Claude Code Alternatives

How to Switch from Claude Code to Cline: VS Code Migration Guide (2026)

Updated: June 2026 · How we test tools →

You've decided to switch from Claude Code to Cline. The most common reasons: you want a VS Code-native experience instead of a terminal panel, you want to control costs with pay-per-use BYOK instead of a flat $20 subscription, or you need Claude Code's inline diff visibility directly in your editor. Cline delivers all of this — as a free VS Code extension that works with the same Claude models you're already used to.

This guide gets you from Claude Code to a working Cline setup in under 30 minutes.

What You're Gaining and Losing

You'll gain:

  • Truly native VS Code integration — inline diffs, Source Control panel awareness, editor-first UX
  • Plan/Act mode — see the full plan before any file is touched
  • Built-in cost tracker — exact token count and dollar cost per session
  • Pay-per-token BYOK — no subscription rate limits
  • Full model flexibility — Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, or local models via Ollama
  • Richest MCP ecosystem of any VS Code agent
  • Free tool (Apache 2.0)

You'll lose:

  • Claude Code's polished terminal workflow — Cline is VS Code only
  • JetBrains support — Cline is VS Code extension only
  • Claude Code's slightly stronger agentic reasoning on the hardest tasks
  • The simplicity of a single tool with no configuration

If you're undecided, read Claude Code vs Cline → first. For VS Code-specific alternatives overview, see Claude Code Alternatives for VS Code Users →.

Step 1: Install Cline from VS Code Marketplace

  1. Open VS Code
  2. Press Cmd+Shift+X (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+X (Windows/Linux) to open Extensions
  3. Search for "Cline"
  4. Click Install on the Cline extension (by Cline Bot Inc, Apache 2.0)
  5. Once installed, the Cline icon appears in your Activity Bar (left sidebar)

That's the full installation. No Node.js, no npm, no terminal commands.

Verify it's working: Click the Cline icon in the Activity Bar. You'll see the Cline panel open on the right side of VS Code with a prompt to configure your API key.

Step 2: Configure Your Claude API Key

Cline uses BYOK — you supply your own API key and pay providers directly. To use the same Claude models as Claude Code:

  1. Open Cline panel → click the Settings gear icon (top right of Cline panel)
  2. Under API Provider, select Anthropic
  3. Paste your Anthropic API key

Get your API key: Go to console.anthropic.com/settings/keys → Create Key → copy.

Recommended models:

  • claude-sonnet-4-5 — best balance of quality and cost for most tasks (same model as Claude Code Pro)
  • claude-opus-4 — maximum quality for complex tasks (same as Claude Code Max)

Cost transparency: Unlike Claude Code's subscription, Cline shows you the exact token count and dollar cost of every session and every message. You'll see exactly what each task costs in real time — a significant upgrade in visibility.

Pro tip — two-model setup: Cline lets you configure a separate model for API-intensive tasks. Use claude-sonnet-4-5 as your primary and switch to claude-haiku-4 for simpler tasks to reduce costs. This mirrors Aider's Architect mode concept but within Cline's interface.

Step 3: Port Your CLAUDE.md Instructions to Cline

Claude Code reads CLAUDE.md automatically from your project root. Cline handles project context differently — via its Custom Instructions field.

Find your CLAUDE.md files

# List all CLAUDE.md files across your projects
find ~/projects -name "CLAUDE.md" -type f

Port CLAUDE.md content to Cline Custom Instructions

  1. Open Cline Settings (gear icon in Cline panel)
  2. Find the Custom Instructions text area
  3. Paste the contents of your CLAUDE.md here

Example conversion:

If your CLAUDE.md contained:

This is a FastAPI project using PostgreSQL.
Always use async/await. No synchronous database calls.
Use Pydantic v2 models for all request/response schemas.
Tests use pytest with httpx for async client testing.
Never modify migration files directly — generate new ones.

Your Cline Custom Instructions become:

This is a FastAPI project using PostgreSQL.
Always use async/await. No synchronous database calls.
Use Pydantic v2 models for all request/response schemas.
Tests use pytest with httpx for async client testing.
Never modify migration files directly — generate new ones.
When creating diffs, show the complete function, not just changed lines.
In Plan mode, list all files that will be modified before executing.

