelog.md) that helps you create a daily changelog.
daily-changelog.md
# Daily Changelog Generator

This workflow helps you create a changelog for your daily work.

1.  **Check your recent git commits:**
    I will run the following command to see your commits from today.
    ```bash
    git log --author="$(git config user.name)" --since="yesterday" --oneline
    ```

2.  **Summarize your work:**
    I will present the commits to you and ask for a summary of your changes to be added to the `changelog.md` file.

3.  **Create/Append to daily changelog:**
    I will append to the `changelog.md` file. The content will include a header with the current date, the list of commits, and your summary.

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Breakdown of the Workflow

This workflow demonstrates that you don’t always need to provide specific tool calls (like XML blocks). Cline is smart enough to interpret your high-level instructions.
  1. Step 1: Check recent git commits
    • We give Cline a specific command to run. This ensures it gets exactly the data we want (today’s commits).
    After Cline shows the git commit history, you may need to click the Proceed While Running button to allow the workflow to continue.
  2. Step 2: Summarize your work
    • Instead of forcing a specific tool, we simply tell Cline what to do: “ask for a summary”.
    • Cline knows it needs to use its capabilities to ask you a question.
  3. Step 3: Create/Append to daily changelog
    • We describe the desired outcome: “append to the changelog.md file” with specific content.
    • Cline figures out how to format the file and use its file-writing tools to accomplish the task.