Viral Carousels with Cline x Paper

Build an AI pipeline that turns a single prompt into Instagram carousel slides.

Introduction

30 Second Summary

Instagram carousels are one of the highest-engagement content formats on social media. Creating them usually means hours in a design tool, manually placing text and styling each slide.

In this project, you will build a repeatable system where you type a single sentence into an AI agent and it generates a complete 5-slide Instagram carousel on a real design canvas. All using free, open-source tools on Windows.

What You'll Build

A workflow that connects Cline (a free AI coding agent inside VS Code) to Paper Design (a free design tool) via MCP, turning a text prompt into polished carousel slides.

By the end of this project, you'll have:

  • A working Cline + Paper Design pipeline that generates Instagram carousel slides directly on your design canvas.
  • A set of 5 exported 1080x1350px carousel images at 2x resolution, ready to upload to Instagram.
  • A saved .clinerules file that lets you generate new carousels with a single prompt in the future.
  • Secret Mission: Connect Firecrawl as a second MCP server to scrape real company logos and brand colors from the web, then inject them into a carousel slide.

Are there any prerequisites?

You need a Google account (Gmail) and a Windows 10 or 11 computer with internet access. No prior coding or design experience is required.

Before We Start

Before We Start...

Install VS Code and Node.js

To build your carousel pipeline, you need three pieces working together: a code editor, a JavaScript runtime, and an AI extension.

In this step, you'll install VS Code (the editor), Node.js (the runtime that powers MCP connections), and the Cline extension (the AI agent that will talk to your design canvas).

In this step, get ready to:
  • Install VS Code on your Windows computer.
  • Install Node.js and verify it works.
  • Add the Cline extension to VS Code.
Download and install VS Code

VS Code is a free code editor where Cline lives. You'll use it for the entire project.

  • Open your browser and go to code.visualstudio.com.
  • Click the large Download for Windows button.
  • Once the installer downloads, double-click it to run.
  • Click Next on each screen, accepting the defaults.
  • Click Install, then click Finish when the installation completes.
  • Press the Windows key to open your search bar.
  • Type Visual Studio Code and press Enter to open it.

VS Code opens to a Welcome tab. You're ready to move on.

VS Code won't open?

If nothing happens when you search, try restarting your computer. The installer sometimes needs a restart before VS Code appears in search results.

help me troubleshoot why VS Code won't open on Windows after installing it

Download and install Node.js

Node.js is a JavaScript runtime that MCP server connections need in order to work. Without it, Cline cannot communicate with design tools.

  • Open your browser and go to nodejs.org.
  • Click the Download Node.js (LTS) button. This downloads the stable, long-term support version.
  • Double-click the downloaded installer to run it.
  • Click Next on each screen, accepting the defaults. On the Custom Setup screen, make sure Add to PATH is selected (it is by default).
  • Click Install, then click Finish.

Why Node.js?

MCP servers (like the one Paper Design runs) often rely on Node.js to handle their connections. Even though you won't write JavaScript yourself, Node.js runs quietly in the background making the AI-to-design pipeline possible.

Now verify that Node.js installed correctly. You need to close and reopen VS Code first so it picks up the new installation.

  • Close VS Code completely (click the X in the top-right corner).
  • Reopen VS Code by pressing the Windows key, typing Visual Studio Code, and pressing Enter.
  • Open the VS Code terminal by pressing Ctrl+` (that's the backtick key, above Tab).
  • Verify Node.js is installed by running this command:
node --version

✔️ I see a version number

You should see something like v24.16.0 (your exact number may differ). Node.js is installed and ready.

ⓧ 'node' is not recognized

This means Windows cannot find Node.js yet. The installer updated your system PATH, but VS Code loaded before the change took effect.

  • Close VS Code completely.
  • Restart your computer.
  • After restarting, reopen VS Code and try node --version in the terminal again.

If it still does not work after restarting, the Node.js installer may not have added itself to your PATH correctly. Search for "Environment Variables" in the Windows search bar, open Edit the system environment variables, click Environment Variables, then check that C:\Program Files\nodejs appears in the Path list under System variables.

help me fix 'node is not recognized' on Windows after installing Node.js

Install the Cline extension

Cline is a free AI coding assistant that lives inside VS Code. It has built-in support for MCP, which means it can directly control other tools like your design canvas.

