mini-cline

MCP.Pizza Chef: caicongyang

mini-cline is a lightweight MCP client inspired by the Cline autonomous coding agent, designed to demonstrate AI-assisted coding concepts through a simple command-line interface. It offers a minimalistic approach to integrating AI coding assistance without the complexity of full IDE features, focusing on core interactions like natural language requests and file creation. This client is ideal for developers seeking a straightforward, CLI-based AI coding experience.

Use This MCP client To

Run AI-assisted coding tasks via command-line interface Create code files from natural language prompts Demonstrate core AI coding concepts simply Test AI coding workflows without full IDE setup Prototype AI coding agents in CLI environments

README

AI Code Assistant CLI (Mini Cline)

English | 中文

A simplified implementation inspired by Cline (https://github.com/cline/cline), the autonomous coding agent. This mini version demonstrates the core concepts of AI-assisted coding through a command-line interface.

Inspiration

This project is a tribute to Cline, the powerful VS Code extension that enables AI-assisted coding. While Cline offers a full-featured IDE integration with capabilities like browser automation and GUI interactions, this mini version focuses on demonstrating the basic concepts through a simple CLI interface.

Check out the original Cline project: https://github.com/cline/cline

Quick Demo

Here's how it works:

Demo Screenshot

In this example:

  1. Run npm run demo to start the interactive mode
  2. Type your request in natural language (e.g., "创建一个最简单的html,页面上显示helloword")
  3. The AI will create the file for you (e.g., helloworld.html was created)
  4. Type 'exit' to quit

It's that simple! Just tell the AI what you want to do in natural language.

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v22)
• npm
• An API key for either Claude or DeepSeek

Quick Start

  1. Install dependencies: $ npm install

  2. Create .env file and add your API key: ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_claude_api_key_here or DEEPSEEK_API_KEY=your_deepseek_api_key_here

  3. Start using it: $ npm run demo

That's it! Now you can start talking to the AI assistant.

Usage Examples

  1. Interactive Mode (Recommended for beginners): • Run: npm run demo
    • Type your request
    • See results
    • Type 'exit' to quit

  2. Direct Command Mode: • Run: npm run demo -- "Create a simple JavaScript file that calculates fibonacci numbers"
    • See results immediately

  3. Shell Script (Optional):
    • First time: chmod +x demo.sh
    • Then use: ./demo.sh "your request here"

Things You Can Ask

• "Create a hello world HTML file"
• "Write a function to calculate prime numbers"
• "Explain how async/await works"
• "Create a React component for a todo list"

Project Structure

. ├── .env # API keys
├── package.json # Dependencies and scripts
├── tsconfig.json # TypeScript config
├── demo.sh # Shell script helper
└── src/
└── demo.mts # Main application code

Features

• Interactive CLI mode
• Command-line argument support
• Basic file operations (read/write)
• Multiple AI provider support (Claude/DeepSeek)
• Natural language code generation
• Code explanation and modification

Key Differences from Cline

While the original Cline project offers: • Full VS Code integration
• Browser automation
• GUI interactions
• Advanced file management
• Terminal integration
• MCP server support

This mini version focuses on:
• Basic CLI interface
• Simple file operations
• Core AI interactions
• Learning/demonstration purposes

License

MIT

Note: This is an educational project inspired by Cline. For production use, please check out the original Cline project at https://github.com/cline/cline

mini-cline FAQ

How do I start the mini-cline client?
Run `npm run demo` in the project directory to launch the interactive CLI mode.
Can mini-cline create files based on natural language requests?
Yes, it interprets natural language commands to generate code files accordingly.
Is mini-cline a full IDE extension?
No, mini-cline is a simplified CLI client focusing on core AI coding concepts, unlike full-featured IDE extensions like Cline.
What programming languages does mini-cline support?
mini-cline primarily demonstrates basic AI coding assistance and can be extended to support multiple languages depending on implementation.
Can I extend mini-cline with additional features?
Yes, since it is open-source and minimal, developers can customize and add features as needed.
Which LLM providers can mini-cline work with?
mini-cline can integrate with various LLM providers such as OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, and Google Gemini, depending on configuration.