Cline

Cline is an open-source AI coding agent for VS Code that supports autonomous multi-step tasks, MCP tool use, and a built-in MCP marketplace. Cline stores its MCP configuration in a separate JSON file from VS Code's own MCP config.

Prerequisites

• VS Code with the Cline extension installed
• The ionoscloud-mcp binary on your PATH. For more information, see Quick Start
• An IONOS CLOUD API token. For least-privilege access, see Authentication to scope the token to only the tools you need.

Add the MCP server

Open or create the Cline MCP settings file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Code\User\globalStorage\saoudrizwan.claude-dev\settings\cline_mcp_settings.json
• Linux: ~/.config/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json

Add the following entry:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ionoscloud": {
      "command": "/usr/local/bin/ionoscloud-mcp",
      "args": [],
      "env": {
        "IONOS_TOKEN": "your-api-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace your-api-token with your IONOS CLOUD API token. On Windows, set "command" to C:\\bin\\ionoscloud-mcp.exe.

To also enable Object Storage tools, add the Object Storage credentials:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ionoscloud": {
      "command": "/usr/local/bin/ionoscloud-mcp",
      "args": [],
      "env": {
        "IONOS_TOKEN": "your-api-token",
        "IONOS_S3_ACCESS_KEY": "your-access-key",
        "IONOS_S3_SECRET_KEY": "your-secret-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: On VS Code Insiders, replace Code with Code - Insiders in the path. On VSCodium, use VSCodium instead.

Note: Cline uses its own cline_mcp_settings.json file, separate from VS Code's .vscode/mcp.json. Both can coexist; changes to one do not affect the other.

Warning: Keep credentials secure. Never commit this file to version control.

• macOS/Linux: Restrict file permissions: chmod 600 "<path-to-cline_mcp_settings.json>"
• Windows: Right-click the file, select Properties > Security, and restrict access to your user account only.

Verify the connection

1

Reload the Cline extension

Save the settings file. Open the VS Code Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P) and run Developer: Reload Window, or toggle the Cline MCP server off and on in the Cline sidebar under MCP Servers.

2

Test in Cline

Open a new Cline chat and type: List my IONOS CLOUD data centers.

Result: Cline calls list_datacenters and returns your data centers. A green indicator next to ionoscloud in the Cline MCP Servers panel confirms the server is active.

Note: All tools are registered at startup by default, so Compute Engine and Object Storage tools appear immediately. To reduce the startup tool count (for example, on clients with a tool-count cap), set IONOS_MCP_LOAD_MODE=lazy in the env block and call the ionos_load_compute_tools or ionos_load_objectstorage_tools sentinels on demand. For more information, see Selective Tool Loading.

Note: If the ionoscloud-mcp binary is not in /usr/local/bin, update the command value to match. Run which ionoscloud-mcp to confirm the path.

If the server does not appear as connected, see Troubleshooting.

For full Cline MCP documentation, see docs.cline.bot/mcp.