  • In VS Code, open the Extensions sidebar by pressing Ctrl+Shift+X.
  • In the search bar at the top of the sidebar, type Cline.
  • Find the result published by Cline Bot Inc. and click Install.
  • After installation finishes, you should see a Cline icon appear in the left sidebar of VS Code.
  • Click the Cline icon to confirm the panel opens.

What is Cline?

Cline is an open-source AI agent that runs inside VS Code. Unlike a simple chatbot, it can take actions on your behalf: creating files, running commands, and calling MCP tools like Paper Design's drawing API.

Don't see Cline in the sidebar?

Make sure you clicked Install on the correct listing (by Cline Bot Inc.). There are similar extensions with different names. If the icon still does not appear, try closing and reopening VS Code.

help me find and install the Cline extension in VS Code

Your workspace is ready. Next up, you'll grab a free Gemini API key to give Cline its AI brain.

Get Your Free Gemini API Key

Your tools are installed and ready. Now Cline needs an AI model to power its thinking.

Gemini is Google's AI model, and the free tier gives you enough capacity to generate carousels without spending a cent. In this step, you'll create an API key and plug it into Cline so it can start generating content for you.

In this step, get ready to:
  • Create a free Gemini API key in Google AI Studio.
  • Configure Cline to use Gemini as its AI provider.
  • Test the connection with a quick message.
Create your Gemini API key

An API key is like a password that lets Cline talk to Google's Gemini model on your behalf. You'll create one for free inside Google AI Studio.

  • Open aistudio.google.com in your browser.
  • Sign in with your Google account.
  • Click Get API key in the left sidebar.
  • Click Create API Key.
  • Copy the key that appears and save it somewhere safe (a text file or sticky note on your desktop works).

What is an API key?

An API key is a unique string of characters that identifies your requests to a service. Think of it like a library card. It proves to Google that you have permission to use Gemini's AI capabilities.

The free tier gives you 250 requests per day, which is far more than you need for a single carousel session.

Keep your API key private

Treat your API key like a password. Never share it publicly or paste it into a website you don't trust. If someone else gets your key, they can use your free quota.

Seeing a permission error?

If you see a message about not having permission to create a key, try creating a new Google Cloud project inside AI Studio first. Personal Google accounts (Gmail) rarely hit this issue. It mainly affects accounts managed by an organization.

help me troubleshoot a permission error in Google AI Studio when creating an API key

Connect Gemini to Cline

Now you'll point Cline at your new API key so it knows which AI model to use when you give it instructions.

  • In VS Code, click the Cline icon in the left sidebar to open the Cline panel.
  • Click the settings gear icon at the top of the Cline panel.
  • Under API Provider, select Google Gemini.
  • Paste your API key into the API Key field.
  • For the model, select gemini-2.5-flash.

Why gemini-2.5-flash?

Gemini 2.5 Flash is fast, free, and produces high-quality HTML and CSS. That's exactly what you need for generating carousel slide designs in Paper Design. It responds quickly enough that you'll see slides appear on your canvas in real time.

Test the connection
  • Close the settings panel by clicking Done (or navigating back to the chat view).
  • In the Cline chat input, type Hello, can you hear me? and press Enter.

If Cline responds with a message, your AI brain is connected and ready. You should see a friendly reply appear in the chat panel within a few seconds.

Cline not responding?

Make sure you selected Google Gemini as the provider (not Google Vertex AI, which requires a different setup).

Double-check that your API key was pasted correctly with no extra spaces before or after it.

If you still see an error, try generating a new API key in Google AI Studio and pasting the fresh key into Cline.

help me fix my Cline connection to Google Gemini

Your AI is now connected and listening. Next up, you'll install Paper Design and connect it to Cline so the AI can draw directly on your design canvas.

Generate Your First Carousel

Your AI-to-design pipeline is live. Cline can talk directly to Paper Design through MCP, which means you can describe what you want in plain English and watch it appear on your canvas.

In this step, you will use that pipeline to generate a full set of Instagram carousel slides from a single prompt. You will also save a sample prompts file so you can reuse your best prompts in the future.

In this step, get ready to:
  • Create your project folder using Cline.
  • Generate 5 carousel slides (1080x1350px) on your Paper Design canvas.
  • Export your finished slides as 2x PNG images ready for Instagram.
Create your project folder

Before generating slides, you need a dedicated folder to store your exported images and prompt files. Instead of creating it manually, you will ask Cline to do it for you.

