Cline and SuiteCloud Developer Assistant
SuiteCloud Developer Assistant is powered by Cline, an AI coding agent designed to work directly in Visual Studio Code. With a full understanding of your codebase, Cline can help you plan and implement complex changes, run multi-step tasks, and resolve issues.
Best Practices
When working with Cline, it's important to structure your requests to produce accurate reasoning, safe execution, and consistent results. To effectively communicate with Cline, you should become familiar with the following features:
Context Management - Cline manages a working context window of recent actions, referenced files, task goals, and rules. This shared memory helps the SuiteCloud Developer Assistant stay aligned with your project's conventions and decisions. For more information about Context Management, see Understanding Context Management.
Memory Bank - Cline is able to maintain context across sessions. This allows the SuiteCloud Developer Assistant to be a collaborator that remembers key project information over time. For more information, see Cline Memory Bank.
Prompt Engineering - Well-structured prompts help Cline interpret your intent accurately and produce reliable results. Clear goals, relevant context, and specific instructions enable the SuiteCloud Developer Assistant to generate more precise code and reasoning. For more information, see Prompt Engineering Guide.
Core Operational Modes
Cline operates in two primary modes, and the mode you enable determines how DevAssist interacts with your project.
Plan Mode
In Plan Mode, Cline first prepares a clear plan of what it intends to do before making any changes to your files. This plan typically includes:
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Which files will be read
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Which edits will be applied
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Which commands will be executed
This mode ensures transparency and prevents unintended changes. By reviewing the plan first, you can validate that DevAssist has correctly understood your intent before it applies any changes. It is recommended that Plan Mode is always enabled unless you explicitly prefer full automation.
Act Mode
In Act Mode, Cline is allowed to carry out the proposed actions as approved in the plan. This includes:
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Applying edits
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Running commands
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Updating files
This mode is designed to support fast, iterative development once the user trusts the workflow. It is recommended to only use Act Mode on trusted projects or after reviewing the plan.
Automation
Cline includes optional automation features that further streamline development. These features reduce manual confirmations, but must be used deliberately based on the task and project sensitivity.
Auto-Read - Auto-Read allows Cline to automatically read file contents when they are referenced during a task. This improves context awareness and reduces unnecessary prompts.
It is recommended that this feature remains enabled, as it is always safe.
Auto-Edit - Auto-Edit allows Cline to automatically apply file changes without requiring manual approval of each edit. While this can significantly speed up development, it can introduce risk if used without proper safeguards.
It is recommended to only enable Auto-Edit when:
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The project is trusted
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The execution plan has been reviewed
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The scope of the changes are small, controlled, or reversible
Auto-Approve - Auto-Approve allows Cline to automatically run terminal commands without requiring user confirmation. This is useful for routine, non-destructive operations and testing workflows.
Auto-Approve is considered safe for:
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Testing
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Linting
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Reading logs/files
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Running non-destructive commands
It should be avoided for:
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File deletions
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Git resets
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Deployments
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Migrations
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Any destructive or irreversible commands