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Rampart integrates with Cline (VS Code AI coding agent) through its native hook system. Hooks evaluate tool calls before execution and log completed actions for audit.

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Quick Setup

1

Start Rampart service

Install and start the background policy server:
rampart serve install
This creates a systemd/launchd service on port 9090 with a saved token at ~/.rampart/token.
2

Install Cline hooks

Install hook scripts to Cline’s global hooks directory:
rampart setup cline
This creates:
  • ~/Documents/Cline/Hooks/PreToolUse/rampart-policy — Evaluates tool calls
  • ~/Documents/Cline/Hooks/PostToolUse/rampart-audit — Logs completed actions
For workspace-level hooks instead of global, use --workspace flag.
3

Use Cline normally

Open VS Code and use Cline as usual. All tool calls now route through Rampart — no additional configuration needed.

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Hook Locations

Rampart installs scripts to these directories: 
~/Documents/Cline/Hooks/PreToolUse/rampart-policy
~/Documents/Cline/Hooks/PostToolUse/rampart-audit
Cline automatically discovers and executes hooks in these locations. Multiple hooks can coexist — Cline runs them in alphabetical order.

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How It Works

The PreToolUse hook receives tool call JSON on stdin, queries the policy server, and returns approval/denial on stdout. The PostToolUse hook logs completed actions to the audit trail.

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Hook Scripts

Rampart generates these scripts during setup: 
#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Rampart PreToolUse hook for Cline
# Evaluates tool calls through policy engine before execution

set -euo pipefail

# Read Cline hook input from stdin and pass to rampart
# Config auto-discovered from ~/.rampart/config.yaml or rampart.yaml
exec "/path/to/rampart" hook --format cline
The scripts use absolute paths to the rampart binary, so they work regardless of Cline’s PATH configuration.

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Example Session

Terminal output when Cline attempts operations: 
$ code .  # Open VS Code with Cline extension

> Cline: I'll install the dependencies

✅ exec: "npm install"
   Policy: allow-dev
   Agent: cline

> Cline: Let me check your AWS credentials

🔴 read: "~/.aws/credentials"
   Policy: block-credential-reads
   Reason: Credential access blocked

> Cline: I cannot access that file due to security policies. 
> Would you like me to proceed differently?

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Policy Configuration

Create Cline-specific policies:
~/.rampart/policies/custom.yaml
version: "1"
default_action: allow

policies:
  - name: cline-safe-dev
    match:
      agent: ["cline"]
      tool: ["exec"]
    rules:
      - action: allow
        when:
          command_matches:
            - "npm *"
            - "yarn *"
            - "git status"
            - "git diff"
        message: "Safe development commands"

  - name: cline-protect-env
    match:
      agent: ["cline"]
      tool: ["read", "write"]
    rules:
      - action: deny
        when:
          path_matches:
            - "**/.env"
            - "**/.env.*"
            - "**/secrets.yaml"
        message: "Environment files blocked"

  - name: cline-ask-git-push
    match:
      agent: ["cline"]
      tool: ["exec"]
    rules:
      - action: ask
        when:
          command_contains: ["git push"]
        message: "Git push requires approval"
Reload policies: 
rampart serve --reload

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Workspace vs Global Hooks

Location: ~/Documents/Cline/Hooks/Use when:
  • You want consistent protection across all projects
  • You’re the only user on the machine
  • Policies are user-specific, not project-specific
Install:
rampart setup cline

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Monitoring

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Live Dashboard

View Cline’s tool calls in real time: 
# Browser dashboard
open http://localhost:9090/dashboard/

# Terminal UI
rampart watch

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Audit Trail

The PostToolUse hook logs all completed actions: 
# Tail audit logs
rampart audit tail --follow

# Search for Cline actions
rampart audit search --agent cline --decision deny

# Statistics
rampart audit stats
Output: 
Agent: cline
  Total calls: 1,247
  Allowed: 1,201
  Denied: 12
  Logged: 34

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Troubleshooting

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Hooks not executing

  1. Verify hook scripts exist: 
    ls -la ~/Documents/Cline/Hooks/PreToolUse/
# Should show rampart-policy with executable permissions
  2. Check script permissions: 
    chmod +x ~/Documents/Cline/Hooks/PreToolUse/rampart-policy
chmod +x ~/Documents/Cline/Hooks/PostToolUse/rampart-audit
  3. Test hook directly: 
    echo '{"tool":"exec","params":{"command":"echo test"}}' | \
  ~/Documents/Cline/Hooks/PreToolUse/rampart-policy
# Should output approval JSON

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Service connection errors

  1. Check service is running: 
    curl http://localhost:9090/healthz
# Should return "ok"
  2. Restart service: 
    # systemd (Linux)
systemctl --user restart rampart-proxy

# launchd (macOS)
launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.rampart.proxy.plist
launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.rampart.proxy.plist
  3. Check logs: 
    # systemd
journalctl --user -u rampart-proxy -f

# launchd
tail -f ~/.rampart/rampart-proxy.log

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Hooks blocking everything

If all commands are denied:
  1. Check policy file: 
    rampart doctor
# Look for "Policy loaded" and "default_action"
  2. Test policy: 
    rampart test "npm install"
# Should show whether command would be allowed
  3. Reset to defaults: 
    rampart init --defaults
rampart serve --reload

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Uninstalling

Remove Rampart hooks from Cline: 
# Global hooks
rampart setup cline --remove

# Workspace hooks
rampart setup cline --workspace --remove
This removes hook scripts but preserves policies and audit logs. Complete removal: 
rampart serve uninstall
rm -rf ~/.rampart

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Advanced: Multi-Hook Configuration

Cline supports multiple hooks in each directory. Combine Rampart with other tools: 
~/Documents/Cline/Hooks/PreToolUse/
├── 00-rampart-policy      # Runs first (security)
├── 10-cost-tracker        # Runs second (budget)
└── 20-custom-validator    # Runs third (business logic)
Hooks run in alphabetical order. Use numeric prefixes to control execution sequence.

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Session Tagging

Tag Cline sessions by workspace: 
# VS Code workspace settings (.vscode/settings.json)
{
  "terminal.integrated.env.linux": {
    "RAMPART_SESSION": "myproject/dev"
  },
  "terminal.integrated.env.osx": {
    "RAMPART_SESSION": "myproject/dev"
  }
}
Audit events will be tagged with the session identifier for filtering.

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