Roo Code Review: VS Code AI Coding Extension (2026)
Roo Code is an autonomous AI coding agent extension for Visual Studio Code, forked from Cline to prioritize experimental features and aggressive updates. It operates on a “Bring Your Own Key” (BYOK) model, supporting multiple LLM providers including Anthropic, OpenAI, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, and local models via Ollama.
Quick Answer
Roo Code is a free VS Code extension that transforms your editor into an autonomous AI agent capable of multi-file refactoring, terminal execution, and self-healing. Unlike Cursor’s managed service, Roo Code offers full transparency (visible prompts, costs, context usage) and supports any model via BYOK. The $99/month Roo Code Cloud adds team collaboration and remote agents. Best for developers who want Cursor-style autonomy without vendor lock-in.
What is Roo Code?
Roo Code originated as a fork of the open-source Cline project, diverging to serve “power user” developers who demanded:
- Faster feature shipping (multiple updates per week)
- Experimental capabilities (Auto-Approve, custom Modes)
- Granular control over AI behavior
- Local-first privacy with Ollama integration
Core Philosophy
Roo Code assumes the user is a competent pilot requiring a powerful engine, not a black-box assistant. The “developer-first” ethos prioritizes:
- Transparency: Every prompt, cost, and context usage is visible
- Control: Auto-approval settings, custom Modes, BYOK flexibility
- Sovereignty: Local inference, air-gapped operation, zero telemetry
Key Features
1. The Agentic Loop
Roo Code executes a recursive Thought → Plan → Act → Observe cycle:
- Analysis (Thought): Analyzes natural language request
- Strategy (Plan): Formulates step-by-step plan
- Execution (Act): Uses Native Tools or MCP tools
- Verification (Observe): Reads output, self-corrects if errors occur
Autonomous Debugging: If tests fail, Roo Code reads stderr, hypothesizes the cause, applies a fix, and re-runs—looping until success or user intervention.
2. Model Agnostic BYOK
Supports virtually any LLM provider:
| Provider | Models | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropic | Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Opus | Top-tier coding, 1M context (Vertex AI) |
| OpenAI | GPT-4o, o1, Codex Max | Long-horizon planning, “Reasoning Effort” levels |
| Gemini Pro 1.5, Flash 2.0 | 2M token context for whole-codebase analysis | |
| DeepSeek | V3, R1 (Reasoner) | Cost-effective refactoring, interleaved thinking |
| Local | Llama 3, Qwen 2.5 (via Ollama) | Air-gapped privacy, no API costs |
3. Context Management
Sliding Window + Condensing:
- As conversations grow, Roo Code summarizes older turns
- Retains semantic essence (“User switched to Tailwind”) while discarding verbose text
- Non-Destructive Truncation (v3.36+): Full conversation history stored locally; “rewind” to any checkpoint restores complete context
RAG Indexing:
- Local embedding generation (configurable: OpenAI, Gemini, Ollama)
- Vector storage in Qdrant database
- Semantic search via
@codebasewith adjustable score threshold
4. The “Modes” System
Specialized agent personas with distinct permissions:
Standard Modes:
- Code Mode: General-purpose software engineer (read/write/execute)
- Architect Mode: Read-only planner (generates specs, no edits)
- Ask Mode: Strictly informational Q&A (read-only)
- Debug Mode: Log analysis and error tracing
Custom Modes:
Define via YAML/JSON in .roo/rules-{modeSlug}:
slug: security-auditor
name: "Security Auditor"
roleDefinition: "Expert security engineer specializing in OWASP Top 10"
groups: [read, execute-limited]
customInstructions: "Prioritize XSS/CSRF vectors. Only output to /audit-reports"
JTG Systems Library: Community repository with 171+ specialized agents (QA Engineer, Vue.js Specialist, etc.).
Model Context Protocol (MCP)
Roo Code is a first-class MCP Client, transforming VS Code into a development control plane.
