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Roo Code was an open-source AI coding agent for Visual Studio Code, but it is no longer an active extension. Roo Code’s official documentation and Marketplace listing say, “The Roo Code Extension was shut down on May 15th,” and the documentation points readers to ZooCode, described as a community fork, and to Cline. Those pages do not establish that either successor is currently maintained or officially supported, so verify availability and security practices before adopting one.
What was Roo Code?
Roo Code was a VS Code extension designed to act on a software project rather than merely answer questions. According to its official FAQ, it could read and write project files, execute shell commands, browse the web when enabled, and connect to external tools through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Documented use cases included generating code, refactoring, debugging, writing documentation, answering questions about a codebase, automating tasks, and creating files or projects.
That agent model is more powerful—and riskier—than inline autocomplete. A request could result in proposed edits across several files or a terminal command. The product’s own guidance said users should review changes, expect mistakes, and approve terminal commands unless auto-approval was enabled.
Is Roo Code still available?
No current availability should be assumed. The official shutdown notice and Marketplace listing state that the extension shut down on May 15, 2026. The documentation names ZooCode as a community fork and Cline as an alternative, but the cited material does not verify their present maintenance, security support, compatibility, or official endorsement. Treat installation instructions found elsewhere as historical unless you can confirm that the extension is still distributed and maintained.
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How Roo Code was organized
Modes
The documented modes were selected from the chat dropdown or with a slash command:
| Mode | Documented purpose |
|---|---|
| Code | Everyday coding and file operations. |
| Architect | Planning systems, specifications, and migrations before implementation. |
| Ask | Quick answers and explanations without necessarily changing files. |
| Debug | Tracing issues, isolating causes, and working through a fix. |
| Custom | Specialized workflows defined by the user. |
These descriptions come from the official FAQ and Marketplace materials; they are documented capabilities, not results from an independent benchmark.
Project controls and integrations
.roorules: project guidelines intended to shape the agent’s behavior..rooignore: file-access controls for excluding paths from the agent.- Profiles and custom modes: separate configurations and task-specific instructions.
- MCP: connections to external tools and data sources.
- Approval controls: review gates for edits and shell commands, with optional auto-approval.
- Context condensing: reducing a long conversation’s context when needed.
The feature guide marked custom tools and concurrent file edits as experimental. “Experimental” should not be read as a reliability or security guarantee.
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How inference, providers, and cost worked
The extension itself was described in the FAQ as free and open source. AI inference was not universally free: the provider guide said hosted providers typically charged according to processed tokens, with the exact cost depending on the provider and model. The documented provider list included Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter, Google Gemini, AWS Bedrock, and others. Ollama and LM Studio were listed for local-model setups. That provider page was last updated May 15, 2026, so its list is historical documentation, not a promise of current compatibility.
Hosted models versus local models
| Decision factor | Hosted provider | Local model |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Usually usage- or token-based billing by the selected provider. | No provider token bill is described, but you supply and operate the local model environment. |
| Privacy | Prompts and relevant project context may be sent to the selected provider under that provider’s terms. | The privacy policy says local models can avoid third-party transmission. |
| Capability | Depends on the provider and model chosen. | Depends on the model and the computer running it; the documentation does not specify a required GPU or machine. |
| Setup and availability | Requires an account or API credentials and a currently compatible provider. | Requires compatible local-model software such as the historically documented Ollama or LM Studio setup. |
No current model prices or independent ranking of providers is established by the available documentation. Compare a provider’s present pricing, retention terms, regional availability, and model capability before sending production code.
Privacy and security risks
Roo Code’s privacy policy said relevant files, prompts, and project context could be transmitted to the model provider you selected. The provider’s own terms governed how that material could be processed or stored. API keys were described as stored locally and sent only to the selected provider. The policy, last updated September 11, 2025, described telemetry as including a VS Code machine ID, feature-usage patterns, and exception reports—not code or prompts—and said telemetry could be disabled in settings.
Local models can avoid third-party transmission, but local execution does not remove every risk: an agent with file and shell access can still alter or delete data. The FAQ warned that web access could expose sensitive information and that the system could make mistakes.
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Safer operating practices
- Use a dedicated branch or disposable worktree for agent changes.
- Review the proposed diff before accepting it.
- Keep shell-command approval enabled until you understand the workflow.
- Exclude secrets, credentials, production exports, and private folders with access controls such as
.rooignore. - Do not enable web access for tasks containing confidential source or customer data unless the exposure is acceptable.
- Revoke and rotate provider keys if they may have entered logs, prompts, or an untrusted environment.
- Run tests, linters, and security checks yourself; the product’s warnings were not an independent security audit.
What a typical Roo Code workflow looked like
Because the extension shut down, the following is a historical description of its documented workflow rather than a current installation recipe.
- Open a project in VS Code and choose a mode such as Ask, Architect, Code, or Debug from the chat dropdown.
- State the goal, constraints, files that may be changed, and tests that must pass.
- Let the agent inspect the permitted project context and propose a plan.
- Review each proposed file edit and approve only the changes you understand.
- Approve terminal commands individually; avoid auto-approval for unfamiliar operations.
- Run the project’s tests and inspect the final diff before committing.
What should you use instead?
Start by checking whether a candidate extension is actively maintained, available from a trustworthy distribution channel, and clear about data handling. ZooCode and Cline are the alternatives named by Roo Code’s shutdown documentation, but that page does not prove their current status. Evaluate any replacement on these axes:
- Maintenance activity, release history, and compatibility with your VS Code version.
- Provider and model choices, including whether local inference is supported.
- Where prompts, files, and telemetry travel and how long providers retain them.
- Permission controls for file writes, shell commands, web access, and external tools.
- Total cost, including provider token charges and any service subscription.
- Recovery options such as diffs, approval gates, logs, and easy rollback.
Do not assume that a community fork inherits the original project’s security review, release process, or support commitments. Read its own documentation and privacy policy.
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Troubleshooting historical Roo Code setups
The extension cannot be installed or loads as unavailable
This is consistent with the May 15, 2026 shutdown. Do not bypass Marketplace warnings with an untrusted package. Select a maintained alternative only after verifying its source and release status.
Requests fail or the model does not answer
Check the configured provider, credentials, model availability, account limits, and network access. Provider compatibility and pricing may have changed since the historical guide was published.
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Stop the task, restore from version control, narrow the request, and use project rules and ignore controls to limit context. Work in a branch or disposable worktree.
A command is dangerous
Decline it, inspect the exact command, and run a safer equivalent manually. Keep auto-approval disabled for untrusted tasks.
Sensitive data appeared in a prompt
Stop transmission, rotate affected credentials, inspect provider and local logs, and review retention terms. For future work, remove secrets and consider a local model where appropriate.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Roo Code?
It was an open-source VS Code coding agent that could edit files, run terminal commands, use optional web access, and connect to MCP tools. Its official project says it shut down on May 15, 2026.
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Was Roo Code free?
The extension was described as free and open source, but model providers typically charged for token usage.
Could Roo Code use local models?
Its provider documentation listed Ollama and LM Studio as local-model options. That documentation is historical and does not guarantee current compatibility.
What were Roo Code’s risks?
The documented risks included incorrect edits, shell commands, exposure of project context to a selected provider, and possible disclosure through web access.
Can I install Roo Code today?
Do not assume so. Official documentation and the Marketplace listing state that the extension shut down on May 15, 2026.
The Bottom Line
Roo Code’s documented agent workflow was capable but required careful permissions, provider selection, and data controls. Since the project shut down on May 15, 2026, verify the maintenance and privacy posture of any replacement before granting it access to a real codebase.
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