Cline error
Cline: Error executing command: The command ran successfully, but we couldn't...
Error executing command: The command ran successfully, but we couldn't capture its output. Please proceed accordingly.Status: Fixed in releaseLast verified 3 documented fixes3 sources
What it means
The terminal command finished, but Cline could not read its output from the VS Code terminal, so the model is told to proceed without seeing the result.
Causes
- Regression reported after upgrading to Cline 3.15.0 / 3.15.1; rolling back to 3.14.1 resolved it for the reporter (#3445).
- Shell integration problems in the terminal, including shells customized with Oh My Zsh (a maintainer noted Cline does not support it very well) and Cygwin Bash setups reported in the thread.
- Fast-running or silent commands: older versions treated commands that printed nothing as a shell-integration failure (fixed in 4.1.19).
How to fix it
- Fix 1.
Update Cline. Release notes: 3.17.8 "Fix bug where terminal would get stuck and output "capture failure""; 3.18.2 "Fix issue where terminal output would not be captured if shell integration fails by falling back to capturing the terminal content."; 3.19.6 "Fixed terminal bug where Cline failed to capture output of certain fast-running commands".
- Fix 2.
4.1.19: commands that succeed without printing anything (for example
git add -Aon a clean tree) are now reported as empty output instead of a capture failure. - Fix 3.
Follow the Shell Integration Unavailable steps (supported shell, updated editor, disable heavy shell themes), or enable Background Terminal mode when the extension suggests it.
More Cline errors
All 17 Cline errorsShell Integration Unavailable. Cline may have trouble viewing the command's output. Please update VSCode (CMD/CTRL + Shift + P → "Update") and make sure you're using a supported shell: zsh, bash, fish, or PowerShell (CMD/CTRL + Shift + P → "Terminal: Select Default Profile").Status: WorkaroundCommand failed with exit code 1: powershell (Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_OperatingSystem).caption 'powershell' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.Status: WorkaroundUnexpected API Response: The language model did not provide any assistant messages. This may indicate an issue with the API or the model's output.Status: WorkaroundInvalid API Response: The provider returned an empty or unparsable response. This is a provider-side issue where the model failed to generate valid output or returned tool calls that Cline cannot process. Retrying the request may help resolve this issue.Status: OpenModel returned empty responseStatus: OpenFunction call is missing a thought_signature in functionCall parts. This is required for tools to work correctly, and missing thought_signature may lead to degraded model performance.Status: Fixed in release429 {"type":"error","error":{"type":"rate_limit_error","message":"Number of request tokens has exceeded your per-minute rate limit (https://docs.anthropic.com/en/api/rate-limits); see the response headers for current usage. Please reduce the prompt length or the maximum tokens requested, or try again later. You may also contact sales at https://www.anthropic.com/contact-sales to discuss your options for a rate limit increase."}}Status: WorkaroundInvalid MCP settings format. Please ensure your settings follow the correct JSON format.Status: Workaround
Related reading
- What Is Cline? The Open-Source AI Coding Agent for VS CodeCline is a free, open-source VS Code extension for agentic AI coding. Bring your own model, a cloud API or a local one via Ollama, with no vendor lock-in.
- Every AI Coding Tool Compared: The 2026 MatrixEvery AI coding tool compared: 15 terminal, IDE, cloud and browser tools side by side on pricing, model surface, strengths, weaknesses and best use cases.
FAQ
What does "Error executing command: The command ran successfully, but we couldn't..." mean in Cline?
The terminal command finished, but Cline could not read its output from the VS Code terminal, so the model is told to proceed without seeing the result.
How do I fix "Error executing command: The command ran successfully, but we couldn't..."?
There are 3 documented fixes. Start with the first: Update Cline. Release notes: 3.17.8 "Fix bug where terminal would get stuck and output "capture failure""; 3.18.2 "Fix issue where terminal output would not be captured if shell integration fails by falling back to capturing the terminal content."; 3.19.6 "Fixed terminal bug where Cline failed to capture output of certain fast-running commands".
Is this Cline error fixed?
Status: Fixed in release. A release fixed this. The affected versions note says where the fix landed. Affected versions: Reported on 3.15.0 and 3.15.1 (3.14.1 unaffected); related capture fixes in 3.17.8, 3.18.2, 3.19.6, 4.1.19
Sources
Last verified against 3 sources: official docs, maintainer replies and release notes.
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