Since the commercialization of lithiumion batteries (LIBs) in 1990s, as the most successful anode material, graphite has reached its theoretical specific capacity of 372 mAh g −1 . [3] To fulfill the rapidgrowing demands for high energy density and power density, lithium metal with an extremely high theoretical capacity of 3861 mAh g −1 and the lowest electrode potential (−3.04 V vs standard hydrogen electrode) has been expected to substitute the traditional anode material for nextgeneration Li-based battery technologies such as lithium-air batteries, lithiumsulfur batteries, and all-solid-state lithium batteries. [4][5][6] However, the practical utilization of the lithium metal anode is significantly hindered by the safety issue arising from the growth of lithium dendrites in charge/discharge processes.Dendrite-free charging via controllable Li deposition could be ideal for overcoming this inherent barrier for the commercial-scale application of the Li metal anode. With the in-depth understanding of the formation mechanism of lithium dendrites in recent years, various strategies such as the formation of lithium alloys, [7][8][9] the design of three-dimensional current collectors, [10,11] the utilization of lithiophilic matrix to guide lithium deposition, [12][13][14] the formation of artificial solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), [15][16][17][18] the addition of electrolyte additives [19,20] and solid electrolytes have been proposed. However, the use of expensive raw materials such as transition metal-containing inorganic salts or precious metals could undoubtedly increase the production cost. Moreover, sophisticated strategies such as electrospinning and template synthesis methods demands complicated instrumentation and time-consuming fabrication process to construct lithium metal protection layer, which is not economically viable. To this end, the construction of dendrite-free, controllable Li deposition via a simple and cost-effective remains challenging and highly desirable for Li-based batteries. It is established that LiF, as an important component in SEI, is beneficial for the homogeneous deposition of lithium ions. [21] Analogous to LiF, other lithium salts including halides (e.g., chlorides, iodides and bromides) are also favorable to establish stable SEI layers in Lithium metal is considered as an ideal substitute to low-capacity carbon anodes for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) given its ultra-high theoretical specific capacity of 3860 mAh g −1 and the lowest electrochemical potential. However, safety issues stem from the uncontrollable formation and growth of lithium dendrites, which severely plague the practical application of the Li anode. Here, a multi-functional protection layer, prepared by a one-step spincoating of CuCl 2 N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidone (NMP) solution on a lithium metal surface is constructed. The as-prepared protective layer has a variable porous morphology that consists of a conductive lithium-copper alloy and electrochemically active CuCl, which proactively facilitates the ...