Cline
Open-source autonomous coding agent for VS Code. 4M+ developers. Model-agnostic (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Mistral, Bedrock, Ollama). Can edit files, execute terminal commands, control a browser, and use MCP tools. Human-in-the-loop by default but configurable for full autonomy. Cline CLI 2.0 released February 2026.
Cline is the leading open-source autonomous coding agent for VS Code. Apache 2.0 licensed. 4M+ developers using it as of early 2026.
Cline CLI 2.0 (released February 13, 2026): a full terminal-first redesign alongside the VS Code extension, making it viable for headless and scripted workflows.
What It Does
Beyond autocomplete and inline editing, Cline operates with genuine autonomy:
- File editing across the entire codebase
- Terminal command execution (with per-action approval by default)
- Browser control for web interactions and testing
- MCP tool integration for custom extensions
Human-in-the-loop by default — Cline asks for approval before each terminal command. This is configurable; full autonomy mode removes the approval gates.
Model Flexibility
Unlike Claude Code (which is Anthropic-native) or Copilot (Microsoft-native), Cline is entirely model-agnostic:
- Anthropic, OpenAI, Google Gemini
- Mistral, Groq, AWS Bedrock
- Ollama (local models, full data sovereignty)
This makes it the right choice for environments with data sensitivity, cost constraints, or vendor lock-in concerns.
Level in the Five-Levels Framework
Default configuration: Level 2–3. Full autonomy with MCP tools and no approval gates: Level 3–4. The surrounding workflow determines the level, not the tool.
Best For
VS Code users who want open-source autonomy with model flexibility. Teams with compliance requirements that prevent sending code to specific cloud providers.