  • In the Cline chat panel, type the following message and press Enter:
Create a folder called instagram-carousels on my Desktop and open it as my workspace.

What happens when you send this?

Cline will run terminal commands to create the folder on your Desktop, then open it as your VS Code workspace. You will see VS Code reload with instagram-carousels as the active folder in the Explorer sidebar.

Cline may ask for your approval before running the terminal commands. Click Approve when prompted.

  • Wait for VS Code to reload. You should see instagram-carousels in the Explorer sidebar on the left.

VS Code didn't reload?

If Cline created the folder but VS Code did not switch to it, you can open it manually. Press Ctrl+K then Ctrl+O to open a folder. Navigate to your Desktop, select instagram-carousels, and click Select Folder.

Help me open a folder as my workspace in VS Code

Save your sample prompts and generate the carousel

You will now create a file containing sample prompts you can reuse across projects. One of these prompts will generate your first carousel.

  • In VS Code, press Ctrl+N to create a new file.
  • Paste the following content into the new file:
# Sample Carousel Prompts

## Prompt 1: Generate from a Topic
Copy and paste this into Cline:

---
Create an Instagram carousel in Paper about "5 morning habits that changed my life". Each slide should be a 1080x1350 artboard. I want a handwritten style on a notebook that looks like I've written with a pen.

- Slide 1: Bold hook title
- Middle slides: One point per slide with a number and short description
- Final slide: Call to action (Follow for more)

Add subtle styling like a thin border or accent color to tie the slides together.

Ask me some questions to better understand what I want to include in each slide.
---

## Prompt 2: Recreate from a Screenshot
Attach a screenshot first, then paste this:

---
Recreate this carousel in Paper. Match the layout, colors, and typography as closely as possible. Each slide should be a 1080x1350 artboard. Use my screenshot as the style reference but change the content to be about "3 Tools Every Designer Needs".

Ask me some questions to better understand what I want to include in each slide.
---

## Prompt 3: Quick Generate (after saving .clinerules)
Once your rules file is saved, you only need one sentence:

---
Create a carousel about 3 tips for better sleep
---

## Prompt 4: Brand-Styled Carousel (Secret Mission)
After connecting Firecrawl:

---
Use Firecrawl to scrape the branding from https://www.nextwork.org (logo, colors, fonts). Then create a single 1080x1350 Instagram slide in Paper that says "WE LOVE NextWork" as a bold title. Use the actual logo URL you scraped as an img element at the top, and use their primary brand color as the background. Style the text with their brand fonts if available, otherwise fall back to a clean sans-serif.
---
  • Press Ctrl+S to save the file. Name it carousel-prompts.md and save it in your instagram-carousels folder.

What is in this file?

This file contains four reusable prompts. Prompt 1 generates a carousel from a topic you choose. Prompt 2 recreates a carousel from a screenshot reference. Prompt 3 is for quick generation once you have rules saved. Prompt 4 is for the Secret Mission later.

You will use Prompt 1 right now to generate your first carousel.

  • Copy the prompt text from Prompt 1 (everything between the two --- lines) in your carousel-prompts.md file.
  • Switch to the Cline chat panel by clicking the Cline icon in the left sidebar.
  • Paste the prompt into the Cline chat and press Enter:
Create an Instagram carousel in Paper about "5 morning habits that changed my life". Each slide should be a 1080x1350 artboard. I want a handwritten style on a notebook that looks like I've written with a pen.

- Slide 1: Bold hook title
- Middle slides: One point per slide with a number and short description
- Final slide: Call to action (Follow for more)

Add subtle styling like a thin border or accent color to tie the slides together.

Ask me some questions to better understand what I want to include in each slide.

What happens next?

Cline may ask you some clarifying questions about the carousel content. Answer them in plain English. Once Cline has enough information, it will start calling Paper Design's MCP tools to create artboards on your canvas.

Cline will ask for your approval before each MCP tool call. You will see a popup showing which tool Cline wants to use (such as create_artboard or write_html). Click Approve each time to let Cline proceed.

Speed up approvals

If you trust the Paper Design tools and want to skip clicking Approve repeatedly, you can enable auto-approve for MCP servers. Open Cline's settings, find the Auto Approve section, and toggle on Use MCP servers. This lets Cline use MCP tools without asking each time.

  • Watch your Paper Design canvas as Cline works. You should see 5 artboards appear one by one, each sized at 1080x1350px with a notebook/handwritten style.

Slides not appearing on your canvas?

