cline/cli/man/cline.1

.\" Automatically generated by Pandoc 3.8.3
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.TH "CLINE" "1" "January 2026" "Cline CLI 2.0" "User Commands"
.SH NAME
cline \- AI coding assistant in your terminal
.SH SYNOPSIS
\f[B]cline\f[R] [\f[I]prompt\f[R]] [\f[I]options\f[R]]
.PP
\f[B]cline\f[R] \f[I]command\f[R] [\f[I]options\f[R]]
[\f[I]arguments\f[R]]
.SH DESCRIPTION
\f[B]cline\f[R] is a command\-line interface for the Cline AI coding
assistant.
It provides the same powerful AI capabilities as the VS Code extension,
directly in your terminal.
.PP
Cline is an autonomous AI agent that can read, write, and execute code
across your projects.
He can create and edit files, run terminal commands, use a headless
browser, and more\(emall while asking for your approval before taking
actions.
.PP
The CLI supports both interactive mode (with a rich terminal UI) and
plain text mode (for piped input and scripted workflows).
.SH MODES OF OPERATION
\f[B]Interactive Mode\f[R] : When you run \f[B]cline\f[R] without
arguments, it launches an interactive welcome prompt with a rich
terminal UI.
You can type your task, view conversation history, and interact with
Cline in real\-time.
.PP
\f[B]Task Mode\f[R] : Run \f[B]cline \(lqprompt\(rq\f[R] or \f[B]cline
task \(lqprompt\(rq\f[R] to immediately start a task.
If stdin is a TTY, you\(cqll see the interactive UI.
If stdin is piped or output is redirected, the CLI automatically
switches to plain text mode.
.PP
\f[B]Plain Text Mode\f[R] : Activated automatically when stdin is piped,
output is redirected, or \f[B]\-\-json\f[R]/\f[B]\-\-yolo\f[R] flags are
used.
Outputs clean text without the Ink UI, suitable for scripting and CI/CD
pipelines.
.SH AGENT BEHAVIOR
Cline operates in two primary modes:
.PP
\f[B]ACT MODE\f[R] : Cline actively uses tools to accomplish tasks.
He can read files, write code, execute commands, use a headless browser,
and more.
This is the default mode for task execution.
.PP
\f[B]PLAN MODE\f[R] : Cline gathers information and creates a detailed
plan before implementation.
He explores the codebase, asks clarifying questions, and presents a
strategy for user approval before switching to ACT MODE.
.SH COMMANDS
.SS task (alias: t)
Run a new task with a prompt.
.PP
\f[B]cline task\f[R] \f[I]prompt\f[R] [\f[I]options\f[R]]
.PP
\f[B]cline t\f[R] \f[I]prompt\f[R] [\f[I]options\f[R]] : Create and run
a new task.
Options:
.PP
\f[B]\-a\f[R], \f[B]\-\-act\f[R] : Run in act mode (default)
.PP
\f[B]\-p\f[R], \f[B]\-\-plan\f[R] : Run in plan mode
.PP
\f[B]\-y\f[R], \f[B]\-\-yolo\f[R] : Enable yolo/yes mode (auto\-approve
all actions, output in plain mode, exit process automatically when task
complete)
.PP
\f[B]\-m\f[R], \f[B]\-\-model\f[R] \f[I]model\f[R] : Model to use for
the task
.PP
\f[B]\-i\f[R], \f[B]\-\-images\f[R] \f[I]paths\&...\f[R] : Image file
paths to include with the task
.PP
\f[B]\-v\f[R], \f[B]\-\-verbose\f[R] : Show verbose output including
reasoning
.PP
\f[B]\-c\f[R], \f[B]\-\-cwd\f[R] \f[I]path\f[R] : Working directory for
the task
.PP
\f[B]\-\-config\f[R] \f[I]path\f[R] : Path to Cline configuration
directory
.PP
\f[B]\-\-thinking\f[R] : Enable extended thinking (1024 token budget)
.PP
\f[B]\-\-json\f[R] : Output messages as JSON instead of styled text
.PP
\f[B]\-T\f[R], \f[B]\-\-taskId\f[R] \f[I]id\f[R] : Resume an existing
task by ID.
The prompt argument becomes an optional follow\-up message.
.SS history (alias: h)
List task history with pagination.
.PP
