Cline

Cline connects to Zephex over Streamable HTTP directly from the VS Code sidebar. You can authenticate through the OAuth browser flow with no API key in config, or paste a Bearer key for instant access.

OVERVIEW

Cline is an open-source AI coding agent for VS Code with native Streamable HTTP MCP support. It detects a 401 response from the server, shows an Authenticate button in the panel, and opens the OAuth browser flow automatically. Credentials are stored internally by Cline — you do not need to paste keys into config files. A Bearer header alternative is also available for teams that prefer static API key management.

CONFIG FILE LOCATION

Managed by the Cline extension at ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json on macOS, %APPDATA%/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json on Windows. You can also configure servers directly from the Cline panel without editing the file.

PREREQUISITES

VS Code with the Cline extension installed from the VS Code Marketplace.
A Zephex account at zephex.dev/signup.
For OAuth: no API key needed — the browser flow handles authentication.
For Bearer: a Zephex API key from zephex.dev/dashboard/api-keys.

CONFIG

Use `type: streamableHttp` — not `sse`. The SSE transport is the legacy Cline format and does not support the OAuth browser flow. The OAuth config has no Authorization header so Cline triggers the browser flow on first connection.

Do not use `type: sse` for Zephex. Streamable HTTP is required for OAuth to work. If you previously added an SSE entry, remove it and re-add with `type: streamableHttp`.

cline_mcp_settings.json

{  "mcpServers": {    "zephex": {      "url": "https://zephex.dev/mcp",      "type": "streamableHttp",      "disabled": false,      "timeout": 60    }  }}

ALTERNATIVE — BEARER KEY

If you prefer not to use OAuth, generate a key at zephex.dev/dashboard/api-keys and replace `mcp_sk_example` with your actual key. The server connects immediately without a browser flow. Do not commit this file if the key is present.

cline_mcp_settings.json

{  "mcpServers": {    "zephex": {      "url": "https://zephex.dev/mcp",      "type": "streamableHttp",      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer mcp_sk_example" },      "disabled": false,      "timeout": 60    }  }}

AUTH

Open the Cline panel from the VS Code sidebar (robot icon).
Click the menu (⋮) in the top right → MCP Servers → Remote Servers tab.
Click Add Server. Enter name: zephex, URL: https://zephex.dev/mcp, Transport: Streamable HTTP.
Click Add Server to save.
If authentication is required, an Authenticate button appears next to the server — click it.
A browser window opens. Log in to your Zephex account.
After login, the browser redirects back to VS Code. The server shows a green status dot.
Cline stores the token internally. No re-auth on restart unless the server is deleted and re-added.

VERIFY

Confirm the server is connected before relying on Zephex tools in your prompts.

In the Cline panel, open MCP Servers — the zephex entry should show a green connected indicator.
Start a new Cline task and ask: "what MCP tools do you have?" You should see all Zephex tools listed.
If the status is yellow or tools are missing, click the server entry and choose Reconnect.

COMMON ISSUES

"SyntaxError: Unexpected token" on authentication

This means the server returned a plain-text 401 response instead of JSON. Zephex always returns JSON on 401 — if you see this error, make sure you are connecting to https://zephex.dev/mcp and not a custom proxy that sends plain text errors.

Authenticate button did not appear

Check that `type` is set to `streamableHttp` (not `sse`). The OAuth flow only triggers on the Streamable HTTP transport. Delete and re-add the server if needed.

Green dot but no tools available

The server connected but tool discovery failed. Click Reconnect in the Cline MCP panel. If it persists, check that your Zephex account has an active subscription at zephex.dev/dashboard.

Connection works locally but fails in remote dev containers

Cline in a dev container routes requests through the container network. Make sure the container has outbound HTTPS access to zephex.dev.

If the editor still does not connect, return to Quickstart or check Connection Issues.

{ "mcpServers": { "zephex": { "url": "https://zephex.dev/mcp", "type": "streamableHttp", "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer mcp_sk_example" }, "disabled": false, "timeout": 60 } }}