Configure options below — the preview updates in real time.

Project Rules

Project-level rules and coding conventions placed in .clinerules/ directory. Cline reads all .md and .txt files in this directory on every request.

The main project rules and coding standards in Markdown format. This becomes the content of your .clinerules rule file.

Conditional Rules

Rules that activate only when working with files matching specific glob patterns. Uses YAML frontmatter in .clinerules/ files.

Glob patterns that determine when this rule activates. The rule triggers when context includes files matching these patterns. Supports *, **, ?, [abc], and {a,b} syntax.

Markdown instructions that apply only when files matching the path patterns above are in context.

Auto-Approve Settings

Control which actions Cline can take without asking for approval. These are configured in the Cline extension UI, not in .clinerules files.

Read Project FilesAutomatically approve reading files, listing files, and searching within your workspace.
Read All FilesAutomatically approve reading files outside the workspace. Requires 'Read Project Files' to be enabled.
Edit Project FilesAutomatically approve creating and editing files in your workspace.
Edit All FilesAutomatically approve modifying files outside the workspace. Requires 'Edit Project Files' to be enabled.
Execute Safe CommandsAutomatically approve running terminal commands marked as safe.
Execute All CommandsAutomatically approve running all terminal commands, including those requiring approval. Requires 'Execute Safe Commands' to be enabled.
Use BrowserAutomatically approve browser tool usage for web fetching and searching.
Use MCP ServersAutomatically approve MCP tools and resources usage.
Enable NotificationsShow alerts for required approvals and long-running commands.

The maximum number of consecutive API requests Cline makes before asking for approval to continue.

File Access Control (.clineignore)

Control which files and directories Cline can access during automatic context gathering. Uses gitignore-style patterns in a .clineignore file at the project root.

Gitignore-style patterns for files and directories Cline should not access automatically. Ignored files can still be accessed via explicit @ mentions.

MCP Server Configuration

Configure Model Context Protocol servers in cline_mcp_settings.json for external tool connections and data sources.

A unique identifier for this MCP server configuration.

Communication protocol for the MCP server. Use stdio for local servers or streamableHttp/sse for remote servers.

The executable command to run the local MCP server. Required for stdio transport type.

Arguments to pass to the executable command.

The endpoint URL for a remote MCP server. Required for streamableHttp and sse transport types.

Environment variables required by the MCP server (e.g., API keys, paths). Enter as KEY=VALUE pairs.

Tool names exposed by this server that should be auto-approved without user confirmation.

DisabledDisable this MCP server without removing its configuration.

Custom Instructions

Global custom instructions set in the Cline extension settings. Applied to all conversations across all projects. For project-specific rules, use .clinerules/ instead.

Global instructions appended to the system prompt for all conversations. Good for consistent behavior across all projects such as coding standards, quality requirements, error handling preferences, and documentation practices.