\f[B]cline history\f[R] [\f[I]options\f[R]]
.PP
\f[B]cline h\f[R] [\f[I]options\f[R]] : Display previous tasks.
Options:
.PP
\f[B]\-n\f[R], \f[B]\-\-limit\f[R] \f[I]number\f[R] : Number of tasks to
show (default: 10)
.PP
\f[B]\-p\f[R], \f[B]\-\-page\f[R] \f[I]number\f[R] : Page number,
1\-based (default: 1)
.PP
\f[B]\-\-config\f[R] \f[I]path\f[R] : Path to Cline configuration
directory
.SS config
Show current configuration.
.PP
\f[B]cline config\f[R] [\f[I]options\f[R]] : Display global and
workspace state.
Options:
.PP
\f[B]\-\-config\f[R] \f[I]path\f[R] : Path to Cline configuration
directory
.SS auth
Authenticate a provider and configure the model.
.PP
\f[B]cline auth\f[R] [\f[I]options\f[R]] : Launch interactive
authentication wizard, or use quick setup flags.
Options:
.PP
\f[B]\-p\f[R], \f[B]\-\-provider\f[R] \f[I]id\f[R] : Provider ID for
quick setup (e.g., openai\-native, anthropic, openrouter)
.PP
\f[B]\-k\f[R], \f[B]\-\-apikey\f[R] \f[I]key\f[R] : API key for the
provider
.PP
\f[B]\-m\f[R], \f[B]\-\-modelid\f[R] \f[I]id\f[R] : Model ID to
configure (e.g., gpt\-4o, claude\-sonnet\-4\-5\-20250929)
.PP
\f[B]\-b\f[R], \f[B]\-\-baseurl\f[R] \f[I]url\f[R] : Base URL (optional,
for OpenAI\-compatible providers)
.PP
\f[B]\-v\f[R], \f[B]\-\-verbose\f[R] : Show verbose output
.PP
\f[B]\-c\f[R], \f[B]\-\-cwd\f[R] \f[I]path\f[R] : Working directory
.PP
\f[B]\-\-config\f[R] \f[I]path\f[R] : Path to Cline configuration
directory
.SS update
Check for updates and install if available.
.PP
\f[B]cline update\f[R] [\f[I]options\f[R]] : Check npm for newer
versions.
Options:
.PP
\f[B]\-v\f[R], \f[B]\-\-verbose\f[R] : Show verbose output
.SS version
Show the CLI version number.
.PP
\f[B]cline version\f[R]
.SS dev
Developer tools and utilities.
.PP
\f[B]cline dev log\f[R] : Open the log file for debugging.
.SH DEFAULT COMMAND OPTIONS
When running \f[B]cline\f[R] with just a prompt (no subcommand), these
options are available:
.PP
\f[B]\-a\f[R], \f[B]\-\-act\f[R] : Run in act mode (default)
.PP
\f[B]\-p\f[R], \f[B]\-\-plan\f[R] : Run in plan mode
.PP
\f[B]\-y\f[R], \f[B]\-\-yolo\f[R] : Enable yolo mode (auto\-approve all
actions).
Also forces plain text output mode.
.PP
\f[B]\-m\f[R], \f[B]\-\-model\f[R] \f[I]model\f[R] : Model to use for
the task
.PP
\f[B]\-v\f[R], \f[B]\-\-verbose\f[R] : Show verbose output
.PP
\f[B]\-c\f[R], \f[B]\-\-cwd\f[R] \f[I]path\f[R] : Working directory
.PP
\f[B]\-\-config\f[R] \f[I]path\f[R] : Configuration directory
.PP
\f[B]\-\-thinking\f[R] : Enable extended thinking (1024 token budget)
.PP
\f[B]\-\-json\f[R] : Output messages as JSON instead of styled text.
Forces plain text mode.
.PP
\f[B]\-T\f[R], \f[B]\-\-taskId\f[R] \f[I]id\f[R] : Resume an existing
task by ID instead of starting a new one.
The prompt becomes an optional follow\-up message.
.SH JSON OUTPUT FORMAT
When using \f[B]\-\-json\f[R], each message is output as a JSON object
with these fields:
.PP
\f[B]Required fields:\f[R]
.IP \(bu 2
\f[B]type\f[R]: \(lqask\(rq or \(lqsay\(rq
.IP \(bu 2
\f[B]text\f[R]: message text
.IP \(bu 2
\f[B]ts\f[R]: Unix epoch timestamp in milliseconds
.PP
\f[B]Optional fields:\f[R]
.IP \(bu 2
\f[B]reasoning\f[R]: reasoning text
.IP \(bu 2
\f[B]say\f[R]: say subtype (when type is \(lqsay\(rq)
.IP \(bu 2
\f[B]ask\f[R]: ask subtype (when type is \(lqask\(rq)
.IP \(bu 2
\f[B]partial\f[R]: streaming flag
.IP \(bu 2
\f[B]images\f[R]: list of image URIs
.IP \(bu 2
\f[B]files\f[R]: list of file paths
.SH EXAMPLES
.SS Basic Usage
.IP
.EX
\f[I]# Launch interactive mode\f[R]
cline

