Website: https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/setup

The Claude Code provider lets you use your existing Claude subscription with Cline. If you have Claude Max, this means you can use Claude in Cline without paying extra API costs.

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Setup

First, you’ll need to install and authenticate Claude Code on your system:

  1. Install Claude Code: Follow Anthropic’s official setup guide to install and authenticate the Claude CLI.

  2. Configure in Cline:

    • Open Cline settings (⚙️ icon)
    • Select Claude Code from the API Provider dropdown
    • Set the path to your Claude CLI executable (usually just claude if it’s in your PATH)

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Finding your Claude Code path

If you’re not sure where Claude Code is installed:

  • macOS / Linux: Run which claude in your terminal
  • Windows (Command Prompt): Run where claude
  • Windows (PowerShell): Run Get-Command claude

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Supported Models

The Claude Code provider supports these models:

  • claude-sonnet-4-20250514 (Recommended)
  • claude-opus-4-20250514
  • claude-3-7-sonnet-20250219
  • claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022
  • claude-3-5-haiku-20241022

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How it works

When you use Claude Code with Cline, here’s what happens behind the scenes:

Cline wraps the Claude Code CLI to handle your requests. Each time you send a message, Cline starts a new claude process, sends your conversation, and streams the response back. The AI reasoning comes from Claude Code, but all the actual file editing, terminal commands, and other tools are handled by Cline.

The main difference you’ll notice is that responses don’t stream character-by-character like other providers. Instead, Claude Code processes your full request before sending back the complete response.

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Limitations

There are a few things to keep in mind with Claude Code:

  • Images in your messages get converted to text placeholders since Claude Code doesn’t support image uploads through the CLI
  • Prompt caching isn’t available with this provider
  • Responses don’t stream in real-time like other providers

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Troubleshooting

If you run into issues:

Authentication problems: Make sure you’re logged into Claude Code with your subscription account. Run claude auth status to check.

Path issues: Double-check that the Claude CLI path in Cline’s settings is correct. Try running claude --version in your terminal to verify it’s working.

Still having trouble? We’re actively improving this integration. Report issues on our GitHub or ask for help in our Discord.

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Usage with subscriptions

If you have a Claude Max subscription, your usage in Cline shows up as $0.00 in the billing interface since you’re not paying additional API costs. Your usage still counts against your subscription limits, but you won’t see per-token charges.

For more details about using Claude Code with your subscription, check out Anthropic’s documentation: