Cline CLI Cheat Sheet: Commands, Flags & Shortcuts

Cline CLI runs coding tasks directly from your terminal. Open an interactive session with cline, submit a task directly from the shell, or pipe input into a headless run for scripts and automation.

Shell commands control how a run starts, while slash commands and keyboard shortcuts control the interactive terminal session.

Use this Cline CLI cheat sheet to find the exact syntax for everyday commands, approval settings, saved sessions, MCP servers, and scheduled tasks.

Cline CLI Cheat Sheet: Commands, Flags & Shortcuts

Common Cline CLI Commands

Cline TUI Slash Commands

Type / in an interactive session to browse commands.

Cline Keyboard Shortcuts

These shortcuts apply inside the TUI. Autocomplete menus and queued prompts take priority over some bindings. Open /help to check your installed version.

Modes, Input, and Approvals

Cancel, Restore, and Exit

Transcript Navigation

Cline CLI Flags

Basic syntax: cline [options] [command] [prompt]. Flag names are case-sensitive. Put task options before the quoted prompt, and check subcommand help before reusing a top-level option.

Execution Modes and Permissions

Provider, Model, and Reasoning

Workspace, State, and Session

Output, Limits, Help, and Updates

Sessions, Configuration, and Context

Session History

cline history opens a session picker in an interactive terminal. When output is redirected, it prints the session list. cline h is its alias. The default history limit is 50, newest first.

Configuration Lookup

Run cline config to open the configuration view. For a printed result, name a target: workflows, rules, skills, agents, plugins, hooks, mcp, or tools. Add --json for structured output.

cline config rules
cline config tools --json

Configuration and Instruction Paths

File and Image Context

Environment Variables

Advanced Cline Commands

MCP Servers

cline mcp opens a menu for adding, editing, enabling, disabling, authorizing, and deleting servers. These shell commands provide direct lookup and management:

For a local stdio server, put its executable and arguments after --. --yes saves the definition without the add wizard. The filesystem example grants access to the specified directory.

cline mcp add files --yes -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /path/to/project

For a hosted server, use its real endpoint and transport. Replace the example URL before running this command.

cline mcp add docs https://example.com/mcp --transport http --yes

Skills and Plugins

The following flags apply to cline plugin install:

Hooks

Hooks run at agent lifecycle events. PreToolUse can reject a tool invocation before execution, including a run_commands call. Configure an appropriate hook when you need command restrictions.

Scheduled Tasks

cline schedule opens the schedule manager. Schedules run through the local hub, which starts automatically when needed. Cron times use your device’s local time zone. Scheduled runs approve their own tool calls because no interactive approver is present. To deliver results to a chat, keep the relevant connector running.

Schedule Creation Flags

Hub and Background Sessions

The hub is a local daemon that coordinates background sessions and scheduled work. Running cline hub alone shows help.

The dashboard defaults to 127.0.0.1:8787, a different port from the hub daemon. Dashboard access permits session control and hub restarts. Use --room-secret <secret> when binding to a nonlocal host.

Connectors, ACP, and Kanban

Connector channels include telegram, slack, discord, gchat, whatsapp, and linear. Put --stop or --restart before the channel name. Options after the channel are passed to that connector.

Cline CLI Examples

Plan a Change with Approval Control

Open the interactive TUI in Plan mode with global tool auto-approval off. Inspect the plan, then use Tab to switch to Act when you are ready.

cline -i -p --auto-approve false "Plan pagination for the existing API. Identify affected routes and tests."

Continue a Saved Task

Find the session ID, then pass it back with a follow-up prompt. Replace SESSION_ID before running the second command.

cline history --json --limit 5
cline --id SESSION_ID "Continue with the tests from the approved plan."

Review a Git Diff

Run this from the repository. Piped stdin activates headless mode. The prompt requests a review without edits, but that instruction is not an enforced filesystem restriction.

git diff | cline -p "Review this diff for regressions. Report file paths, issues, and suggested tests. Do not modify files."

Extract the Final Answer from JSON

For Bash/zsh with jq installed, filter for the final run_result object. Do not parse every event as a completed answer.

cline --json "Summarize the setup steps in README.md" | jq -r 'select(.type == "run_result") | .text'

PowerShell equivalent:

cline --json "Summarize the setup steps in README.md" |
  ForEach-Object { $_ | ConvertFrom-Json } |
  Where-Object { $_.type -eq "run_result" } |
  Select-Object -ExpandProperty text

Run a Bounded Automation Task

This headless task can edit files and execute commands without approval prompts. The timeout limits its duration, while --retries limits consecutive mistakes.

cline --json --auto-approve true --timeout 600 --retries 3 "Run the project tests and fix failing tests. Summarize the changes."

Create a Weekday Schedule

This single-line command creates a paused schedule for 9 a.m. on weekdays in the machine’s local time zone. Replace the workspace path. Review it before resuming it with cline schedule resume <id>.

cline schedule create "Project summary" --cron "0 9 * * MON-FRI" --prompt "Summarize open work and recent commits. Do not edit files." --workspace "/path/to/project" --mode plan --disabled

JSON Output Reference

Agent runs with --json emit one object per line, with a type and timestamp ts. cline history --json emits a session array, and cline config <target> --json emits that target’s entries.

Troubleshooting

A Command or Shortcut Is Missing

Check cline --version and cline <command> --help. Use /help in the TUI for its shortcuts. The official Cline CLI reference is the reference for current command syntax. Run cline update when your installation needs an update.

Cline Is Not Asking Before Acting

Launch with --auto-approve false to disable approval of every tool without prompting. Safe tools can still be auto-approved. Check tool settings in /settings, or use Shift+Tab to toggle all-tool auto-approval in the TUI. Scheduled runs approve their own calls, while ACP sessions start with all-tool auto-approval off unless explicitly enabled.

The Interactive UI Disappears in a Script

Piped stdin, redirected output, and --json activate headless behavior. Run cline directly in an interactive terminal for the TUI. Keep JSON parsing specific to the command’s output shape.

Authentication or Model Selection Fails

Run cline auth to check the saved provider and model. Confirm that the model ID belongs to the selected provider and that the account has access. Top-level provider selection uses -P, while cline auth uses -p. Inspect the runtime log for the actual provider error.

Official Sources

• Cline CLI Reference
• Cline CLI on GitHub

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