We installed Cline for VS Code and used it on camera. Not sponsored: we picked it and nobody paid for it.
Cline is an open-source AI coding agent inside VS Code. It plans in a Plan mode that can't edit files, acts on your approval, and lets you view and undo its changes. We tested it on Linux with an open model.
The good:
• Free, open source, any model: Cline is free and open source under Apache 2.0, with no seat fees. You can even run it on a local model without an account.
• Plan, then act: We like Cline's plan mode: it reads your code but can't edit files until you switch to Act, so the plan comes first.
• Undo any step: We like that View Changes shows what changed since your last message, and Reset Code on an earlier message puts the files back and rewinds the chat to that point.
The not so good:
• Mid-rewrite: Cline is mid-rewrite right now: Explain Changes and Focus Chain are deprecated, the checkpoint menu differs from its own docs, and in a new project with no commit yet checkpoints fail silently.
• Reporting on by default: Usage reporting is on by default; you have to clear it in the settings yourself.
Our verdict: Recommended with caveats. Apache 2.0, no seat fee, any model with no account, and a clear Plan and Act flow with undo. But it is mid-rewrite: features are being removed, and its checkpoints do not match its own docs.
The full review: https://brethof.ai/reviews/cline/
Partly AI-generated: Nova, our host, and her voice are AI; the testing, the verdict and the edit are ours.
#Cline #AItools
