{
  "id": 7983375,
  "title": "Open Source Alternative to Claude Code and Cursor: Meet Cline",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/open-source-alternative-to-claude-code-and-cursor-meet-cline",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-17T08:18:39.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dev.to",
    "slug": "dev-to",
    "url": "https://dev.to/arshtechpro/open-source-alternative-to-claude-code-and-cursor-meet-cline-5cfi"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Cline is an open source, autonomous coding agent that goes beyond simple autocompletion. It can read an entire project, plan changes, edit multiple files, run terminal commands, and validate its work against linters and compiler errors. Users review and approve each step of the process before changes are made. Initially a VS Code extension, Cline has expanded into a suite of tools including a JetBrains plugin, CLI, and SDK. It's licensed under Apache 2.0 and boasts over 67,000 stars and 7,000 forks on GitHub.\n\nCline's key features include editing code across the whole project, running terminal commands, and planning/acting in two modes. It can run terminal commands for package installation, builds, tests, deployments, and database management. It operates in Plan mode where it explores the code, asks questions, and proposes a strategy. Users then switch to Act mode to execute the plan, with each file edit and command requiring approval. Developers can define project-specific rules in .clinerules files, which are automatically picked up across all Cline tools. Cline supports various AI models, including Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and more, allowing users to choose their preferred model and control costs.\n\nThe tool is extensible through plugins and MCP servers, enabling custom tools, logging, auditing, policy enforcement, and domain-specific capabilities. It also supports multi-agent teams and scheduled agents for recurring tasks. Cline can be accessed via Slack, Telegram, Discord, and more. It runs in headless mode for CI/CD automation, allowing for scripting and pipeline integration. To get started, users need to install Cline via npm for the CLI or install the VS Code extension/plugin for the editor experience, then connect their API key from their chosen model provider.",
  "summary": "Cline is an open source, autonomous coding agent. Instead of just autocompleting the line you're typing, Cline can read your entire project, plan out a set of changes, edit multiple files, run terminal commands, and check its own work against linter and compiler errors, all with you reviewing and approving each step. It started as a VS Code extension (previously known as \"Claude Dev\"), but it has…",
  "key_points": [
    "Cline is an open-source coding agent beyond simple autocompletion.",
    "Supports project-wide editing, terminal commands, and two operation modes.",
    "Available as VS Code extension, JetBrains plugin, CLI, SDK, and multi-agent system."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}