\f[I]# Run a task directly\f[R]
cline \(dqCreate a hello world function in Python\(dq

\f[I]# Run with verbose output and extended thinking\f[R]
cline \-v \-\-thinking \(dqAnalyze this codebase architecture\(dq
.EE
.SS Mode Selection
.IP
.EX
\f[I]# Run in plan mode (gather info before acting)\f[R]
cline \-p \(dqDesign a REST API for user management\(dq

\f[I]# Run in act mode with auto\-approval (yolo)\f[R]
cline \-y \(dqFix the typo in README.md\(dq
.EE
.SS Using Specific Models
.IP
.EX
\f[I]# Use a specific model\f[R]
cline \-m claude\-sonnet\-4\-5\-20250929 \(dqRefactor this function\(dq

\f[I]# Quick auth setup with model\f[R]
cline auth \-p anthropic \-k sk\-ant\-xxxxx \-m claude\-sonnet\-4\-5\-20250929
.EE
.SS Including Images
.IP
.EX
\f[I]# Include images with explicit flag\f[R]
cline task \-i screenshot.png diagram.jpg \(dqFix the UI based on these images\(dq

\f[I]# Or use inline image references in the prompt\f[R]
cline \(dqFix the layout shown in \(at./screenshot.png\(dq
.EE
.SS Piped Input
.IP
.EX
\f[I]# Pipe file contents to Cline\f[R]
cat README.md \f[B]|\f[R] cline \(dqSummarize this document\(dq

\f[I]# Pipe with additional prompt\f[R]
echo \(dqfunction add(a, b) { return a + b }\(dq \f[B]|\f[R] cline \(dqAdd TypeScript types to this\(dq

\f[I]# Combine piped input with a prompt\f[R]
git diff \f[B]|\f[R] cline \(dqReview these changes and suggest improvements\(dq
.EE
.SS Scripting and Automation
.IP
.EX
\f[I]# JSON output for parsing\f[R]
cline \-\-json \(dqWhat files are in this directory?\(dq \f[B]|\f[R] jq \(aq.text\(aq

\f[I]# Yolo mode for automated workflows (auto\-approves all actions), forces plain text output\f[R]
cline \-y \(dqRun the test suite and fix any failures\(dq
.EE
.SS Task History
.IP
.EX
\f[I]# List recent tasks\f[R]
cline history

\f[I]# Show more tasks with pagination\f[R]
cline history \-n 20 \-p 2
.EE
.SS Resuming Tasks
.IP
.EX
\f[I]# Resume a task by ID (get IDs from cline history)\f[R]
cline \-T abc123def

\f[I]# Resume a task with a follow\-up message\f[R]
cline \-T abc123def \(dqNow add unit tests for the changes\(dq

\f[I]# Resume in plan mode to review before continuing\f[R]
cline \-T abc123def \-p \(dqWhat\(aqs left to do?\(dq

\f[I]# Resume with yolo mode for automated continuation\f[R]
cline \-T abc123def \-y \(dqContinue with the implementation\(dq
.EE
.SS Authentication
.IP
.EX
\f[I]# Interactive authentication wizard\f[R]
cline auth

\f[I]# Quick setup for Anthropic\f[R]
cline auth \-p anthropic \-k sk\-ant\-api\-xxxxx

\f[I]# Quick setup for OpenAI\f[R]
cline auth \-p openai\-native \-k sk\-xxxxx \-m gpt\-4o

