Cline Tools Reference Guide

What Can Cline Do?

Cline is your AI assistant that can:

• Edit and create files in your project

• Run terminal commands

• Search and analyze your code

• Help debug and fix issues

• Automate repetitive tasks

• Integrate with external tools

First Steps

1. Start a Task

   • Type your request in the chat

   • Example: "Create a new React component called Header"

2. Provide Context

   • Use @ mentions to add files, folders, URLs, diagnostics, terminal output, and more

   • Example: "@/src/components/App.tsx"

   • See the Mentions Feature Guide for details

3. Review Changes

   • Cline will show diffs before making changes

   • You can edit or reject changes

Key Features

1. File Editing

   • Create new files

   • Modify existing code

   • Search and replace across files

2. Terminal Commands

   • Run npm commands

   • Start development servers

   • Install dependencies

3. Code Analysis

   • Find and fix errors

   • Refactor code

   • Add documentation

4. Browser Integration

   • Test web pages

   • Capture screenshots

   • Inspect console logs

Available Tools

For the most up-to-date implementation details, you can view the full source code in the Cline repository.

Cline has access to the following tools for various tasks:

1. File Operations

   • write_to_file: Create or overwrite files

   • read_file: Read file contents

   • replace_in_file: Make targeted edits to files

   • search_files: Search files using regex

   • list_files: List directory contents

2. Terminal Operations

   • execute_command: Run CLI commands

   • list_code_definition_names: List code definitions

3. MCP Tools

   • use_mcp_tool: Use tools from MCP servers

   • access_mcp_resource: Access MCP server resources

   • Users can create custom MCP tools that Cline can then access

   • Example: Create a weather API tool that Cline can use to fetch forecasts

4. Interaction Tools

   • ask_followup_question: Ask user for clarification

   • attempt_completion: Present final results

   • new_task: Start a new task with preloaded context

Each tool has specific parameters and usage patterns. Here are some examples:

• Create a new file (write_to_file):

  <write_to_file>
  <path>src/components/Header.tsx</path>
  <content>
  // Header component code
  </content>
  </write_to_file>

• Search for a pattern (search_files):

  <search_files>
  <path>src</path>
  <regex>function\s+\w+\(</regex>
  <file_pattern>*.ts</file_pattern>
  </search_files>

• Run a command (execute_command):

  <execute_command>
  <command>npm install axios</command>
  <requires_approval>false</requires_approval>
  </execute_command>

• Start a new task with context (new_task):

  <new_task>
  <context>
  We've completed the backend API with these endpoints:
  - GET /api/tasks
  - POST /api/tasks
  - PUT /api/tasks/:id
  - DELETE /api/tasks/:id
  
  Now we need to implement the React frontend.
  </context>
  </new_task>

Common Tasks

1. Create a New Component

   • "Create a new React component called Footer"

2. Fix a Bug

   • "Fix the error in src/utils/format.ts"

3. Refactor Code

   • "Refactor the Button component to use TypeScript"

4. Run Commands

   • "Run npm install to add axios"

Getting Help

• Join the Discord community
• Check the documentation

• Provide feedback to improve Cline