Make sure Paper Design Desktop is still open with a file active. The MCP server only runs while Paper Design has a file open.

If Cline shows an error about the MCP connection, switch to Paper Design and confirm you still have a blank file open. Then try the prompt again.

Help me fix my Paper Design MCP connection

Export your carousel slides as images

Your 5 slides are sitting on the Paper Design canvas. Now you need to export them as image files you can upload to Instagram.

  • In the Cline chat, type the following message and press Enter:
Export each slide as a 2x PNG into my project folder.

Why 2x resolution?

Exporting at 2x means each 1080x1350 artboard produces a 2160x2700px PNG. This ensures your carousels look sharp on high-resolution phone screens. Instagram will downscale them, but the extra pixels prevent any blurriness.

  • Approve the MCP tool calls when Cline asks permission.
  • Once Cline confirms the export is complete, open your instagram-carousels folder on your Desktop in File Explorer to see your finished PNG files.

Don't see PNG files in your folder?

Check the Cline chat for any error messages. If Cline says it cannot find the project folder, remind it of the path by typing: "My project folder is at C:\Users\YourName\Desktop\instagram-carousels. Export the slides there."

Also confirm that all 5 slides exist on your Paper Design canvas before exporting. Cline can only export artboards that were successfully created.

Help me export my carousel slides

You should see 5 PNG files in your instagram-carousels folder. These are ready to upload to Instagram.

✔️ Awesome, I've got everything!

Great. Double check that you have 5 PNG files in your folder and that carousel-prompts.md is saved.

ⓧ I'd like to double check the full code

Here is the complete carousel-prompts.md file. Make sure yours matches:

# Sample Carousel Prompts

## Prompt 1: Generate from a Topic
Copy and paste this into Cline:

---
Create an Instagram carousel in Paper about "5 morning habits that changed my life". Each slide should be a 1080x1350 artboard. I want a handwritten style on a notebook that looks like I've written with a pen.

- Slide 1: Bold hook title
- Middle slides: One point per slide with a number and short description
- Final slide: Call to action (Follow for more)

Add subtle styling like a thin border or accent color to tie the slides together.

Ask me some questions to better understand what I want to include in each slide.
---

## Prompt 2: Recreate from a Screenshot
Attach a screenshot first, then paste this:

---
Recreate this carousel in Paper. Match the layout, colors, and typography as closely as possible. Each slide should be a 1080x1350 artboard. Use my screenshot as the style reference but change the content to be about "3 Tools Every Designer Needs".

Ask me some questions to better understand what I want to include in each slide.
---

## Prompt 3: Quick Generate (after saving .clinerules)
Once your rules file is saved, you only need one sentence:

---
Create a carousel about 3 tips for better sleep
---

## Prompt 4: Brand-Styled Carousel (Secret Mission)
After connecting Firecrawl:

---
Use Firecrawl to scrape the branding from https://www.nextwork.org (logo, colors, fonts). Then create a single 1080x1350 Instagram slide in Paper that says "WE LOVE NextWork" as a bold title. Use the actual logo URL you scraped as an img element at the top, and use their primary brand color as the background. Style the text with their brand fonts if available, otherwise fall back to a clean sans-serif.
---

You have a complete set of Instagram carousel images generated entirely by AI. Next up, you will recreate a carousel from a real-world reference screenshot to match an existing style.

Recreate a Carousel from a Screenshot

Your first carousel proved the pipeline works. Now you'll unlock a more powerful technique: using a real Instagram post as a style reference.

Instead of describing a style from scratch, you can show Cline exactly what you want by attaching a screenshot. Cline analyzes the layout, colors, and typography, then recreates a matching design with your own content on the Paper canvas.

In this step, get ready to:
  • Take a screenshot of a reference Instagram carousel.
  • Feed the screenshot to Cline with a recreation prompt.
  • Tweak and export a second set of carousel PNGs.
Take a screenshot of the reference carousel

You need a visual reference for Cline to analyze. You'll screenshot a real NextWork Instagram post so Cline can match its style.

  • Open your browser and navigate to this NextWork Instagram post:
  • https://www.instagram.com/p/DX8dDCDja-3
  • Scroll through the post and pick one or more slides you want to use as your style reference.
  • Press Windows+Shift+S to open the Snipping Tool overlay.
  • Drag to select the slide area you want to capture, then release.

What happens after the screenshot?

