Cline is a powerful autonomous coding agent integrated directly into your VSCode environment, designed to streamline your development workflow. By utilizing advanced AI models, such as Novita AI, Cline automates repetitive tasks, generates code snippets, offers intelligent suggestions, and more — right in your IDE. Cline is ranked Top 1 on OpenRouter, an AI-driven app marketplace, due to its ability to supercharge development productivity by providing AI-powered assistance directly in your coding environment.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of integrating Novita AI’s LLM API with Cline, allowing you to use advanced language models like deepseek directly in VSCode for smarter, more efficient coding.
Prerequisites
Before starting the integration process, ensure you have the following:
Novita AI LLM API Key
Create an Account: Visit Novita AI’s website and sign up for an account.
Generate API Key: After logging in, navigate to the Key Management page to generate your API key. This key is essential for connecting to Novita AI’s models through Cline.
Model Selection: Choose a model from the Novita AI Model Library. Some available models are:
deepseek/deepseek-r1deepseek/deepseek-v3deepseek/deepseek-r1-distill-llama-70bdeepseek/deepseek-r1-distill-llama-8bdeepseek/deepseek-r1-distill-qwen-32bdeepseek/deepseek-r1-distill-qwen-14b
Ensure to copy the model name for later configuration.
Download VSCode from the official website
Integration Steps
Step 1: Install the Cline Plugin in VSCode
Open VSCode and navigate to the Extensions panel (or press
Ctrl + Shift + X).In the search bar, type “Cline”.
Click the Install button for the Cline plugin.
After installation, the Cline icon will appear in the VSCode sidebar.
Step 2: Configure the Cline Plugin
Once the plugin is installed, you’ll need to configure it to connect with Novita AI’s LLM API:
Click the Cline icon in the sidebar to open the plugin interface.
Select the “OpenAI Compatible” option. This setting ensures compatibility with APIs following the OpenAI API standard, like Novita AI.
Fill in the configuration fields:
Base URL: Enter
https://api.novita.ai/v3/openai.API Key: Paste your Novita AI API Key here.
Model Name: Paste the model name you copied earlier (e.g.,
deepseek/deepseek-r1).
4. Once the configuration is filled out, click Done.
Step 3: Test the Integration
After configuring Cline with Novita AI’s API, it’s time to test the integration:
Open a new or existing file in VSCode.
Start typing or use the Cline plugin interface to interact with the selected model.
Ensure that responses are being generated from the selected model, confirming that the setup was successful.
Cline’s Plan and Act Modes
Cline provides two powerful modes to enhance your development workflow: Plan Mode and Act Mode.
Plan Mode
Plan Mode is designed for the preparation and strategy phase of development. It helps you break down complex problems, design systems, and lay out a roadmap for your project. This mode focuses on the conceptualization of tasks, enabling you to think through your coding challenges step-by-step.
Features of Plan Mode:
Optimized for context gathering and strategy
Cannot make changes to your codebase
Focused on understanding requirements and creating implementation plans
Enables full file reading for comprehensive project understanding
When to use Plan Mode:
Use this mode when you’re starting a new project, feature, or task.
If you’re facing a complex problem and need to break it down into smaller, actionable steps.
When you’re unsure of how to approach a task and need guidance in structuring your solution.
Act Mode
Act Mode focuses on execution — this is where Cline helps you implement the plan you’ve laid out in Plan Mode. Once you’ve broken down tasks into manageable pieces, Act Mode supports you in writing code, generating content, or executing predefined commands to get things done.
Features of Act Mode:
Streamlined for implementation based on established plans
Has access to all of Cline’s building capabilities
Maintains context from the planning phase
Can execute changes to your codebase
When to use Act Mode:
When you’re ready to start coding after planning your tasks in Plan Mode.
If you need to automate repetitive coding tasks or generate large sections of code efficiently.
When debugging or reviewing your code for improvements, Act Mode will suggest changes to optimize your code.
How to Use Plan and Act Modes Together
You can switch between Plan Mode and Act Mode throughout the development cycle. Here’s how you can use both modes in tandem to improve your coding workflow:
Start with Plan Mode: When you begin a project or feature, use Plan Mode to break down the problem and structure your approach. Cline will help you create a roadmap for the project.
Switch to Act Mode: Once the plan is in place, move to Act Mode to start coding. Let Cline generate the code and handle repetitive tasks, making implementation faster and more efficient.
Iterate: After coding, if you encounter issues or need adjustments, you can return to Plan Mode to reconsider your strategy or switch to Act Mode to fix or refactor the code.
Conclusion
You’ve now integrated Novita AI’s LLM API with Cline in VSCode. Cline, an autonomous coding agent, helps automate tasks, generate code, and provide intelligent suggestions. With OpenAI-compatible API support and its Top 1 ranking on OpenRouter, Cline is a powerful tool for streamlining your development process.
For more support, check out the additional resources and the Cline GitHub repository.
Originally published at Novita AI
About Novita AI
Novita AI is an AI cloud platform that offers developers an easy way to deploy AI models using our simple API, while also providing an affordable and reliable GPU cloud for building and scaling.