Axe vs Cline | agentconfig.ing

Axe vs ClineComparisonUpdated 2026-03-17

SUMMARY

Axe (CLI) uses toml configuration while Cline (IDE) uses markdown. They differ on 5 of 11 compared features. Both tools provide AI-assisted development but take different approaches to project configuration.

FEATURE COMPARISON

Feature	Axe	Cline	Notes
Config format	toml	markdown
Hierarchy support	✗	✓	Whether config files can be placed at multiple directory levels
Global config	✓	✓	User-wide configuration outside any project
Project config	✓	✓
Subdirectory scoping	✗	✗	Config files in subdirectories that apply only to that subtree
File inclusion / imports	✗	✗	Ability to include or reference other files from config
Ignore file	✗	.clineignore
IDE integration	CLI	✓
Schema / structure	unknown	Free-form (Markdown)	Whether config uses structured schema or free-form content
Git committed	✓	✓	Whether primary config files are intended to be version-controlled
Encoding	UTF-8	UTF-8

KEY DIFFERENCES

1. Config format

Axe: toml. Cline: markdown.

2. Hierarchy support

Axe: Not supported. Cline: Supported.

3. Ignore file

Axe: Not supported. Cline: .clineignore.

4. IDE integration

Axe: CLI. Cline: Supported.

5. Schema / structure

Axe: unknown. Cline: Free-form (Markdown).

WHICH SHOULD I USE?

Recommendation

Choose based on your IDE/CLI preference. If you use Axe, configure config.toml. If you use Cline, configure .clinerules/*.md. Many projects include config files for multiple tools so each team member can use their preferred editor.

PORTABILITY TIP

sync-instructions.sh

bash

# Maintain a single source of truth:
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md CLAUDE.md
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md .cursorrules
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md AGENTS.md

SUMMARY

FEATURE COMPARISON

KEY DIFFERENCES

WHICH SHOULD I USE?

PORTABILITY TIP

SEE ALSO