Skip to main content
Cline connects to AI models through a provider. You have three common paths:
  • Cline (usage-billing) (recommended): sign in with Google/GitHub/email, no API key setup.
  • ClinePass: a $9.99/month subscription provider with access to selected open coding models and 2-5x API rate limits.
  • Bring Your Own Key (BYOK): use your own provider credentials (cloud or local runtimes).

​
IDE Setup

1

Open Cline Settings

Click the settings icon (⚙️) in the Cline panel.
2

Select Provider

Choose your desired provider from the API Provider dropdown.
3

Authenticate

  • Cline (usage-billing): Click Sign In and complete OAuth.
  • ClinePass: Select ClinePass, click Sign In, and subscribe if prompted.
  • BYOK cloud provider: Paste your API key into the API Key field.
  • Local runtime (Ollama/LM Studio): no key needed; ensure runtime is running.
4

Select Model

Choose your desired Claude model from the Model dropdown.

​
Provider Options

​
Cline (usage-billing)

  • One sign-in, no key management
  • Built-in billing and free model options
  • Access to multiple providers from one account
Add credits in Cline settings or at app.cline.bot/dashboard.

​
ClinePass

  • Flat $9.99/month subscription
  • 2-5x API rate limits for longer agent sessions
  • Curated open coding models including GLM, Kimi, DeepSeek, and MiMo
Subscribe from the ClinePass dashboard, then select ClinePass as your provider in Cline. See the ClinePass guide for included models and reference pricing.

​
BYOK (cloud + local)

​
Cloud Providers

ProviderBest ForSetup Guide
OpenRouterMultiple models, competitive pricingSetup
AnthropicDirect Claude accessSetup
Claude CodeClaude Max/Pro subscriptionSetup
OpenAIGPT modelsSetup
Google GeminiGemini modelsSetup
AWS BedrockEnterpriseSetup
DeepSeekGreat valueSetup

​
Local Models

Run models on your own hardware for complete privacy and zero per-request costs.
ProviderBest ForSetup Guide
OllamaCLI-based local runtimeSetup
LM StudioGUI-based local runtimeSetup
Local models require sufficient hardware (especially GPU memory). See Running Models Locally for requirements.

​
CLI Setup

# Authenticate from the terminal
cline auth

# Shorthand
cline a
Runs the same auth flow as IDE setup.

​
Troubleshooting

IssueFix
”Unauthorized: Please sign in”Session expired. Click Sign In to re-authenticate.
Browser doesn’t openCheck default browser settings. Copy the URL from the Cline output panel manually.
Frequent re-authenticationCheck org security policies. Ensure you’re not clearing IDE secrets. Try a full sign-out/sign-in.
Can’t access organizationVerify membership at app.cline.bot. Ask your admin about permissions. Sign out and back in.