The screenshot is copied to your clipboard automatically. A notification also appears in the bottom-right corner of your screen. Click the notification to open the Snipping Tool editor, then press Ctrl+S to save the file to your instagram-carousels folder on the Desktop.

Saving to the project folder makes it easy to drag into Cline in the next substep.

  • In the Snipping Tool editor that opens, press Ctrl+S to save.
  • Navigate to your instagram-carousels folder on the Desktop and save the screenshot there (any filename is fine, such as reference.png).

Don't see the notification?

If the notification disappeared before you could click it, check your Pictures > Screenshots folder. On Windows 11 with auto-save enabled, your screenshot may already be saved there. Copy it into your instagram-carousels folder instead.

Alternatively, open Paint, press Ctrl+V to paste from clipboard, then save the file to your project folder.

Help me save my Snipping Tool screenshot to a specific folder.

Attach the screenshot and generate a new carousel

Now you'll feed the screenshot to Cline as a visual reference along with a prompt that tells it to recreate the style with different content.

  • Switch back to VS Code and open the Cline panel in the left sidebar.
  • Click the image attachment icon in the Cline chat (it looks like a paperclip or image icon at the bottom of the chat input). Alternatively, drag your reference.png file directly from the instagram-carousels folder into the Cline chat.
  • Paste the following recreation prompt into the Cline chat below the attached image:
Recreate this carousel in Paper. Match the layout, colors, and typography as closely as possible. Each slide should be a 1080x1350 artboard. Use my screenshot as the style reference but change the content to be about "3 Tools Every Designer Needs".

Ask me some questions to better understand what I want to include in each slide.

What does this prompt do?

This prompt gives Cline three clear instructions: match the visual style from your screenshot, use the correct Instagram dimensions (1080x1350), and swap in your own topic.

The final line asks Cline to clarify your content before building. This prevents wasted MCP calls on slides you'd immediately want to redo.

  • Press Enter to send the message.
  • Cline will ask you follow-up questions about what to include on each slide. Answer them in plain English (e.g., name the three tools you want to feature).
  • When Cline starts generating the carousel, it will request permission to use MCP tools. Click Approve for each tool call (or Approve All if available) to let it work.

Approve All saves time

Each slide requires multiple MCP calls to Paper Design. If Cline offers an Approve All option for the session, use it so you don't have to click approve 10-15 times.

Switch to your Paper Design window. You should see new artboards appearing on the canvas as Cline generates each slide.

Slides not appearing in Paper?

Make sure Paper Design is still open with your file active. The MCP server only runs while Paper has a file open.

If Cline shows an error about the MCP connection, switch to Paper Design, confirm it's running, then return to VS Code and retry the prompt.

Help me fix my Paper Design MCP connection in Cline.

Tweak and export the second carousel

AI-generated designs rarely land perfectly on the first try. The power of this workflow is that you can refine slides with plain English instructions instead of clicking through menus.

  • Review the slides on your Paper Design canvas. Look at the typography, spacing, and colors compared to your reference screenshot.
  • If anything needs adjusting, switch back to the Cline chat in VS Code and type your feedback in plain English. For example:
Make the title on slide 1 bigger and bolder. Change the background color on all slides to a lighter cream.

Why plain English works here

Cline translates your instructions into MCP tool calls that update the Paper canvas directly. You don't need to know CSS or design tool shortcuts. Say what you see wrong, and Cline fixes it.

  • Once you're happy with the result, ask Cline to export by typing this in the chat:
Export each slide as a 2x PNG into my project folder.
  • Open File Explorer and navigate to your instagram-carousels folder on the Desktop.
  • You should see new PNG files from your second carousel alongside the original set from the first carousel.

Export didn't produce any files?

Check that your VS Code workspace is still set to the instagram-carousels folder. Cline exports into the current workspace by default.

If Cline mentions it can't find the folder, try telling it the full path: Export each slide as a 2x PNG into C:\Users\YourName\Desktop\instagram-carousels.

Help me export my carousel slides as PNG files from Paper Design.

You now have two complete carousels generated by AI and exported as ready-to-post images. Next up, you'll save your workflow as a reusable rules file so future carousels take just one sentence to create.

Save a Reusable Cline Rules File

Your carousels look great, but each one required a long, detailed prompt specifying dimensions, style, and structure. What if you could get the same results with a single sentence?

A .clinerules file stores your preferences so Cline automatically applies them to every future request in the same project folder. In this step, you'll save your carousel style as a reusable rules file and prove it works with a one-sentence test.

