Roo Code — AI Coding Team Inside VS Code

Roo Code Features & Architecture

Built-in Agent Modes

Roo Code ships with 5 specialized modes, each with different tool permissions:

Custom Modes

Create your own agent personas with:

• Custom system prompts
• Scoped file/folder access
• Selective tool permissions (edit, terminal, browser, MCP)
• Model override per mode

MCP Integration

Roo Code supports Model Context Protocol (MCP) for connecting external tools:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"]
    }
  }
}

Boomerang Tasks

Break complex challenges into subtasks that automatically route to the right agent mode. The orchestrator agent delegates work, collects results, and synthesizes the final output.

Cloud Agents

Run Roo Code agents 24/7 in the cloud via:

• Slack integration — trigger coding tasks from Slack messages
• GitHub integration — auto-respond to issues and PRs
• Agents work autonomously, commit code, and report back

Multi-Provider Support

Compatible with 100+ AI models:

• OpenAI (GPT-4, GPT-4o)
• Anthropic (Claude 4.5, Claude 4.6)
• Google (Gemini 2.5)
• Local models via Ollama, LM Studio, vLLM
• Azure, AWS Bedrock, OpenRouter

Browser Control

Built-in browser for:

• Testing web applications
• Capturing screenshots
• Running end-to-end tests
• Debugging visual issues

FAQ

Q: What is Roo Code? A: Roo Code is a free, open-source VS Code extension that provides multiple AI agent modes (Code, Architect, Debug, Ask, Custom) with MCP support and 100+ model providers. It's the most customizable AI coding assistant for VS Code.

Q: How is Roo Code different from Cline? A: Roo Code was forked from Cline and adds custom modes with scoped permissions, Boomerang task orchestration, cloud agents, and more granular configuration. Cline focuses on a single autonomous agent; Roo Code provides a team of specialized agents.

Q: Is Roo Code free? A: Yes, completely free and open-source under Apache-2.0. You bring your own API keys for the AI providers you use.