# Cursor's BYOK is chat-only. Use Xantly + Cline for the full experience.

Cursor's "Bring Your Own Key" setting gets a lot of airtime, but it quietly stops at the chat panel. Agent mode? Edit with AI? Cursor Tab? All blocked. The error message is direct: *"Agent and Edit rely on custom models that cannot be billed to an API key."* The proprietary fine-tunes powering those features are off-limits to BYOK users.

There's also a long-standing bug where overriding the OpenAI base URL breaks Cursor's internal model routing until you toggle the override off and on again. It's a known issue with no fix timeline.

**Fix: use Cursor for chat only (if you must), and move serious work to Cline + Xantly in VS Code.** Same editor vibe, full BYOK everywhere, no subscription on top.

## What you give up (vs Cursor Pro $20/mo)

- Cursor Tab inline ghost-text completions. Move this to Ollama (local, free) via Cline's companion or keep a Cursor Hobby tier open for just this.
- Cursor Composer multi-file edits. **Cline does this better**: its plan/act split with tool calls is arguably more powerful than Composer.
- Cursor's rules file system. Cline has `.clinerules` with the same shape.

## What you get

- **Full BYOK, every feature.** No chat-only asterisks.
- **Smart routing via BaRP.** Every call picks the cost-optimal model within your chosen tier.
- **Semantic cache.** Cline's agent mode re-reads similar code constantly; L2 cache saves 30-50% on repeat queries.
- **Memory.** L3 graph memory survives across sessions, Cline remembers your project.
- **Waterfall fallback.** Mid-session provider outages don't kill an agent run.
- **Per-request cost visibility.** Every call tracked in Xantly dashboard.
- **No subscription.** Pay for tokens; that's it.

## The 10-minute migration

### Step 1, Install VS Code + Cline (2 min)

If you have VS Code already, skip to Cline:

1. Install VS Code from [code.visualstudio.com](https://code.visualstudio.com/)
2. Open the Extensions panel (`Cmd+Shift+X` on Mac, `Ctrl+Shift+X` on Win/Linux)
3. Search "Cline", install the [saoudrizwan.claude-dev](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=saoudrizwan.claude-dev) extension

### Step 2, Get a Xantly API key (1 min)

[Dashboard → API Keys → Create](/dashboard/api-keys). Copy the `xantly_sk_...`.

### Step 3, Configure Cline (2 min)

Open Cline's settings (gear icon in the Cline panel):

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| API Provider | **OpenAI Compatible** |
| Base URL | `https://api.xantly.com/v1` |
| API Key | `xantly_sk_...` |
| Model ID | `xantly/auto-quality` |

Save.

### Step 4, Port your Cursor rules (3 min)

Cursor's `.cursor/rules/*.md` → Cline's `.clinerules` in the project root. Rename the file, copy the content. Syntax is identical.

### Step 5, Test-drive (2 min)

Open a project. In the Cline panel:

```
Read package.json and explain what this project does. Then look at src/ and list the main entry points.
```

Cline should fire tool calls, stream back an answer, propose edits if you ask for them. Check your Xantly dashboard, calls log with cost + model + cache status.

## Cursor feature → Cline equivalent

| Cursor | Cline |
|---|---|
| Chat panel | Cline panel (left sidebar) |
| Composer | Plan/Act mode (toggle in Cline) |
| Cmd+K inline edit | Cline's "edit this" context menu |
| Cursor Tab | Not built-in, use local Ollama + [Continue.dev](/docs/use-with-continue-dev) autocomplete role |
| Rules | `.clinerules` |
| @Codebase | Cline's file context + `@mention` |
| Cursor Bug Finder | Ask Cline: *"review this file for bugs"* |
| Cursor docs indexing | Cline reads whatever files you point at via `@mention` |

## Cost comparison

Cursor Pro:
- **$20/month flat**
- Proprietary agent model (can't BYOK)
- Fixed "fast request" quota (500/mo on Pro)

Cline + Xantly:
- **$0 subscription**
- Pay per token at Xantly rates with BaRP cost savings
- Typical heavy user: **$4-8/month** (with semantic cache cutting another 30%)
- No request quota, you spend what you spend

## FAQ

**Does Cline's agent mode work as well as Cursor Composer?** Many users say it's better. Cline's plan-then-act split gives you more control. Composer is faster UX but more opaque; Cline shows its work.

**Can I keep using Cursor for Tab completion only?** Yes. Cursor Hobby (free) gives you Cursor Tab. Use Cursor Hobby for Tab, Cline + Xantly for everything else. No BYOK needed on the Cursor side.

**What about Cursor's codebase indexing?** Cline doesn't pre-index; it reads files on demand via tool calls. This is actually cheaper + more accurate in practice (no stale index). Xantly's L3 graph memory fills the gap for cross-session project knowledge.

**Is Cline open source?** Yes, Apache 2.0. No lock-in.

**What about the [Cursor base URL bug](https://forum.cursor.com/t/cannot-use-any-models-if-openai-base-url-overridden/140266)?** That's on the Cursor side. Cline has no equivalent issue, base URL override works flawlessly.

## Next steps

- [Cline](/docs/use-with-cline), full Cline config walkthrough.
- [Roo Code](/docs/use-with-roo-code), Cline fork with per-mode models. Try it if Cline's single-mode feels limiting.
- [Kilo Code](/docs/use-with-kilo-code), another fork, #1 on OpenRouter by token volume.
- [Continue.dev](/docs/use-with-continue-dev), if you want to keep Cursor's Tab and add Cline for agent mode, Continue's role-split config is the hybrid play.
- [Bring Your Own Key](/docs/bring-your-own-key), route Cline through your own provider credits.