Optimizing Cline-Generated Code for Performance

Cline solves problems iteratively, which can leave behind multiple layers of workarounds that hurt performance. Newly installed dependencies increase bundle size. Multiple event listeners or subscriptions added during debugging may not be cleaned up

Remove workaround code from Cline's debugging iterations. Audit bundle size after Cline sessions. Check for orphaned event listeners and subscriptions. Profile performance to identify regressions

Before optimizing, measure. Use your browser's Lighthouse audit to get a baseline score. Check Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID, CLS) — these directly affect your Google ranking. Use the Performance tab in DevTools to identify which components take the longest to render. For server-side performance, add timing logs to API routes to find slow endpoints.

The fastest way to improve performance: optimize and lazy-load images, enable compression on your server, remove unused CSS and JavaScript, implement code splitting so users only download code for the page they're viewing, and add proper caching headers for static assets. These changes alone can cut load times significantly.

If your Cline app uses a database, slow queries are often the biggest performance bottleneck. Add indexes on columns you filter or sort by. Use SELECT to fetch only the columns you need instead of SELECT *. Implement pagination for lists — loading 10,000 rows at once will always be slow. Consider adding a caching layer for data that doesn't change frequently.