In this step, get ready to:
  • Ask Cline to generate a rules file that captures your carousel preferences.
  • Review the generated file in VS Code.
  • Test the rules by generating a new carousel with just one sentence.
Ask Cline to generate a rules file

Every time you start a new Cline chat in this project folder, Cline automatically reads any .clinerules file at the root and follows whatever instructions are inside. You'll ask Cline to create one that captures everything about your carousel workflow.

  • In the Cline chat panel, type the following prompt and press Enter:
Create a .clinerules file in my project root that captures my carousel preferences: 1080x1350 artboards, the notebook style we used, the 5-slide structure (hook, 3 points, CTA), and the Paper MCP workflow. Make it so any future carousel prompt automatically follows these rules.
  • Cline will ask for permission to create the file. Click Approve (or Accept) when prompted.

What does .clinerules do?

Cline includes the contents of your .clinerules file in every API call it makes within the project. This means the AI always sees your preferences before it starts working, without you needing to repeat them.

Think of it like a brief for a designer. Instead of explaining your brand guidelines every time, you hand them the brief once and they follow it going forward.

Cline created the file in the wrong location?

The file must be in the root of your instagram-carousels folder (not inside a subfolder). Check the VS Code Explorer sidebar to confirm .clinerules appears at the top level alongside carousel-prompts.md.

If it ended up elsewhere, tell Cline: "Move the .clinerules file to my project root." Help me fix the .clinerules file location

Review the rules file in VS Code

Cline generated the file for you, but you should always review AI-generated rules to make sure they match your preferences.

  • In the VS Code Explorer sidebar, click .clinerules to open it in the editor.
  • Read through the file and confirm it includes sections for slide dimensions, slide structure, visual style, the MCP workflow, and behavior rules.

What should I see in the file?

Your .clinerules file should contain sections covering:

  • Carousel Specifications (1080x1350px, 2x PNG export, 5 slides).
  • Slide Structure (hook, content slides, CTA).
  • Visual Style (notebook aesthetic, warm background, dark text).
  • MCP Workflow (which Paper Design tools to use and in what order).
  • Behavior (ask clarifying questions, always use Paper Design, offer to export).

Hidden files on Windows

Files starting with a dot (like .clinerules) are considered hidden files. If you don't see it in File Explorer, click View in the top menu bar, then Show, then Hidden items. In VS Code's Explorer sidebar, dotfiles appear by default.

✔️ Awesome, I've got everything!

Great. Make sure you've saved the file if you made any edits.

ⓧ I'd like to double check the full code

Here's what your .clinerules file should look like. Cline may have produced slightly different wording, but the structure and key details should match:

# Instagram Carousel Generator Rules

## Carousel Specifications
- **Slide Dimensions**: 1080x1350px (Instagram portrait 4:5 ratio)
- **Export Resolution**: 2x PNG
- **Number of Slides**: 5 (unless specified otherwise)

## Slide Structure
1. **Slide 1 (Hook)**: Bold, attention-grabbing title that makes people swipe
2. **Slides 2-4 (Content)**: One point per slide with a number and short description
3. **Slide 5 (CTA)**: Call to action - "Follow for more" or similar

## Visual Style
- Handwritten/notebook aesthetic
- Warm paper background texture (light beige/cream)
- Dark ink-colored text for readability
- Thin accent border or line to tie slides together
- Clean sans-serif or handwriting-style font
- Consistent color palette across all slides

## MCP Workflow
- Use Paper Design MCP tools to create artboards
- Create each slide as a separate 1080x1350 artboard
- Use write_html to add styled HTML/CSS content to each artboard
- Use get_basic_info to check canvas state before creating new slides
- After creation, offer to export as 2x PNG files to the project folder

## Behavior
- When asked to create a carousel, follow the structure above
- Ask clarifying questions about the topic if needed
- Always create slides in Paper Design (never as local HTML files)
- After generating, ask if the user wants to tweak any slides
- When exporting, save PNGs to the current project folder
Test the rules with a one-sentence prompt

The whole point of saving rules is that you never have to write a detailed prompt again. Time to prove it works.

  • In the Cline chat, type the following short prompt and press Enter:
Create a carousel about 3 tips for better sleep
  • Approve the MCP tool calls when Cline asks permission.
  • Watch your Paper Design canvas as new artboards appear.

What should I see?

