All Cline Tools

Complete reference for Cline’s built-in tools and capabilities.

Cline has access to a set of tools for various tasks. This reference covers all available tools and how to use them.

What Can Cline Do?

• 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 via MCP

File Operations

Tool	Description
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
list_code_definition_names	List code definitions in files

Examples

Create a new file:

<write_to_file>
<path>src/components/Header.tsx</path>
<content>
import React from "react"

interface HeaderProps {
  title: string
}

export default function Header({ title }: HeaderProps) {
  return (
    <header style={{ padding: "1rem", borderBottom: "1px solid #eee" }}>
      <h1>{title}</h1>
    </header>
  )
}
</content>
</write_to_file>

Search for a pattern:

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

Terminal Operations

Tool	Description
execute_command	Run CLI commands

Run a command:

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

Browser Operations

Tool	Description
browser_action	Interact with websites through Puppeteer

See Browser Automation for details.

MCP Tools

Tool	Description
use_mcp_tool	Use tools from MCP servers
access_mcp_resource	Access MCP server resources

MCP tools extend Cline’s capabilities through external integrations. See MCP documentation for details.

Interaction Tools

Tool	Description
ask_followup_question	Ask user for clarification
attempt_completion	Present final results

New Task Tool

The new_task tool enables context management and task continuity. It packages current progress and context into a fresh task with a clean context window.

When to Use

• Context window filling up but work isn’t done
• Completing a logical subtask before starting the next
• After research phase, ready to implement

How It Works

1. Cline proposes creating a new task with summarized context
2. You can refine the proposed context
3. Once approved, current task ends and new one begins with the context preloaded

Using the /newtask Command

Type /newtask in chat to manually trigger this process. Cline will:

• Analyze the conversation
• Propose distilled context to carry forward
• Let you refine before creating the new task

This works like a developer handoff, packaging what matters (plan, work done, files, next steps) while leaving behind noise.

Source Code

For the most up-to-date implementation details, see the Cline repository.