You can add Cline-specific instructions at the end — like how you want diffs presented or Plan mode behaviour.

Keep CLAUDE.md for projects with multiple tools

If you still use Claude Code alongside Cline, keep your CLAUDE.md files in place. Cline doesn't read them automatically, but you can reference them in chat:

Please read the project conventions in CLAUDE.md before starting.

Or use Cline's context mention syntax: type @ in the Cline chat to reference files, including CLAUDE.md.

Step 4: Understand Plan/Act Mode — Your Key New Feature

This is the most important Cline feature Claude Code doesn't have. Plan/Act mode separates thinking from doing:

Plan mode: Cline reads your codebase and produces a written plan of what it intends to do — which files it will touch, what changes it will make, in what order. You read the plan, request adjustments, and approve before any file is modified.

Act mode: Cline executes the approved plan, showing inline diffs for each change.

How to use it:

  1. Open Cline panel
  2. Toggle Plan/Act switch at the top of the chat (default: Act mode)
  3. Switch to Plan before starting a complex task
  4. Review the plan → switch to Act to execute

When to use Plan mode:

  • Any task touching more than 3 files
  • Database migrations (review before execution is critical)
  • Refactors where you want to verify the approach before code changes
  • Tasks where the wrong first move is expensive to undo

Claude Code equivalent: Claude Code shows its reasoning in the terminal and asks for approval at each step. Cline's Plan mode front-loads the entire plan for your review before any action begins — more explicit, easier to redirect early.

Step 5: Migrate Your MCP Integrations

If you used MCP servers with Claude Code, Cline supports the same MCP servers with arguably better tooling around them.

View your Claude Code MCP config

cat ~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Add MCPs to Cline

  1. Open Cline Settings → MCP Servers
  2. Click Edit MCP Settings (opens cline_mcp_settings.json)
  3. Add your MCP server configurations

Example — migrating a GitHub MCP:

Claude Code config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
      "env": { "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your-token" }
    }
  }
}

Cline config (cline_mcp_settings.json) — same format:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
      "env": { "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your-token" }
    }
  }
}

The MCP server configurations are compatible — copy and paste from Claude Code's config to Cline's.

Cline MCP advantage: Cline's MCP ecosystem has more community-built integrations than Claude Code's. If you used Claude Code's built-in tools (file reading, web search, bash), Cline's marketplace has equivalents and more. Browse available MCP servers directly in the Cline panel under MCP Servers → Browse.

Step 6: Workflow Mapping — Claude Code to Cline

The mental model shift: instead of a terminal session, your interaction happens in VS Code's Cline sidebar panel, with diffs appearing inline in the editor.

Claude Code (terminal) Cline equivalent
claude "implement this feature" Type task in Cline chat panel
Files modified, approval in terminal Inline diffs in editor → Accept/Reject per change
git diff to review changes Source Control panel in VS Code shows all changes
CLAUDE.md for project context Custom Instructions in Cline settings
MCP tool invocation in terminal MCP tools available in Cline panel
/clear to reset context New conversation button in Cline
Rate limit → stop working No subscription limits — pay per token
Session cost: invisible Session cost: shown in real time

The biggest adjustment: Claude Code's terminal output shows a running log of agent actions. Cline shows diffs inline in the editor. You're reviewing actual file changes rather than reading terminal output — most developers find this faster and less error-prone.

Step 7: Configure Auto-Approvals for Speed

By default, Cline asks for your approval before every action. For trusted operations in safe projects, you can configure auto-approvals to match Claude Code's more autonomous behaviour:

  1. Cline Settings → Auto-approve actions
  2. Configure which actions auto-approve:
    • ✅ Read files — almost always safe to auto-approve
    • ✅ Edit files in src/ — safe for trusted projects
    • ⚠️ Run terminal commands — review carefully, approve selectively
    • ❌ Delete files — never auto-approve

Recommended starting configuration:

  • Auto-approve file reads: on
  • Auto-approve file writes in src/ and tests/: on
  • Auto-approve terminal commands: off (review each one)
  • Auto-approve browser actions: off

This gives you Claude Code-like autonomy on code changes while keeping human review on shell commands.

