How to Start Using Cline in VS Code

Cline is an open-source autonomous coding agent you can run as a VS Code extension (also available for other IDEs and as a CLI). In the editor it can create and edit files, run terminal commands, and use browser tools—while asking for your approval before changes land. The VS Marketplace extension ID is saoudrizwan.claude-dev. Docs and source: docs.cline.bot and github.com/cline/cline.

This guide is for after-work learners who already open folders in VS Code and want a human-in-the-loop agent for small Python tasks. You do not need to adopt every Cline surface (CLI, Kanban, JetBrains) on night one. One quiet evening: install the extension, authenticate, approve one file creation, and stop.

Comparing agents? See also top AI agent tools for after-work Python. Tonight’s scope is only VS Code Cline.

Who this is for

• People who already use VS Code (or Cursor / Windsurf-style forks that load Marketplace extensions)
• Learners who want Plan/Act style control and explicit Approve clicks
• Anyone with about an hour after dinner and a practice folder with no secrets

If VS Code itself is not installed yet, finish a basic Python + editor setup first, then return.

Steps (one evening)

1. Install Cline from the Marketplace

1. Open VS Code.
2. Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X).
3. Search Cline.
4. Install the extension by Saoudrizwan (Marketplace item saoudrizwan.claude-dev).
5. Confirm the Cline icon appears in the activity bar.

Official quick-start docs also cover JetBrains and a CLI (npm install -g cline). Ignore those tonight unless VS Code is blocked on your machine.

2. Authenticate once

Open the Cline sidebar and follow Sign Up / sign-in so you authenticate at app.cline.bot and return to the editor. Alternatively, bring your own API key through Cline’s provider settings if that matches how you already pay for models. Send a short test message to confirm the connection before you ask for file writes.

3. Open a practice folder, not a work vault

mkdir -p ~/cline-practice

In VS Code: File → Open Folder → ~/cline-practice. Keep .env, client exports, and production repos closed. Agents that can run terminals are high privilege.

4. Ask for one approved file

Paste a narrow task, for example:

Create hello_count.py that stores a list of three words and prints len of that list. Do not create other files.

If you see Plan vs Act, use Plan to read the proposal, then Act (or Approve) only when the steps match what you asked. Click Approve before anything hits disk. That approval habit is the product—not speed.

5. Run the file yourself and stop

In the integrated terminal:

python hello_count.py
# or: python3 hello_count.py

When one file works, close the chat. Do not “while we’re here” into a second refactor.

Tiny exercise (10 minutes)

Ask Cline to add greet.py that reads a name with input() and prints a greeting. Approve the file. Run it twice. Then edit the greeting string yourself so the session ends with your hands on the keyboard.

Pitfalls

• Auto-approving everything. Cline’s value is human-in-the-loop. If you rubber-stamp tool calls, you bought a faster way to break a folder.
• Opening the wrong workspace. Always check the folder name in the window title before the first Approve.
• Mixing CLI install and extension install on night one. One surface is enough to learn the loop.
• Expecting the agent to teach Python. It drafts code. You still need variables, errors, and reading the file.
• Putting API keys in the chat transcript. Use the official auth / settings panel.

Next step

When Cline feels boring in a good way, invest the next evenings in the language itself. Start with Introduction to Python Programming—short lessons for employed calendars, not a workshop you cannot attend.