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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/screenpipe/screenpipe/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Cline is an autonomous AI coding agent for VS Code with 30k+ GitHub stars. it supports MCP servers, so you can connect screenpipe to give Cline context about what you’ve been working on across all your apps.

setup

1

Install Cline

install Cline from the VS Code marketplace
2

Open Cline settings

  • open VS Code with Cline installed
  • open Cline panel (sidebar icon)
  • click the gear icon to open settings
3

Add screenpipe MCP server

go to MCP Servers section and add:
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "screenpipe": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "screenpipe-mcp"]
    }
  }
}
4

Reload MCP servers

click the refresh icon to reload MCP servers
5

Test it

ask Cline: “what was I working on this morning?”
ensure screenpipe is running on localhost:3030 before using Cline with screenpipe.

usage

once configured, Cline can search your screen history while coding: recall documentation:
> I was reading documentation about async/await patterns earlier,
> find it and help me apply those patterns here
find error messages:
> what error messages have I seen in my terminal today?
reference API responses:
> find the API response format I was looking at in the browser
> and use it to type this function
meeting context:
> what did we discuss about authentication in standup?
> help me implement those changes

plan mode with screenpipe

Cline’s “Plan” mode works great with screenpipe context:
1

Switch to Plan mode

click “Plan” in Cline’s interface
2

Ask for context

> I was researching authentication patterns earlier,
> find what I was looking at and plan how to implement it here
3

Review the plan

Cline will search your screen history and create a plan based on what you were working on
4

Execute

switch to Act mode to execute the plan
this workflow lets you leverage your entire work context, not just the current editor.

available tools

screenpipe provides these tools to Cline via MCP:

search-content

search screen OCR, audio transcriptions, and input events:
  • filter by content type (all, ocr, audio, input, accessibility)
  • time range filtering
  • app/window filtering
  • speaker filtering for audio
  • full-text search

export-video

create video exports from screen recordings.

activity-summary

get app usage and activity overview.

list-meetings

list detected meetings with context. see MCP server documentation for detailed parameters.

example workflows

context-aware refactoring:
user: I saw a better pattern for error handling in another codebase today, find it and apply it here

Cline: [searches screenpipe, finds pattern, refactors code]
API integration:
user: find the API documentation I was reading about the /users endpoint and implement a client for it

Cline: [searches screen history, finds docs, writes client code]
debugging with history:
user: there was a stack trace in my terminal earlier, find it and help me debug

Cline: [searches screen history, finds error, provides solution]
meeting-driven development:
user: what features did we decide to build in yesterday's meeting? implement them

Cline: [searches audio transcriptions, extracts requirements, writes code]

tips for best results

be specific about what you’re looking for:
✅ "find the React component I was reading about this morning"
✅ "what was the error message in my terminal 30 minutes ago"
✅ "show me the API docs I had open in Chrome"

❌ "find that thing" (too vague)
mention the app when relevant:
✅ "find what I was looking at in the browser"
✅ "show me terminal output from earlier"
✅ "what was I working on in VS Code yesterday"
use time references:
✅ "this morning"
✅ "in the last hour"
✅ "yesterday afternoon"
✅ "during the standup meeting"

Cline modes explained

modedescriptionuse with screenpipe
Actautonomous codingask Cline to find and implement based on screen context
Plancreate implementation planresearch phase - gather context from screen history first
AskQ&A modeask about what you’ve been working on
recommendation: use Plan mode with screenpipe to gather context, then switch to Act mode to implement.

troubleshooting

Cline not finding screenpipe?
  • verify screenpipe is running: curl http://localhost:3030/health
  • check MCP settings in Cline show screenpipe
  • try refreshing MCP servers (refresh icon)
  • restart VS Code
queries returning no data?
  • ensure screenpipe has screen recording permissions
  • check screenpipe has been running and recording
  • try a broader time range
  • verify the time range has data: curl "http://localhost:3030/search?limit=1"
MCP connection errors?
  • ensure Node.js >= 18.0.0 is installed
  • try npx clear-npx-cache and restart Cline
  • check VS Code’s Output panel for error messages (select “Cline” from dropdown)
Cline timing out?
  • reduce the time range you’re querying
  • be more specific with filters (app name, content type)
  • avoid requesting screenshots unless needed
permission errors on macOS?
  • check System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording
  • ensure screenpipe app is listed and enabled
  • restart screenpipe after granting permissions
still stuck? ask in our discord — we can help debug.

resources