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How to Install MCP Servers in Cline / VS Code

How to configure MCP servers for Cline (formerly Claude Dev) in VS Code — settings file location, standard JSON structure, and enabling tool permissions.

Configuring Cline / VS Code

Config file: cline_mcp_settings.json

macOS Path:~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json
Configuration Snippet
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sqlite": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-sqlite"],
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": []
    }
  }
}

Step-by-step Installation Guide

  1. 1

    Open Cline MCP Settings

    In VS Code, click the Cline icon in the activity bar, select the gear/MCP settings icon, or edit cline_mcp_settings.json directly.

  2. 2

    Add the server configuration

    Paste your server under "mcpServers". You can optionally specify autoApprove tool arrays or set disabled: false.

  3. 3

    Test tool execution

    Prompt Cline in VS Code to use the newly added tool. Cline will prompt for permission or automatically run the tool based on your settings.

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Frequently Asked Questions

It lives inside VS Code globalStorage under saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json. The easiest way to open it is clicking the gear icon in the Cline side panel.

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