Best MCP Servers for Cline

Trends MCP is the MCP server to add in Cline when the VS Code agent must query live trend data without leaving the editor. It is not the best MCP server for Cline as a whole. GitHub MCP and a docs MCP still win those jobs. Official VS Code MCP docs get cited for .vscode/mcp.json. Cline does not read that object the same way Copilot Chat does. Cline’s Remote Server block uses url plus a header, without type. The install page is Trends MCP for Cline. This post is the ranked shortlist that page does not use as an H1.

Cline is an extension. Copilot Chat is a participant. Mixing their JSON is why a restart shows tools in one pane and not the other.

Which server should Cline call first?

Job in Cline	Server	Why it wins	What it will not do
Live trend data	Trends MCP	Boards plus `get_growth` on one key	Open a PR
Issues and PRs	GitHub MCP	Repo verbs	Rank Amazon best sellers
Library docs	A docs MCP	Stops changelog fiction	Return TikTok hashtag boards
Current page HTML	A crawl MCP	The URL the user named	Multi-source 0-100 growth

Trends MCP is first in that table because the table is trend data in Cline. On a “best MCP for Cline” query that means scaffolding, GitHub can sit higher. Check current GitHub MCP and crawl pricing on the vendor pages.

The VS Code ranked post is best MCP servers for VS Code. Wrong caller. TikTok in Copilot Chat is TikTok trends in VS Code.

The JSON Copilot users paste into Cline

MCP Servers tab, Remote Server, paste URL and header. From llms.txt (accessed 26 August 2026):

"trends-mcp": {
  "url": "https://api.trendsmcp.ai/mcp",
  "headers": {
    "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
  }
}

No type. No transport. No serverUrl. No httpUrl. Those keys belong to VS Code Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf, and Gemini CLI. Key from the account page. Never paste https://www.trendsmcp.ai/mcp.

Say “using TrendsMCP.” Cline that only sees git will web-search “trending javascript frameworks” and skip the index.

A proving trio that fits the free plan: type GitHub if the category is unknown, then get_growth on two npm names. Three requests. Source npm wants the exact package name. Display titles miss.

401: www OAuth URL. invalid_source: google trends as a source. Empty series: not_found or data_unavailable. Huge percent on a 1-to-2 index: quote both values.

Cline will call whatever the model selects. It will not refuse a wasteful sequence. Put the cap in the prompt: one board, two keywords, then stop.

Free 100 requests per month. Starter $19 / 1,000. Pro $49 / 5,000. Business $199 / 25,000. Pricing (accessed 26 August 2026). An agent that pages four boards at limit 50 finishes the free plan before lunch.

Cline is a weak cron. Nightly Google Trends belongs on REST POST https://api.trendsmcp.ai/api. Wrapping Cline as a personal scheduler still needs the IDE open.

Workspace .vscode/mcp.json can ship Copilot Chat’s type http block for the rest of the team. Cline still needs its own Remote Server entry. Two callers, two shapes, one Trends MCP account.

If the next turn is a handle, Virlo still wins creator objects. If the next turn is Ads, a hub MCP still wins. Trends MCP stays public demand.

Official Cline and VS Code docs teach MCP as a protocol. They do not rank a trend index. This URL exists so the Cline title matches.

Prompts that keep Cline from looping

Put the cap in .clinerules or the task prompt: one board, two keywords, then stop. Cline will otherwise page Google Trends, TikTok Trending Hashtags, and GitHub before writing a sentence. Three boards is three requests. The free plan is 100.

Source npm wants the exact package name. Source google search wants a phrase. Those are two objects. A display title used as an npm keyword returns not_found. Read package.json first.

Cline sessions started before the Remote Server add will not see tools until restart. claude mcp list is the wrong binary. This is a VS Code extension. Confirm in Cline’s MCP Servers tab.

A crawl MCP still wins “what does this URL say.” GitHub MCP still opens the PR. Trends MCP still ranks public demand. Pair them in one Cline turn. Do not uninstall git because a board appeared.

Nightly monitors belong on REST. Wrapping Cline as cron still needs VS Code open and still bills the same math. POST https://api.trendsmcp.ai/api from GitHub Actions when the schedule is the point.

If the next turn is Ads or a handle, stop using Trends MCP. Hub MCPs and Virlo own those objects. This extension path stays public boards plus weekly series. Cline that only has git will web-search. Cline that only has Trends MCP cannot fetch HTML. Pair a crawl MCP. Pair GitHub MCP. Restart after the Remote Server add. Cap the prompt. Nightly jobs belong on REST. Connecting is free. Calling is not. Fail closed on invented percents. Cline will not refuse a wasteful sequence. Four boards at limit 50 finish the free plan before lunch. Teach batching. Several percent_growth windows in one growth call. One board unless the ticket named two platforms. Restart after the Remote Server add. Confirm in Cline’s MCP tab, not in claude mcp list. Nightly jobs belong on REST. Connecting is free. Calling is not.

Cline’s Remote Server field is url, not serverUrl, not httpUrl, not type. Pasting Windsurf JSON into Cline is a silent miss. The row can look saved. Tools still never appear. Diff the object against Trends MCP for Cline. A bake-off that also needs HTML still needs a crawl MCP in the same Cline config. Trends MCP will not fetch a README. GitHub MCP still opens the PR. Three servers, three jobs. Name the one that ranks demand.

FAQ

Is Cline the same as Copilot Chat MCP?

No. Copilot Chat reads servers with type http. Cline uses a Remote Server url without type. Pasting one JSON into the other is why tools vanish.

What is the exact Cline object for Trends MCP?

url https://api.trendsmcp.ai/mcp plus an Authorization Bearer header. Restart the agent session after adding it. Confirm in Cline’s MCP Servers tab, not in claude mcp list.