Roo Code

What is Roo Code?

Roo Code is an AI coding agent for VS Code that began as a fork of Cline under the name Roo Cline. The fork was created to give developers more control over how the agent behaves, and it quickly grew its own community of users who wanted deeper customization.

The headline feature is modes. Instead of one generic agent, Roo Code lets you switch between roles like Architect, Code, Ask and Debug, each with its own system prompt, allowed tools and workflow. You can even create your own modes with custom instructions, which makes the agent adaptable to your team's conventions.

Like its parent project, it runs with your own API keys across many model providers, and every action the agent takes is shown for your approval.

Key Features

• Customizable modes with different roles, prompts and tool access
• Autonomous multi-step task execution in VS Code
• Works with many model providers via your own API keys
• Permission controls for every action the agent takes
• Diff previews and checkpoints for reviewing changes
• Voice input for dictating tasks
• MCP (Model Context Protocol) support for connecting external tools
• Active community with frequent releases

How to get started

Install Roo Code from the VS Code marketplace and add your API key in settings. Open a project, pick a mode that fits the task, and describe what you want done. The agent will propose steps and wait for your approval before touching anything.

• Install the Roo Code extension from the VS Code marketplace
• Add your API key for your model provider
• Open your project and choose a mode, like Code or Architect
• Describe the task in the chat panel
• Review and approve each action, then check the final diff

Use cases

• Architecting a feature before writing any code
• Implementing changes with a mode tuned to your coding style
• Debugging issues with a mode focused on investigation
• Asking questions about the codebase in Ask mode
• Creating custom team modes that encode your conventions
• Automating repetitive edits across a repository

Pricing and licensing

Roo Code is free and open source under the Apache 2.0 license. The core extension costs nothing and you bring your own model API keys, so your main cost is model usage.

The project also offers optional paid plans with extra features and support for users who want them. Check the official website for the current plan details.

Pros and cons

Roo Code's biggest strength is flexibility. The mode system lets you fine-tune the agent's behavior in ways few other tools match, and being a fork of Cline means it inherited a proven autonomous agent foundation. The community is active and the project releases frequently.

The trade-offs are that the extra customization comes with a learning curve, and like all autonomous agents, it can consume tokens on trial and error. If you prefer a simpler, opinionated tool, the extra knobs may feel like overhead.

Alternatives

• Cline: the original open-source autonomous agent it forked from
• Kilo Code: AI coding agent for VS Code and JetBrains
• Continue: open-source AI assistant for VS Code and JetBrains
• Aider: AI pair programming in the terminal
• OpenCode: open-source terminal AI coding agent