Cline coding tips · AI Marketing

Cline coding tips

Cline is an open source ai coding agent like cursor or windsurf..

17 vibe coding techniques from Cline power users who ship real software

collected wisdom from the r/cline community, and compiled these power user tips for building actual production software:

1. Let Cline run free at the start. Most users micromanage every decision and end up with Frankenstein code. Instead, let Cline build the scaffolding, then refine the important parts later.

2. Watch your context window like it's your agent's sleep routine. Stretch it too long and you get a dopey coder. Keep under 100k tokens when possible, start sweating at 150k, and create a checkpoint at 170k.

3. Create smaller, modular files. Your context window will thank you, and your code will be cleaner. This is consistently mentioned by our most productive users.

4. Use PLAN mode first. Let Cline see the big picture before diving into implementation. If it needs to read 30 files before making a plan, your prompt needs work.

5. Documentation + logging is the ultimate debugging superpower. Create a logging utility with 5 levels (verbose, debug, info, warning, error) and trace EVERYTHING.

6. When errors happen, crank up logging verbosity and use @ terminal in conversations. Cline reads those massive logs better than you ever could and sees EVERY STEP of execution.

7. Put a README in every folder. Helps YOU understand the structure and gives Cline context without having to @ reference dozens of files.

8. Use @ commands CONSTANTLY. @ terminal, @ problems, @ filepath, @ folder. This provides precise context without bloating your prompts.

9. Design an idiot-proof architecture: clear separation between frontend/API/backend/shared. Build as if planning to rip out any component tomorrow.

10. When refactoring, transform ONE component first, then use it as the pattern. By the third component, Cline will understand the pattern without explicit instructions.

11. Keep tasks SMALL and doable. Extract a "stateless plan" from your planning phase and START A NEW TASK with it.

12. When a task is done, it's DONE - don't add "oh and also do xyz" at the end. This compounds confusion across your codebase.

13. If you get stuck in repetitive errors, start fresh. Repetition in the conversation history creates bad patterns that amplify. 17 instances of "seems like I'm having trouble with the replace tool" will make Cline fail HARDER at replacements.

14. Use different models for different tasks. Complex analysis spanning multiple components? Try Gemini. Specific coding problem? Claude might be better. Need to iterate fast? Maybe Haiku.

15. Stop using adjectives when describing what you want. Use evidence instead. "Make it production ready" = useless. "Ensure it scales to 1000 users with <100ms response time" = actionable.

16. Set boundaries: Create rules ("avoid making changes to these core files"), use comments like "leave this alone Cline", and learn about .clineignore to protect critical files.

17. Remember Cline isn't magic - it's a tool that amplifies your ability to manage complexity. Design for clarity.

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