\f[I]# OpenAI\-compatible provider with custom base URL\f[R]
cline auth \-p openai \-k your\-api\-key \-b https://api.example.com/v1
.EE
.SH ENVIRONMENT
\f[B]CLINE_DIR\f[R] : Override the default configuration directory.
When set, Cline stores all data in this directory instead of
\f[CR]\(ti/.cline/data/\f[R].
.PP
\f[B]CLINE_COMMAND_PERMISSIONS\f[R] : JSON configuration for restricting
which shell commands Cline can execute.
When set, commands are validated against allow/deny patternks before
execution.
When not set, all commands are allowed.
.PP
Format:
\f[CR]{\(dqallow\(dq: [\(dqpattern1\(dq, \(dqpattern2\(dq], \(dqdeny\(dq: [\(dqpattern3\(dq], \(dqallowRedirects\(dq: true}\f[R]
.PP
\f[B]Fields:\f[R]
.IP \(bu 2
\f[B]allow\f[R] (array of strings): Glob patterns for allowed commands.
If specified, only matching commands are permitted.
Uses \f[CR]*\f[R] to match any characters and \f[CR]?\f[R] to match a
single character.
Setting allow on anything will deny all others.
.IP \(bu 2
\f[B]deny\f[R] (array of strings): Glob patterns for denied commands.
Deny rules take precedence over allow rules.
.IP \(bu 2
\f[B]allowRedirects\f[R] (boolean): Whether to allow shell redirects
(\f[CR]>\f[R], \f[CR]>>\f[R], \f[CR]<\f[R], etc.).
Defaults to false.
.PP
\f[B]Rule evaluation:\f[R]
.IP "1." 3
Check for dangerous characters (backticks outside single quotes,
unquoted newlines)
.IP "2." 3
Parse command into segments split by operators (\f[CR]&&\f[R],
\f[CR]||\f[R], \f[CR]|\f[R], \f[CR];\f[R])
.IP "3." 3
If redirects detected and \f[CR]allowRedirects\f[R] is not true, command
is denied
.IP "4." 3
Each segment is validated against deny rules first, then allow rules
.IP "5." 3
Subshell contents (\f[CR]$(...)\f[R] and \f[CR](...)\f[R]) are
recursively validated
.IP "6." 3
All segments must pass for the command to be allowed
.PP
\f[B]Examples:\f[R]
.IP
.EX
\f[I]# Allow only npm and git commands.\f[R]
export CLINE_COMMAND_PERMISSIONS=\(aq{\(dqallow\(dq: [\(dqnpm *\(dq, \(dqgit *\(dq]}\(aq

\f[I]# Allow development commands but deny dangerous ones. Deny not strictly required here since allow is set.\f[R]
export CLINE_COMMAND_PERMISSIONS=\(aq{\(dqallow\(dq: [\(dqnpm *\(dq, \(dqgit *\(dq, \(dqnode *\(dq], \(dqdeny\(dq: [\(dqrm \-rf *\(dq, \(dqsudo *\(dq]}\(aq

\f[I]# Allow file operations with redirects\f[R]
export CLINE_COMMAND_PERMISSIONS=\(aq{\(dqallow\(dq: [\(dqcat *\(dq, \(dqecho *\(dq], \(dqallowRedirects\(dq: true}\(aq
.EE
.SH CONFIGURATION FILES
.IP
.EX
\(ti/.cline/
├── data/                    # Default configuration directory
│   ├── globalState.json     # Global settings and state
│   ├── secrets.json         # API keys and secrets (stored securely)
│   ├── workspace/           # Workspace\-specific state
│   └── tasks/               # Task history and conversation data
└── log/                     # Log files for debugging
.EE
.PP
View logs with \f[CR]cline dev log\f[R].
.SH BUGS
Report bugs at: \c
.UR https://github.com/cline/cline/issues
.UE \c
.PP
For real\-time help, join the Discord community at: \c
.UR https://discord.gg/cline
.UE \c
.SH SEE ALSO
Full documentation: \c
.UR https://docs.cline.bot
.UE \c
.PP
VS Code extension: \c
.UR https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=saoudrizwan.claude-dev
.UE \c
.SH AUTHORS
Cline is developed by Cline Bot Inc.\ and the open source community.
.SH COPYRIGHT
Copyright © 2025 Cline Bot Inc.\ Licensed under the Apache License 2.0.