Cline API key setup
Open-source AI coding agent (VS Code extension + CLI). Connects to provider APIs (Anthropic, OpenAI, etc.); no own API tier. Bring-your-own-key. Free to install and use; you pay the underlying provider.
Get your key
- Open the Cline site: cline.bot
- Create an account and generate an API key.
- Paste it into the Dracon key manager — stored encrypted (AES-256-GCM), used browser-direct, works in every Dracon tool.
Free tier
Yes. Open-source. Use the Cline provider for hosted free models (limits vary per model — check the provider's pricing page for current specifics), or BYOK from any provider. no credit card required
Rate limits: Cline provider: per-model limits (rotate). BYOK: provider-specific.
Connection details
- Env var
CLINE_API_KEY
Gotchas
Browser-direct chat is not available for this provider: CLI tool, not an API. The vault still stores its key for tools that run elsewhere (for example a LiteLLM chain from the router builder).