---
title: Cline
description: How ClawMetry observes Cline — where its data lives, the environment variables that move it, what cost data is real, and the traps in its store.
eyebrow: Runtime reference
---

# Cline

Cline records more than any other runtime ClawMetry reads: a SQLite session index with pid, status and exit code, dollars on disk, the per-message token split, real schedules with per-run cost, and — uniquely — the tool calls the model emitted that Cline itself rejected.

| | |
|---|---|
| **Runtime id** | `cline` |
| **Category** | Agentic coding CLI and extension |
| **Vendor** | Cline |
| **Tier** | Paid tier (Starter and up) |
| **Upstream** | [github.com/cline/cline](https://github.com/cline/cline) |

## Where the data comes from

ClawMetry reads these locations, in order, and never writes to any of them.

- `<data-dir>/db/sessions.db` — session index
- `<data-dir>/sessions/<sid>/<sid>.json` — per-session sidecar
- `<data-dir>/sessions/<sid>/<sid>.messages.json` — the transcript

**Format.** SQLite index plus one JSON transcript per session; content blocks are Anthropic-shaped whichever provider actually ran.

## Environment variables

| Variable | Effect |
|---|---|
| `CLINE_DATA_DIR` | Cline's own data-dir env |
| `CLINE_DIR` | older spelling, also honoured |
| `CLAWMETRY_CLINE_DATA_DIR` | ClawMetry-side override |

See [Environment variables](/docs/config/environment/) for the variables that apply to every runtime.

## Tokens and cost

**Tokens.** Real, per message, including cache reads and writes.

**Cost.** Real dollars on disk at `metadata.usage.totalCost`.

:::note Why this section exists
Runtimes differ enormously in what they persist. Rather than showing a plausible number everywhere, ClawMetry reports what the store actually contains and marks the rest unknown. A cost of `$0.00` and a cost of *unknown* mean different things, and the dashboard keeps them different.
:::

## Sub-agents and delegation

Full lineage in the index: `parent_session_id`, `agent_id` and `is_subagent` columns.

## Things worth knowing

- The default data dir is `~/.cline/**data**`. `~/.cline` itself holds `hooks/` and `worktrees/` — pointing at it finds nothing.
- Per-message `metrics` and the sidecar `totalCost` are both authoritative and must not be added together.
- `metadata.invalidToolCalls` records calls Cline rejected. It is a direct signal of a model that cannot drive its tools, and nothing else in the matrix admits its own failures.

## Verify it is being read

```bash
# Is this runtime detected, and would this install unlock it?
clawmetry runtimes --json | jq '.runtimes[] | select(.id=="cline")'

# Why is it locked, if it is?
clawmetry runtimes --why cline

# Any sessions ingested yet?
curl -s 'http://localhost:8900/api/local/sessions?limit=5' \
  | jq '.rows[] | {session_id, agent_id, events, cost_usd}'
```

If detection succeeds but no sessions appear, work through [Troubleshooting](/docs/ops/troubleshooting/) — the usual causes are a relocated data directory (set the override above), a session limit that is hiding older runs, or a runtime that simply has not written anything yet.