cline/docs/cline-cli/configuration.mdx

---
title: "Configuration"
description: "Manage Cline CLI settings with cline config, environment variables, and configuration files"
---

Cline CLI provides multiple ways to configure settings, from the interactive `cline config` command to environment variables for automation.

## The Config Command

Launch the configuration interface:

```bash
cline config
```

This opens an interactive view with tabs for different configuration categories.

## Configuration Tabs

Navigate between tabs using arrow keys.

### Settings Tab

View and edit global and workspace-specific settings:

- **Global State**: Settings that apply across all workspaces
- **Workspace State**: Settings specific to the current directory

### Rules Tab

Manage Cline rules that guide AI behavior:

- **`.clinerules` files**: Project-specific rules in your workspace
- **Cursor rules**: Import rules from Cursor editor format
- **Windsurf rules**: Import rules from Windsurf editor format

Rules help Cline understand your project's conventions, coding standards, and preferences.

### Workflows Tab

View and manage [workflows](/customization/workflows):

- List available workflows
- View workflow definitions
- Workflows appear as slash commands in interactive mode

### Hooks Tab

Configure [hooks](/customization/hooks) for custom logic integration:

- Enable/disable hooks globally
- View configured hook scripts
- Hooks run at key points in Cline's workflow

<Note>
Hooks must be enabled via settings. Use `cline config` to toggle `hooks-enabled`.
</Note>

### Skills Tab

Manage [skills](/customization/skills) that extend Cline's capabilities:

- View available skills
- Enable/disable specific skills
- Skills provide specialized instructions for specific tasks

## Configuration Directory

Cline stores configuration in `~/.cline/data/`:

```text
~/.cline/
├── data/                    # Configuration directory
│   ├── globalState.json     # Global settings
│   ├── secrets.json         # API keys (encrypted)
│   ├── settings/            # Settings files
│   │   └── cline_mcp_settings.json  # MCP server configuration
│   ├── workspace/           # Workspace-specific state
│   └── tasks/               # Task history and data
└── log/                     # Log files
```

### Viewing Logs

For debugging, view the log file:

```bash
cline dev log
```

This opens the log file in your default editor.

## Environment Variables

### CLINE_DIR

Override the default configuration directory:

```bash
export CLINE_DIR=/custom/path/to/cline
cline "your task"
```

When set, all Cline data is stored in this directory instead of `~/.cline/data/`.

**Use cases:**
- Running multiple isolated Cline configurations
- Team-shared configurations
- CI/CD with custom state directories

### CLINE_COMMAND_PERMISSIONS

Restrict which shell commands Cline can execute:

```bash
export CLINE_COMMAND_PERMISSIONS='{"allow": ["npm *", "git *"], "deny": ["rm -rf *"]}'
```

**Format:**

```json
{
  "allow": ["pattern1", "pattern2"],
  "deny": ["pattern3"],
  "allowRedirects": true
}
```

**Fields:**

| Field | Type | Description |
|-------|------|-------------|
| `allow` | `string[]` | Glob patterns for allowed commands. If set, only matching commands are permitted. |
| `deny` | `string[]` | Glob patterns for denied commands. Deny rules take precedence over allow. |
| `allowRedirects` | `boolean` | Whether to allow shell redirects (`>`, `>>`, `<`). Default: `false` |

**Examples:**

```bash
# Allow only npm and git commands
export CLINE_COMMAND_PERMISSIONS='{"allow": ["npm *", "git *"]}'

# Allow dev commands but deny dangerous ones
export CLINE_COMMAND_PERMISSIONS='{"allow": ["npm *", "git *", "node *"], "deny": ["rm -rf *", "sudo *"]}'

# Allow file operations with redirects
export CLINE_COMMAND_PERMISSIONS='{"allow": ["cat *", "echo *"], "allowRedirects": true}'
```

<Warning>
When `allow` is set, all commands not matching the allow patterns are denied. Use this for security-sensitive environments.
</Warning>