Step 8: Set Up Local Models (Optional — For Privacy or $0 Cost)

If you want local model support or full privacy:

  1. Install Ollama: curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh
  2. Pull a model: ollama pull qwen2.5-coder:32b
  3. In Cline Settings → API Provider → select OpenAI Compatible
  4. Set Base URL: http://localhost:11434/v1
  5. API Key: ollama (any string works)
  6. Model: qwen2.5-coder:32b

Code stays entirely on your machine. See Self-Hosted Claude Code Alternatives → for the full local setup guide and model quality benchmarks.

What to Expect in Your First Week

Day 1: The panel-based interaction feels different from the terminal. You'll instinctively look at the terminal — instead, look at the Cline sidebar and the inline diffs in your editor. Within a day this becomes natural.

Day 2–3: Plan mode will save you. Start using it for every task with more than two file changes. The ability to review and redirect before execution is something Claude Code's terminal flow doesn't offer as cleanly.

Day 4–5: Check your cost tracker. For most developers switching from Claude Code Pro ($20/month), actual Cline token costs for equivalent work land in the $8–18/month range. No rate limits, lower or similar cost.

Week 1 end: The MCP ecosystem opens up. Start exploring Cline's marketplace integrations — browser automation, GitHub API, database connections. These extend what was possible in Claude Code.

Quick Reference: Cline Cheat Sheet for Claude Code Switchers

SETUP
─────────────────────────────────────────────────
VS Code → Extensions → search "Cline" → Install
Cline panel → Settings → API Provider → Anthropic
Paste CLAUDE.md content → Custom Instructions field
MCP configs: copy from ~/.claude/ → cline_mcp_settings.json

IN SESSION
─────────────────────────────────────────────────
@filename          → reference a file in chat
@CLAUDE.md         → load project conventions
Plan/Act toggle    → switch between plan-first and direct execution
💰 Cost display    → shows tokens + dollars per message

DIFFS
─────────────────────────────────────────────────
✅ Accept          → keep the change (in editor inline)
❌ Reject          → discard the change
Accept All         → approve all changes in session

AUTO-APPROVALS
─────────────────────────────────────────────────
Settings → Auto-approve → file reads: ON
Settings → Auto-approve → file writes (src/): ON
Settings → Auto-approve → terminal commands: OFF (review each)

Going Further: Roo Code as a Power User Upgrade

If you find you want more control than Cline offers after a few weeks — consider Roo Code, a community fork of Cline with:

  • Custom AI modes (Architect, Code, Debug) with optimised prompts per role
  • Boomerang tasks — complex jobs broken into orchestrated subtasks
  • More granular auto-approval controls

Roo Code is compatible with the same Cline configuration format. Migration from Cline to Roo Code is lighter than switching from Claude Code to Cline.

FAQ

Can I use the same Claude models in Cline as in Claude Code? Yes. Cline with Anthropic API key uses Claude Sonnet 4.5 and Opus 4 — the identical models powering Claude Code. Output quality for the same model is identical; what differs is the agent loop and UX.

How much will Cline cost vs Claude Code? For most developers, Cline with Claude API costs $8–18/month in actual token usage — less than Claude Code's $20 floor, with no rate limits. The cost tracker shows exact usage so there are no surprises. See Claude Code Pricing → for the break-even analysis.

Does Cline support terminal commands like Claude Code? Yes. Cline can execute terminal commands within your VS Code integrated terminal. Configure which commands auto-approve and which require manual confirmation in Cline settings.

Can I use Claude Code and Cline together? Yes. Many developers use Claude Code for terminal-native autonomous sessions (large refactors, long background tasks) and Cline for VS Code-based daily work. They don't conflict.

What if I hit a task Cline can't handle well? For very complex autonomous tasks where you want maximum agentic depth, Aider with Claude Opus in Architect mode is a strong complement to Cline. Keep Cline for VS Code-integrated daily work, use Aider in a terminal for the hardest autonomous sessions.

Is Cline safe to use with production codebases? Yes, with care. Configure auto-approvals conservatively (off for terminal commands, on for file reads). Use Plan mode for any task touching critical files. Every Cline change is visible in VS Code's Source Control panel and in Git history for full auditability.

Other migration guides: Claude Code → Cursor → · Claude Code → Aider → · Explore IDE Extensions → · Full Claude Code alternatives →

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