Are you looking to supercharge your development workflow with AI without breaking the bank? Meet Cline (formerly Claude Dev), an open-source tool that brings high-powered autonomous agent capabilities right into your IDE.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to set up Cline for free using the MiniMax LLM and use it to build a full Spring Boot Maven application from scratch.
Getting Started with Cline
First things first, you need to get the tool. Head over to [cline.bot]() to download the version that fits your workflow.
Cline offers several flexible options for developers:
- VSCode Extension: For a seamless, integrated coding experience.
- CLI Tool: For power users who love the terminal.
Method 1: Using the VSCode Extension
This is the most popular way to use Cline. It transforms your editor into an AI-pairing powerhouse.
Step A: Installation & Setup
- Search for Cline in the VSCode Marketplace and hit install.
- Crucial Step: Make sure to create an account/login on the Cline site to manage your configurations.
Step B: Configuring Free LLMs (MiniMax)
One of the best features of Cline is its support for various providers. To keep your development costs at zero, we can configure it to use free models like MiniMax.
- Open the Cline settings in VSCode.
- Navigate to the Model Provider section and select a free tier compatible with MiniMax.
The Project: Spring Boot Maven API Client
Now, let’s put Cline to work! 
We want to create a Java Spring Boot application that consumes the Restful-API.dev endpoints.
The API Specification
Our application needs to handle the following operations:
| Method | Endpoint | Action |
|---|---|---|
| GET | /objects | List all objects |
| GET | /objects/{id} | Get a single object |
| POST | /objects | Create a new object |
| PUT | /objects/{id} | Full update |
| PATCH | /objects/{id} | Partial update (e.g., just the name) |
| DELETE | /objects/{id} | Remove an object |
The Prompt 
To get the best results from Cline, we provide a detailed prompt. Simply copy and paste this into the Cline chat:
“Create a Spring Boot Java Maven application that consumes and exposes the REST API from
https://api.restful-api.dev/objects. The app should include models for the JSON data, a RestTemplate or WebClient for external calls, and a controller to handle GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, and DELETE requests.”
Method 2: Using the CLI (NPM)
Prefer the terminal? You can install Cline globally on your local machine using NPM. This is great for automation and quick tasks.
Installation
Open your terminal and run:
Once installed, you can trigger the AI agent directly from your command line to refactor code, generate tests, or bootstrap entire projects.
Conclusion
Cline is a game-changer for developers who want the power of an AI agent with the flexibility of choosing their own models—including free options like MiniMax. Whether you are in VSCode or the terminal, building complex Java applications has never been faster.
Happy Coding! 
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