Database Management
Supabase MCP:
- Manage projects, auth, tables, Edge Functions
- Security Risk: Production DB access requires
--read-onlyflag - Use Case: “Create migration adding bio column to users table”
PostgreSQL MCP:
- Inspect schemas, run queries
- Unrestricted Mode for local dev, Restricted Mode for production
Infrastructure
AWS MCP:
- Query EC2 status, list S3 buckets, retrieve CloudWatch logs
- Use Case: “Check latest error logs for order-processor lambda”
Vercel MCP:
- Trigger deployments, manage env vars, analyze build logs
- Use Case: “Deploy to Vercel, fix build errors, redeploy”
Browser Automation
Playwright MCP:
- Launch headless/headed browser
- Navigate URLs, click elements, fill forms, screenshots
- Use Case: “Go to localhost:3000 and verify login form”
Persistent Context
Memory Bank MCP:
- Maintains Markdown files (projectbrief.md, activeContext.md)
- Agent reads on startup, updates progress
- Creates persistent “long-term memory” across sessions
Developer Experience
Installation & Setup
- VS Code Marketplace or Open VSX Registry (for VSCodium)
- BYOK Configuration: Select provider, enter API key, choose model
- Local Setup:
ollama serve→ point Roo Code tohttp://localhost:11434
Chat Interface
- Drag & Drop: Upload screenshots/mockups for vision model analysis
- Context Mentions:
@file,@problemsfor targeted assistance - Terminal Integration: Execute commands directly; Auto-Approve for rapid iteration
Security Modes
- Vigilant Mode: Limits file access to current workspace
- Auto-Approve: Unrestricted autonomous execution (use with caution)
Framework Performance
Web Development (Golden Path)
- High Fidelity: Excellent for React, Next.js, Tailwind CSS
- Vercel Deployment: Full lifecycle via Vercel MCP
- Migration: Next.js server component errors → agent reads logs → adds
'use client'→ redeploys
Mobile Development (Higher Friction)
- Flutter: Early struggles with Dart indexing (improved with tree-sitter)
- Visual Limitation: Cannot see emulator screens (user uploads screenshots)
- React Native: Strong JSX but fragile Metro bundler/CocoaPods integration
Enterprise Java
- Spring Boot: Strong typing helps, but verbosity consumes context rapidly
- Cost Consideration: Legacy refactor can consume 50k tokens → expensive
- Optimization: Use Context Condensing + cheaper models (DeepSeek, Gemini Flash)
Roo Code Cloud
Features
Roomote: Control IDE agent remotely via Slack or GitHub
@Roomote fix typo in header→ Agent edits code, runs tests, pushes commit, replies
Cloud Agents: Always-on agents for:
- PR Reviewer: Auto-review every PR against style guides
- QA Bot: Generate tests for new features
Economics
| Tier | Price | Compute | Inference | |——|——-|———|———–| | Extension | Free | N/A | User’s API costs | | Cloud Team | $99/mo (flat) | $5/hour via credits | Passed through |
Disruptive Pricing: Flat $99/mo for unlimited users vs. $19/user/mo (Cursor Team) or $40/user/mo (Copilot Business). Aligns costs with work performed.
Roo Code vs. Competitors
| Feature | Roo Code | Cursor | GitHub Copilot | Windsurf |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | VS Code Extension | Forked IDE | VS Code Extension | Forked IDE |
| Model Strategy | Agnostic (BYOK) | Managed (Claude/GPT) | Managed (GPT/Codex) | Managed (Cascade) |
| Autonomy | High (File/Term/Browser) | Medium (Composer) | Low (Chat/Complete) | Medium (Flow) |
| Connectivity | High (MCP Client) | Medium | Low | Medium |
| Privacy | High (Local/Ollama) | Medium (Cloud Sync) | Medium (Telemetry) | Medium |
| Cost Model | Free + API Costs | Subscription ($20/mo) | Subscription ($10/mo) | Subscription ($15/mo) |
Roo Code vs. Cursor
- Cursor Edge: Superior Tab autocomplete, deeper UI integration, polished UX
- Roo Code Edge: Transparency, control, support for any model (including DeepSeek R1 via OpenRouter), more mature MCP integration
Roo Code vs. Cline
- Difference: Innovation velocity
- Roo Code: Ships experimental features faster (early adopter)
- Cline: Stability-focused roadmap (pragmatist)
Second-Order Insights
The “Model Arbitrage” Economy
Users create complex Model Routing strategies:
- Use Gemini Flash/Haiku for context gathering (cheap)
- Switch to Opus/o1 for architectural decisions (expensive)
- Roo Code profiles enable 70-80% cost reduction vs. flat-rate subscriptions
The Rise of the “AI Engineer”
Shift from “Writing” to “Reviewing”:
- Verification Fatigue: Reviewing thousands of lines of AI-generated code
- Auto-Approve Trade-off: High-trust environments enable full autonomy
- Future: Better Verification UI—automated test generation, visual diffs
The MCP Network Effect
Roo Code is becoming the “Browser” for the MCP web:
- Every new MCP server instantly increases Roo Code’s value
- No engineering effort required from Roo Code team
- Strong moat against proprietary IDEs with fixed integrations
Best For
- Power users demanding transparency and control
- Privacy-first developers requiring air-gapped operation
- BYOK advocates with existing API contracts
- MCP early adopters building custom integrations
- Teams wanting flat-fee pricing vs. per-seat licensing
Avoid For
- Developers wanting zero-setup (requires configuration)
- Enterprises requiring managed compliance (use Cursor Enterprise)
- Users prioritizing UX polish over flexibility (Cursor is more polished)
FAQ
Is Roo Code completely free?
The extension is free and open-source. You pay only for:
- Your own API usage (BYOK model)
- $99/month for Roo Code Cloud Team (unlimited users)
- Optional $5/hour compute credits for cloud agents
What’s the difference between Roo Code and Cline?
Roo Code forked from Cline to ship experimental features faster. Cline maintains a conservative, stability-focused roadmap. Roo Code is for early adopters; Cline is for pragmatists.
Can Roo Code run completely offline?
Yes. Connect to Ollama running local models (Llama 3, Qwen 2.5). No code ever leaves your machine for indexing or inference.
Does Roo Code work with Cursor?
Roo Code is a VS Code extension, not a Cursor plugin. However, you can:
- Use Roo Code in VS Code/JetBrains
- Use Cursor’s managed AI separately
- Run Roo Code with local models alongside Cursor for comparison