## Using --config Flag

Run Cline with a custom configuration directory:

```bash
cline --config /path/to/custom/config "your task"
```

This is useful for:
- Running isolated Cline instances
- Testing different configurations
- Separating work and personal setups

**Example: Multiple configurations**

```bash
# Work configuration
cline --config ~/.cline-work "review this PR"

# Personal projects
cline --config ~/.cline-personal "help me with this side project"
```

## MCP Server Configuration

Cline CLI supports [MCP (Model Context Protocol)](/mcp/mcp-overview) servers, giving you access to external tools and data sources directly from the terminal. The CLI uses the same MCP configuration format as the VS Code extension.

### Setting Up MCP Servers

You can add MCP servers from the CLI:

```bash
# STDIO server
cline mcp add kanban -- kanban mcp

# Remote HTTP server
cline mcp add linear https://mcp.linear.app/mcp --type http
```

These commands update:

```
~/.cline/data/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json
```

You can still edit this file directly. It uses the same JSON format as the VS Code extension:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-server": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/server.js"],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "your_api_key"
      },
      "alwaysAllow": ["tool1", "tool2"],
      "disabled": false
    }
  }
}
```

For the full configuration reference including STDIO and SSE transport types, see [Adding and Configuring MCP Servers](/mcp/adding-and-configuring-servers).

<Note>
The CLI does not yet have a `/mcp` slash command for interactive management inside the terminal UI. Use `cline mcp add` or edit `cline_mcp_settings.json` directly.
</Note>

### Custom Config Directory

If you use the `CLINE_DIR` environment variable or `--config` flag, the MCP settings file will be located at `<your-config-dir>/data/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json` instead.

## Configuration for Local Providers

### Ollama

Configure context window size for Ollama:

```bash
# In settings or via config
cline config
# Navigate to Settings tab, find ollama-api-options-ctx-num
```

Or set via environment:

```bash
# Set context window to 32K tokens
cline -m ollama/llama3 "your task"
```

### LM Studio

Configure max tokens for LM Studio:

```bash
cline config
# Navigate to Settings tab, find lm-studio-max-tokens
```

## Importing Configuration

### From VS Code Extension

If you use the Cline VS Code extension, the CLI automatically detects and can share some settings. However, the CLI maintains its own configuration for terminal-specific features.

### From Other CLI Tools

See [Installation & Setup](/cline-cli/installation#option-3-import-from-existing-tools) for importing configurations from:
- Codex CLI
- OpenCode

## Configuration Best Practices

### For Development

Use the default configuration with workspace-specific rules:

```bash
# Add project-specific rules
echo "Use TypeScript strict mode" > .clinerules/typescript.md
```

### For CI/CD

Use environment variables and `--yolo` mode:

```bash
export CLINE_COMMAND_PERMISSIONS='{"allow": ["npm test", "npm run build"]}'
cline -y "run tests and fix any failures"
```

### For Teams

Share configuration via version control:

```bash
# Commit .clinerules/ to your repo
git add .clinerules/
git commit -m "Add Cline rules for team"
```

## Troubleshooting

### Configuration Not Persisting

1. Check write permissions on `~/.cline/data/`
2. Ensure `CLINE_DIR` isn't set to a read-only location
3. Verify the config directory exists

### Environment Variables Not Working

1. Ensure variables are exported: `export CLINE_DIR=/path`
2. Check for typos in variable names
3. Verify JSON syntax for `CLINE_COMMAND_PERMISSIONS`

### Reset Configuration

To start fresh, remove the configuration directory:

```bash
rm -rf ~/.cline/data/
cline auth  # Re-authenticate
```

## Next Steps

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Headless Mode" icon="robot" href="/cline-cli/three-core-flows">
    Run Cline autonomously in scripts, CI/CD pipelines, and automated workflows.
  </Card>
  
  <Card title="CLI Reference" icon="terminal" href="/cline-cli/cli-reference">
    Complete command documentation with all flags and options.
  </Card>
</Columns>