The outcome

Finish a scoped coding task with a clear plan, reviewable diffs, and evidence that the change works.

Cline is a open-source agentic coding assistant for editors and terminals. Planning, implementing, testing, and reviewing multi-file software changes with visible tool use and configurable approvals. This guide narrows that broad capability into one repeatable outcome, with checkpoints that keep the source material and your judgment in the loop.

Before you begin

Set the boundary before the tool starts.

Choose one real task, identify who will use the result, and decide what evidence or test will make the result acceptable. Gather only the source material needed for that task. If the work contains confidential, personal, regulated, or client-owned information, confirm that the platform and account are approved before sharing it.

Troiana principle

AI should make the work easier to inspect. If the workflow removes the source, the owner, or the review step, redesign the workflow.

Step by step

A workflow you can repeat.

  1. 01

    Start on a clean branch, describe the expected behavior and constraints, and point Cline to the relevant files and project instructions.

  2. 02

    Use Plan mode to inspect the repository, identify affected code and tests, surface assumptions, and agree on a bounded implementation plan.

  3. 03

    Confirm Checkpoints are enabled, switch to Act mode, and approve file edits and commands individually unless a narrow action is already trusted.

  4. 04

    Review each diff and terminal result, redirect Cline when scope expands, and restore the last good checkpoint if the approach goes wrong.

  5. 05

    Run the project checks, inspect the final diff and git status yourself, then commit only after the acceptance criteria are demonstrated.

Working standard

What good use looks like.

  • Plan before medium or large changes.
  • Keep destructive actions approval-gated.
  • Treat tests and the final diff as the completion evidence.

Cline can edit files, execute commands, browse, and invoke MCP tools. Keep permissions narrow, protect credentials, review diffs, and reserve broad Auto Approve or YOLO mode for isolated disposable environments.

Official references

Check the current product documentation.

Features, plan limits, availability, and data controls change. These official pages are the starting points used for this collection.