Cline vs Fusion | agentconfig.ing

Cline vs FusionComparisonUpdated 2026-03-16

SUMMARY

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

FEATURE COMPARISON

Feature	Cline	Fusion	Notes
Config format	markdown	mdc
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	✓	✓
Schema / structure	Free-form (Markdown)	Hybrid (MDC frontmatter + 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

FILE MAPPING

Purpose	Cline	Fusion
Project rules	.clinerules/*.md	.builder/rules/*.mdc

SIDE-BY-SIDE CODE SAMPLES

Cline

.clinerules/*.md

markdown

---
paths:
  - "src/components/**"
  - "*.tsx"
---

# React Component Conventions

- Use functional components with TypeScript interfaces for props
- Export components as named exports
- Use Tailwind CSS for all styling
- Keep components under 150 lines; extract sub-components when larger

Fusion

.builder/rules/*.mdc

mdc

---
description: React component conventions
globs: src/components/**/*.tsx
alwaysApply: false
---

# React Component Rules

## Structure
- Use functional components with TypeScript
- Define props interface above the component
- Export components as named exports

## Styling
- Use the project design system tokens for spacing and colors
- Prefer utility classes over custom CSS
- Keep component-specific styles colocated

## Patterns
- Wrap async data in Suspense boundaries
- Use forwardRef for reusable interactive components
- Keep components under 150 lines; extract hooks for logic

## Accessibility
- All interactive elements need aria-labels
- Use semantic HTML elements (nav, main, section)
- Ensure keyboard navigation works for custom widgets

KEY DIFFERENCES

1. Config format

Cline: markdown. Fusion: mdc.

2. Hierarchy support

Cline: Supported. Fusion: Not supported.

3. Global config

Cline: Supported. Fusion: Not supported.

4. Ignore file

Cline: .clineignore. Fusion: Not supported.

5. Schema / structure

Cline: Free-form (Markdown). Fusion: Hybrid (MDC frontmatter + Markdown).

WHICH SHOULD I USE?

Recommendation

Choose based on your IDE/CLI preference. If you use Cline, configure .clinerules/*.md. If you use Fusion, configure .builder/rules/*.mdc. 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