Without specifying any dimensions, style, or structure, Cline should produce 5 new 1080x1350 artboards in Paper Design using the notebook style. The slides should follow the hook, content, CTA structure from your rules file.

If Cline asks clarifying questions about the topic before generating (like what the 3 tips should be), that's the Behavior section of your rules file working correctly.

  • Confirm the new carousel has 5 slides with the notebook style and 1080x1350 dimensions on the Paper Design canvas.

Cline ignored the rules and asked for dimensions?

Make sure .clinerules is in the root of the folder currently open in VS Code. Cline only reads rules from the active workspace root.

If your workspace is correct, try starting a new Cline task by clicking the + icon in the Cline panel. A fresh task reloads the rules file from the start. Help me troubleshoot why Cline isn't following my .clinerules file

You now have a one-sentence carousel generator. Your .clinerules file means any future carousel topic gets the same professional treatment automatically. Next up, the Secret Mission takes your system even further by connecting a second MCP server for live brand scraping.

Secret mission

Connect Firecrawl for Brand Scraping

Your carousel pipeline is powerful, but every slide uses generic colors and placeholder branding. What if Cline could scrape a real company's logo and brand colors from the web, then inject them directly into your carousel? In this secret mission, you'll connect Firecrawl as a second MCP server to make that happen.

Clean Up Your Resources

Clean Up Your Resources

This project runs entirely on free tools with no ongoing monetary costs. Paper Design's free tier includes 100 MCP tool calls per week, which resets automatically.

Decide whether to keep your resources running, pause them to come back later, or delete them entirely.

Resources you used:

  • instagram-carousels folder on your Desktop (project files, exported PNGs, .clinerules, carousel-prompts.md).
  • Paper Design Desktop application (runs the MCP server on http://127.0.0.1:29979/mcp).
  • Cline VS Code extension (connects to Gemini and MCP servers).
  • Gemini API key in Google AI Studio.
  • Node.js installation (required for MCP server connections).

Keep everything running

No action needed. Choose this if you're still actively building carousels or experimenting with prompts.

  • Your instagram-carousels folder, .clinerules file, and exported PNGs stay on disk.
  • Paper Design's free tier resets to 100 MCP tool calls each week.
  • Your Gemini API key remains active on the free tier with no charges.
  • Node.js remains installed on your system for future projects.

Pause - I'll come back to this later

Shut down running processes to free up memory. Your project files stay on disk for when you return.

  • Close Paper Design Desktop. This stops the MCP server and frees memory.
  • Close VS Code if you don't need it for other work.
  • Your instagram-carousels folder, rules file, and exported PNGs remain on your Desktop.
  • When you're ready to resume, open Paper Design, then open VS Code with your instagram-carousels folder. The MCP connection restores automatically.

Delete - I don't want to use this again

Remove all project resources and start fresh. Follow each step below.

  • Delete your project folder by opening a terminal in VS Code and running:
  • Uninstall Paper Design Desktop. Press the Windows key, type Add or remove programs, press Enter. Find Paper Design in the list, click it, then click Uninstall.
  • Remove the Cline extension. In VS Code, open the Extensions sidebar (Ctrl+Shift+X). Find Cline in your installed extensions, click the gear icon next to it, then click Uninstall.
  • Delete your Gemini API key. Open aistudio.google.com in your browser. Click Get API Key in the left sidebar. Find your key in the list, click the trash icon next to it, and confirm deletion.
  • Uninstall Node.js. Press the Windows key, type Add or remove programs, press Enter. Find Node.js in the list, click it, then click Uninstall.
cd %USERPROFILE%\Desktop
rmdir /s /q instagram-carousels

What about your Firecrawl account?

Your Firecrawl free account has no ongoing costs and no documented account deletion path. You can leave it as-is. If you want to revoke access, log in to firecrawl.dev and delete your API key from the dashboard.

That's a Wrap!

That's a Wrap!

Nice work! You just built an AI-powered Instagram carousel system using 100% free, open-source tools on Windows.

You've learned how to:

  • Connected Cline to Paper Design via MCP, giving a free AI agent direct access to a design canvas.
  • Generated a full 5-slide Instagram carousel with professional styling using a single prompt.
  • Created a reusable .clinerules file that lets you generate new carousels with one sentence.
  • Connected Firecrawl as a second MCP server to scrape live brand assets and inject real logos and colors into carousel slides.

Ready to quiz yourself?