September 25, 2026
Cline Moves Agent Work to the Server: Desktop Connects Over SSH
Cline Desktop v0.0.31, released Sep 17, connects to a remote machine over SSH. The app stays on the laptop while the agent reads and edits files, runs the terminal, and uses Git on the host.
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New in Cline Desktop: SSH support! The app stays on your laptop, while Cline runs, for example, on a development server, Raspberry Pi, in a Docker container, and anywhere else you can connect to over SSH. Documentation with a video and SSH getting-started guide: https://docs.cline.bot/usage/cline-desktop-ssh
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Previously, Cline Desktop ran tools alongside the app. Now Cline opens a remote folder over SSH: workspace search, session history, and MCP servers run on the host, while chat, approvals, and output remain local.
Key-based connection. In Settings → Remote, create a Host, enter the SSH host, and run Test Connection. In a new session, select that host, then select the remote folder through Open folder and Use this folder.
Cline uploads a helper of around 30 MB to the host and caches it for that version. The Sep 17 release supports Linux x64 and arm64, while a macOS host is available when Cline Desktop runs on a Mac.
In its Sep 17 documentation, Cline connects to one SSH host at a time, and the tunnel closes in about 45 seconds after a network interruption.
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