Connect Cline to ShareAI with One OpenAI-Compatible API

Cline works best when you can change models without rebuilding your setup. If you want one API key, access to 150+ models, and a cleaner way to route coding traffic, you can connect Cline to ShareAI through its OpenAI-compatible API. The setup is short: create a ShareAI key, point Cline at the ShareAI base URL, choose a model, and verify the connection.

What you need before starting

Before you configure Cline, make sure the basics are in place.

• VS Code with Cline installed.
• A ShareAI account with access to API keys.
• Credits in Billing so your requests can run.
• A model ID from the ShareAI model marketplace.

If you want the provider-side setup screen Cline expects, the official Cline OpenAI-compatible guide is the right reference. For the ShareAI side, keep the ShareAI API quick start open in another tab.

Why use ShareAI with Cline

The point of this setup is not just to make Cline connect. It is to make your model access easier to manage once usage grows.

• One API for 150+ models through a single integration.
• An OpenAI-compatible flow that matches the way Cline already expects to connect.
• A simpler way to switch models without reworking your project configuration.
• Routing, failover, and usage visibility in one place.

That combination is useful when you use different models for different coding jobs, or when you want to keep one billing and access layer instead of juggling separate provider setups.

Step 1: Create your ShareAI API key

Open the ShareAI API key page and generate a new key for Cline. If this is your first setup, add credits in Billing before testing. ShareAI’s current getting-started guide shows the chat completions endpoint at https://api.shareai.now/api/v1/chat/completions, which is the endpoint shape Cline will use through its OpenAI-compatible provider mode.

Step 2: Configure Cline with the ShareAI base URL

Inside Cline settings, choose the OpenAI-compatible provider and enter these values:

• API Provider: OpenAI Compatible
• Base URL: https://api.shareai.now/api/v1
• API Key: your ShareAI API key
• Model ID: a coding-capable model from Models

The Base URL matters. Cline expects the provider base path, not the full /chat/completions request URL. Once those fields are filled in, use Cline’s verify action before you start a longer coding session.

Step 3: Verify the key before long Cline sessions

A quick API check can save you from debugging the wrong problem inside VS Code. Here is a simple request using the same ShareAI endpoint documented in the API quick start.

curl -X POST "https://api.shareai.now/api/v1/chat/completions" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SHAREAI_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "deepseek-r1:32b",
    "messages": [
      {
        "role": "user",
        "content": "Say hello from ShareAI"
      }
    ]
  }'

If that request succeeds, go back to Cline, click verify, and send a small prompt first. Good examples are “explain this function in three bullets” or “refactor this file without changing behavior.”

Common mistakes when connecting Cline to ShareAI

• Using the full /chat/completions path as the Base URL instead of the base API path.
• Creating a key but forgetting to add credits in Billing.
• Entering a model ID that is unavailable or typed incorrectly.
• Trying multiple moving parts at once instead of verifying one known model first.

Most connection issues come down to one of those four items. Start simple, verify the endpoint, then swap models once the first request works.

When ShareAI is a good fit for Cline

ShareAI is a strong fit if you want one place to manage model access for coding work, compare options across providers, and keep a familiar OpenAI-compatible integration in front of Cline. It is especially useful when your projects move between quick edits, heavier refactors, and different model preferences over time.

Next step

Create your key, choose a model, and verify the connection. From there, you can keep iterating with the API quick start, browse options in Models, or test prompts in the Playground.