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Guide: Add Cline Memory with Hindsight

· 5 min read
Ben Bartholomew
Ben Bartholomew
Hindsight Team

Guide: Add Cline Memory with Hindsight

If you want Cline memory with Hindsight, the cleanest setup is the hindsight-cline installer, which wires Hindsight into Cline's lifecycle hooks. The hooks recall relevant memory before each task and retain what happened when a task ends. That gives Cline long-term memory across sessions instead of forcing every new task to rediscover the same project context.

This is a good fit for Cline because it does not rely on MCP. Cline exposes lifecycle hooks — small scripts that run at key moments — and the integration installs hooks on TaskStart, UserPromptSubmit, TaskComplete, and TaskCancel. Because it runs on hooks, memory is deterministic: it happens automatically and doesn't depend on the model deciding to call a tool.

This guide walks through installing the CLI, running the installer against your Hindsight backend, enabling hooks in Cline, and a quick verification flow so you can confirm memory is actually being used. Keep the docs home and the quickstart guide nearby while you work.

Quick answer

  1. pip install hindsight-cline.
  2. Run hindsight-cline install --api-url … --api-token … from your project directory.
  3. Enable hooks in Cline: Settings → Features → Hooks.
  4. Recalled memory is injected as a <hindsight_memories> context block; memory lands in the cline bank by default.
  5. Verify that a later task remembers what an earlier one stored.

Prerequisites​

Before you start, make sure you have:

  • Cline installed and working in VS Code
  • A reachable Hindsight backend, Hindsight Cloud or a self-hosted server
  • macOS or Linux (Cline hooks do not run on Windows) with Python 3 available

Step 1: Install the CLI​

Install the hindsight-cline package.

pip install hindsight-cline

This gives you the hindsight-cline command, which installs and manages the Cline hook scripts for you.

Step 2: Run the installer against Hindsight​

From your project directory, run the installer with your Hindsight URL and key.

For Hindsight Cloud:

hindsight-cline install \
  --api-url https://api.hindsight.vectorize.io --api-token YOUR_KEY

Use hindsight-cline install --global to install for all projects, or hindsight-cline uninstall to remove it later (add --global if you installed globally).

The installer copies four hook scripts (TaskStart, UserPromptSubmit, TaskComplete, TaskCancel) plus their lib/ and settings.json into .clinerules/hooks/ for a project install (commit it to share with your team) or ~/Documents/Cline/Rules/Hooks/ for a global install.

Step 3: Enable hooks in Cline​

The final step is to turn hooks on inside Cline: Settings → Features → Hooks. Until hooks are enabled, the scripts are installed but Cline won't run them.

How the hooks use memory​

Cline exposes lifecycle hooks, and the integration works at four of them:

Cline hookWhat Hindsight does
TaskStartRecall context for the new task and inject it.
UserPromptSubmitRecall memories for your message; record the prompt for later retain.
TaskCompleteRetain the task's transcript and summary.
TaskCancelRetain the partial transcript of a cancelled task.

Recalled memories are injected as a <hindsight_memories> context block. Cline doesn't hand hooks a transcript, so the integration accumulates each task's prompts locally and retains them at task end. Memories land in a single bank (cline by default).

For lower-level behavior, read Hindsight's recall API and Hindsight's retain API.

Configuration​

Defaults live in the installed settings.json. Put personal overrides in ~/.hindsight/cline.json (stable across reinstalls), or use HINDSIGHT_* environment variables.

Common keys include hindsightApiUrl, hindsightApiToken, bankId, autoRecall, autoRetain, recallBudget, dynamicBankId, and debug. For example, set dynamicBankId to true for a separate bank per project or session, or turn off autoRetain if you only want recall.

For the full set of configuration options, see the package README.

Verify that memory is working​

A good test sequence is:

  1. run hindsight-cline install with your URL and key, and enable hooks in Cline
  2. start a task and let Cline record a decision or convention
  3. complete the task so the transcript is retained
  4. start a new task in the same project
  5. ask about the earlier decision

If the recalled <hindsight_memories> block surfaces the earlier decision, the setup is working. You can also check the cline bank via the API or dashboard to confirm a memory appeared.

Common mistakes​

Forgetting to enable hooks in Cline​

Installing the scripts is not enough. Turn hooks on under Settings → Features → Hooks, or the hooks never run.

Running on Windows​

Cline hooks run on macOS and Linux only, and require Python 3. On Windows the hooks won't execute.

Testing retain too early​

The transcript is retained when a task completes or is cancelled. If you check before the task ends, the session may not have been stored yet.

Assuming a per-project bank by default​

Memory lands in a single cline bank by default. If you want a separate bank per project or session, set dynamicBankId.

FAQ​

Do I need Hindsight Cloud?​

No. A self-hosted Hindsight server works too — install hindsight-all, run hindsight-api, and point the installer at it with --api-url http://localhost:8888.

Does this use MCP?​

No. The integration runs entirely on Cline's lifecycle hooks, so memory is deterministic and doesn't depend on the model deciding to call a tool.

How is memory scoped?​

Everything lands in a single cline bank by default. Set dynamicBankId to true for a separate bank per project or session.

Which platforms are supported?​

macOS and Linux only. Cline hooks do not run on Windows, and they require Python 3.

Next Steps​