SkillsMay 7, 2026·5 min read

Roo Code Modes — Architect, Code, Ask & Debug Agents

Roo Code's Modes feature splits the agent into 4 specialists with their own prompts and tool whitelists. Boomerang task delegation between modes built in.

Roo Code
Roo Code · Community
Agent ready

This asset can be read and installed directly by agents

TokRepo exposes a universal CLI command, install contract, metadata JSON, adapter-aware plan, and raw content links so agents can judge fit, risk, and next actions.

Needs Confirmation · 66/100Policy: confirm
Agent surface
Any MCP/CLI agent
Kind
Skill
Install
Single
Trust
Trust: New
Entrypoint
Asset
Universal CLI install command
npx tokrepo install 209beeb5-45d7-49e2-af7f-8f7328d296d5
install contractmetadata JSONadapter planraw content
Intro

Roo Code's Modes are scoped agent personalities — Architect (plans without editing), Code (edits files), Ask (read-only Q&A), Debug (root-cause investigation). Each mode has its own system prompt and tool whitelist, so you don't get an architect that touches files or a debugger that adds new dependencies. Best for: teams who want clean separation between planning and execution. Works with: Roo Code in VS Code, Cursor (via .roomodes config). Setup time: 30 seconds.

The 4 default modes

Mode What it does Tools allowed
Architect Reads code, plans changes, writes design docs read-only + create design files
Code Edits code based on a plan read + write + execute
Ask Answers questions about the codebase read-only
Debug Investigates a bug systematically read + selective execute (no edits)

Switch with Cmd+Shift+P → Roo Code: Switch Mode or the dropdown in the chat panel.

Custom modes

Create .roomodes in your repo to add project-specific modes:

customModes:
  - slug: security-auditor
    name: Security Auditor
    roleDefinition: |
      You are a security auditor. Read code, identify OWASP Top 10
      vulnerabilities, and produce a severity-classified report.
      Never modify files.
    groups:
      - read
      - mcp
    customInstructions: |
      Output findings as a markdown table: severity | file:line | issue | fix.
      Cite the OWASP category for each finding.

  - slug: pr-reviewer
    name: PR Reviewer
    roleDefinition: |
      You are a senior reviewer. Read git diff, flag bugs and style issues,
      suggest improvements. Never modify files.
    groups:
      - read
    customInstructions: |
      Use git CLI to read the diff. Output a markdown review comment.

Boomerang task delegation

Modes work together via Boomerang — Architect plans, then delegates to Code via the new_task tool. The Code mode finishes, then "boomerangs" results back to Architect for verification. One human prompt drives a multi-mode workflow.

FAQ

Q: Is Roo Code free? A: Yes. Roo Code is open-source under Apache-2.0 license. You bring your own LLM API key (Claude / OpenAI / Bedrock / OpenRouter / etc) and pay for inference.

Q: How is this different from Cline? A: Roo Code forked from Cline in 2025 and added Modes, Boomerang task delegation, and custom mode definitions. Cline still works on a single-mode model. Both share the .clinerules / .roomodes format.

Q: Can I use modes in Cursor? A: Roo Code is its own VS Code extension. Cursor has a similar feature called Custom Modes (Cursor v0.45+) that uses a different config format. The .roomodes file in this asset is Roo-specific.

Quick Use

  1. Install Roo Code from VS Code marketplace (search 'Roo Code')
  2. Open the chat panel, click the mode dropdown — switch between Architect / Code / Ask / Debug
  3. To add custom modes, save the .roomodes template below to your repo root

Intro

Roo Code's Modes are scoped agent personalities — Architect (plans without editing), Code (edits files), Ask (read-only Q&A), Debug (root-cause investigation). Each mode has its own system prompt and tool whitelist, so you don't get an architect that touches files or a debugger that adds new dependencies. Best for: teams who want clean separation between planning and execution. Works with: Roo Code in VS Code, Cursor (via .roomodes config). Setup time: 30 seconds.

The 4 default modes

Mode What it does Tools allowed
Architect Reads code, plans changes, writes design docs read-only + create design files
Code Edits code based on a plan read + write + execute
Ask Answers questions about the codebase read-only
Debug Investigates a bug systematically read + selective execute (no edits)

Switch with Cmd+Shift+P → Roo Code: Switch Mode or the dropdown in the chat panel.

Custom modes

Create .roomodes in your repo to add project-specific modes:

customModes:
  - slug: security-auditor
    name: Security Auditor
    roleDefinition: |
      You are a security auditor. Read code, identify OWASP Top 10
      vulnerabilities, and produce a severity-classified report.
      Never modify files.
    groups:
      - read
      - mcp
    customInstructions: |
      Output findings as a markdown table: severity | file:line | issue | fix.
      Cite the OWASP category for each finding.

  - slug: pr-reviewer
    name: PR Reviewer
    roleDefinition: |
      You are a senior reviewer. Read git diff, flag bugs and style issues,
      suggest improvements. Never modify files.
    groups:
      - read
    customInstructions: |
      Use git CLI to read the diff. Output a markdown review comment.

Boomerang task delegation

Modes work together via Boomerang — Architect plans, then delegates to Code via the new_task tool. The Code mode finishes, then "boomerangs" results back to Architect for verification. One human prompt drives a multi-mode workflow.

FAQ

Q: Is Roo Code free? A: Yes. Roo Code is open-source under Apache-2.0 license. You bring your own LLM API key (Claude / OpenAI / Bedrock / OpenRouter / etc) and pay for inference.

Q: How is this different from Cline? A: Roo Code forked from Cline in 2025 and added Modes, Boomerang task delegation, and custom mode definitions. Cline still works on a single-mode model. Both share the .clinerules / .roomodes format.

Q: Can I use modes in Cursor? A: Roo Code is its own VS Code extension. Cursor has a similar feature called Custom Modes (Cursor v0.45+) that uses a different config format. The .roomodes file in this asset is Roo-specific.

Source & Thanks

Built by Roo Code. Licensed under Apache-2.0.

RooCodeInc/Roo-Code — ⭐ 16,000+

🙏

Source & Thanks

Built by Roo Code. Licensed under Apache-2.0.

RooCodeInc/Roo-Code — ⭐ 16,000+

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