Roo Code

Roo Code is the open-source AI coding agent for VS Code built around specialized agent modes: Code mode for implementation tasks, Architect mode for system design and high-level planning, and Debug mode for diagnosing and fixing issues. Originally forked from Cline and developed independently by Roo Code Inc., the extension reached 24,100 GitHub stars and 1.56 million VS Code installs before the company archived the repository on May 15, 2026. As of that date, the Roo-Code GitHub repository is read-only with no further development planned from the original team. The roocode.com domain now redirects to Roomote, a new Slack-based AI engineering product from the same company that handles operational interrupt work and is unrelated to the VS Code extension. The Roo Code extension remains installable from the VS Code Marketplace and fully functional for existing users. The Apache-2.0 license means the community can fork and continue development independently. The specialized mode architecture remains the core differentiator: rather than a single general-purpose AI chat interface, Roo Code provided distinct modes with tailored prompts, tool permissions, and context-handling strategies optimized for each developer workflow type. Code mode handles implementation, Architect mode handles system design decisions, and Debug mode handles diagnosis and issue isolation. Each mode produces materially more focused output than general-purpose AI assistants for its specific workflow type. Pricing is and has always been fully free: Roo Code itself carries no subscription fee, with users paying only for AI inference through their chosen provider via BYOK. The platform supported over 50 model providers including Anthropic Claude, OpenAI GPT, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, and local models via Ollama and LM Studio, with any OpenAI-compatible API endpoint also supported. This model-agnostic architecture allowed developers to optimize cost and capability per task: Claude for complex reasoning, DeepSeek for cost-sensitive operations, and local models for privacy-sensitive codebases where cloud inference is restricted. Roo Code is not the right fit for teams that need commercial support, SLA guarantees, or compliance certifications. The extension carries no SOC 2, HIPAA, or equivalent certifications. With the original development team having moved to Roomote, teams evaluating Roo Code for new production deployments should also evaluate Cline (62,100 stars, actively maintained, similar architecture) or OpenCode (163,000 stars, actively maintained, multi-account support). Both provide comparable open-source BYOK coding agent capabilities with active development teams behind them. Current state Q2 2026: Roo Code Inc. archived the Roo-Code GitHub repository on May 15, 2026. The final release was v3.54.0. The repository has 24,100 stars, 3,300 forks, and 7,073 commits representing active development up to the archive date. The roocode.com domain now redirects to Roomote, a new Roo Code Inc. product that operates in Slack as an AI engineer for operational interrupt work: bug reports, support escalations, QA regressions, and repo questions. Roomote is a completely different product category, currently in early access with no public pricing, and does not replace Roo Code as a VS Code coding agent. The Roo Code VS Code extension remains available in the VS Code Marketplace under Apache-2.0 licensing. Community forks may continue development independently.

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