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Introduction

The Tinfoil Private Inference API can be used with the Cline AI assistant and VS Code to help you more efficiently accomplish your software development tasks. Together, the combination of Cline and the Tinfoil Inference API can be used not only for code completions and explanations in a single file but also to understand entire codebases, create and edit files, run commands in a terminal, and much more - all with hardware-backed security.

In this tutorial, you’ll first install Cline and configure Cline to use the Tinfoil Inference API. Then, you’ll instruct Cline to perform two tasks using the private API:

  1. Create a Python program for the Tinfoil Inference API.
  2. Create a README with instructions for using the program.

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Prerequisites

For this tutorial, you’ll need a Tinfoil API key to authenticate securely with the service. You can get one at tinfoil.sh.

Note
You’re billed for all usage of the Tinfoil Inference API.

See the Tinfoil Inference API page for current pricing information.

Security Note
Never share your API key or include it in version control systems.

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Install Cline in VS Code

First, install Cline in VS Code:

  1. Open VS Code.
  2. Click on the Extensions icon in the sidebar and search for ‘Cline’.
  3. Click Install next to the Cline extension.
  4. Reload VS Code when prompted.

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Configure Cline to use the Tinfoil Inference API

Next, configure Cline to use the Tinfoil Inference API:

  1. In the Activity Bar, click the Cline icon.
  2. Click the Settings (⚙) button.
  3. For API Provider, choose OpenAI Compatible.

Enter the values below. Replace <API-KEY> with your Tinfoil API key:

  • Base URL: https://inference.delta.tinfoil.sh/v1/
  • API Key: <API-KEY>
  • Model ID: deepseek-r1:70b

Tip
You can use any of the models that the Tinfoil Inference API supports instead of deepseek-r1:70b. See Using the Tinfoil Inference API.

  1. Click Done.

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Instruct Cline to perform tasks

Finally, instruct Cline to create a:

  • Python program for the Tinfoil Inference API
  • README that explains how to use the program

  1. In the “Type your task here” field, enter the following prompt:

    In one file, create a Python program based on the following command. The program should prompt for the values of <API-KEY> and <MODEL>.

curl -sS https://inference.delta.tinfoil.sh/v1/chat/completions \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <API-KEY>" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
  "model": "<MODEL>",
  "prompt": "Computers are",
  "temperature": 0
}'

In another file, create a README that explains how to use the program.

  2. Press Enter to run the task. Cline explains the specific steps it will take to complete the task, and then begins creating the requested Python program and the README.

  3. Cline outputs a message confirming that your task has been completed. The process should look something like this:

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Next steps

Learn how to verify hardware attestation for your inference requests with the Tinfoil CLI.