Forge

Forge / Coding & Agents

Cline

Open source

Agent that plans, edits multiple files, and runs terminal commands inside VS Code. Pair with a free Gemini or Groq key for a $0 stack.

No cardMM-friendlySelf-hostable
Official siteGitHub

Free tier

Open-source VS Code agent. Free tool; pay only for the model you choose.

Limits

You pay (or hit free-tier RPM) on the model provider, not Cline.

Best for

  • VS Code power users
  • Multi-file refactors
  • $0 agent stack

How to use it well

  1. Install the Cline extension, add an OpenAI-compatible endpoint (Gemini / Groq / OpenRouter).
  2. Start with a tight task: “add input validation to this route”, not “rebuild the app”.
  3. Approve file writes and shell commands one at a time until you trust the loop.

Myanmar notes

Works offline-adjacent if you point it at a local Ollama model. Good when cards fail.