Cline Agent Skills — AI Skills for the VS Code Coding Agent
What is Cline?
Cline is an open-source autonomous AI coding agent that runs inside VS Code. With 5 million+ developers, it's one of the most popular AI coding tools.
Cline stands out for its human-in-the-loop approach: it can plan and execute complex changes, but asks for your approval at each step. You stay in control while the AI handles the heavy lifting.
Key Features
- Autonomous coding: Plans and executes multi-file changes
- Approval gates: Review each action before it runs
- BYO API key: Use Claude, GPT, Gemini, or any model via OpenRouter
- MCP support: Connect to external tools and APIs
- Agent skills: Load domain-specific knowledge via SKILL.md files
- VS Code native: Keep your existing editor, settings, and extensions
How Skills Work in Cline
Cline reads SKILL.md files to understand domain-specific tasks. When you ask Cline to work on something covered by a skill, it automatically applies the skill's instructions.
Installing Skills
/learn @owner/skill-name
Skills vs MCP in Cline
Cline supports both skills and MCP servers — they complement each other:
| Skills | MCP Servers | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | SKILL.md (markdown) | JSON-RPC protocol |
| Purpose | Domain knowledge, instructions | API integrations, external tools |
| Example | "How to write React components" | "Connect to PostgreSQL" |
| Install | /learn command | mcp install |
Top Skills for Cline
| Skill | What it does |
|---|---|
| Frontend Design | Build production-grade UIs |
| Code Review | Review code for bugs and best practices |
| Testing | Write comprehensive test suites |
| DevOps | CI/CD and infrastructure automation |
| SEO Optimizer | Optimize web content for search engines |
Cline vs Other AI Coding Tools
| Feature | Cline | Cursor | Claude Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | VS Code extension | Standalone IDE | CLI agent |
| Price | Free (BYO API key) | $20/mo | Usage-based |
| Open Source | Yes | No | Yes |
| Approval Gates | Yes (per-action) | Limited | Yes |
| Agent Skills | SKILL.md + MCP | SKILL.md | SKILL.md |
| Multi-model | Yes (any provider) | Claude, GPT | Claude only |