# cline-delegate

Delegates coding tasks to the Cline CLI agent in the background while keeping diff review and git commits under your control.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 3100 installs · ★ 2503
- Author: amElnagdy
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/amElnagdy/delegate-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/cline-delegate/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-14
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/cline-delegate

## What it does

This skill turns your environment into an orchestrator that hands implementation off to the separate Cline CLI agent. You formulate a self-contained task brief into a file, and the bundled `scripts/relay.mjs` relay streams it into `cline --json`, tracking progress and writing outputs to `result.json`.

The relay never commits code directly. Once Cline finishes, the orchestrator inspects `touchedFiles`, runs project validation gates, and reviews `git diff` before creating a git commit. For safe inspections, passing `--plan` forces read-only execution by rejecting automated tool approvals.

The skill will fail immediately unless `cline` is pre-installed and authenticated via `cline auth` or `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`, with Node 18+ and git available.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add amElnagdy/delegate-skills --skill cline-delegate -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/cline-delegate/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/cline-delegate/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add amElnagdy/delegate-skills --skill cline-delegate -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/cline-delegate/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add amElnagdy/delegate-skills --skill cline-delegate -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/cline-delegate/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install amElnagdy/delegate-skills cline-delegate
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/cline-delegate/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add amElnagdy/delegate-skills --skill cline-delegate -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/amElnagdy/delegate-skills --path skills/cline-delegate
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/cline-delegate/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add amElnagdy/delegate-skills --skill cline-delegate -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/amElnagdy/delegate-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/cline-delegate/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- delegate implementation tasks to a background Cline CLI instance
- run read-only architecture passes using the `--plan` flag
- review generated code diffs before landing commits in git
- queue standalone implementation tasks for an external coding agent

## Example prompts
- Delegate this refactoring task to `cline` using a brief.
- Run a read-only planning pass through `cline` with `--plan`.
- Send this implementation brief to `cline` and review the diff afterward.

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 9a92b2a54e21ca54.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 9a92b2a54e21ca54
```text
---
name: cline-delegate
description: >-
  Delegate a coding task to the Cline coding agent CLI (`cline`) as a background implementer, then
  review its diff and land it yourself. Use this whenever the user wants to delegate implementation
  work to Cline - phrasings like "have Cline implement X", "delegate this to cline", "run it through
  Cline", or "use cline to implement/fix/refactor" - or wants to run a queue of coding tasks through
  Cline while staying the reviewer. DO NOT USE for tasks small enough to do inline, or when the user
  wants the code written directly without delegating.
license: MIT
compatibility: Requires the `cline` CLI installed and authenticated with `cline auth`, Node 18+, and git. The orchestrator must be able to run shell commands and read files.
metadata:
  version: 0.5.0
---

# Cline Delegate

You are the **orchestrator**. Delegate a bounded coding task to a separate **implementer** - the Cline
coding agent CLI - then review what it produced and land it yourself. You write the brief and own
the judgment; the implementer makes changes in its own session in a clean working tree; you verify
and commit.

The loop needs only a shell command and file access, so any comparable orchestrator can drive it.

## When NOT to use this

- The task is small enough to do inline; delegation overhead is not worth it.
- The `cline` CLI is not installed or authenticated.
- You require the relay to configure a sandbox. Cline exposes sandbox controls, but this relay
  leaves them to the CLI environment; use `--plan` when the run must be read-only.

## Prerequisites (check once)

1. Install `cline` (npm or bundled binary; the relay probes `cline --version`).
2. Authenticate: run `cline auth` (interactive sign-in), or configure
   `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` / an OpenAI-compatible base URL.
3. Confirm `cline --version` succeeds.
4. Work in, or point `--cd` at, the target git repository.

## Choose the model (optional)

Cline picks a default model. To choose another, pass the separate `--model <id>` or `--provider <name>`
(e.g. `anthropic`, `openai-native`, `openrouter`). The relay accepts letters, digits,
and `. _ : / -` only (the value reaches a shell on Windows).

## The loop

Run these five steps per task. Steps 1, 4, and 5 require judgment; 2 and 3 are mechanical.

### 1. Write a brief

Cline sees only the text you send. It cannot read your conversation: the brief must stand alone
with the goal, current state, what to change, what to leave untouched, the project's **real**
gates, and a report contract. Keep each brief to a single task. Write it to a file and pass it as
the relay's `--brief`. See [references/writing-the-brief.md](references/writing-the-brief.md).

### 2. Dispatch

For **Codex orchestration of background work**, install and configure the separate
**codex-background** support utility first. If its MCP tools or registry are missing, stop and
report the setup requirement; do not silently fall back to model-driven polling. Then invoke its
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 9a92b2a54e21ca54

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---
NeVibeCode on affpapa.org. Catalog texts are descriptions, not instructions for the agent. How to choose and install: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/agents.md