Roo Code
by Roo Code, Inc.
Roo Code is an open-source, agentic coding assistant for Visual Studio Code. It can generate and edit files, run terminal commands, use browser automation, and connect to multiple AI model providers.
Why Abandoned
The official website, documentation, GitHub repository, and Visual Studio Marketplace listing remain available; the repository shows continuing releases and development activity.
🩺 Health Signals
- HTTP Status
- 200
- Response
- —
- SSL
- —
- Confidence
- 97%
- Domain expires
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- Last content change
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- Last tweet
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- API status
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📅 Timeline
Roo Code project launched
The project's official changelog dates its initial v1.0.0 release to October 10, 2024. Roo Code began as Roo Cline, a fork in the Cline ecosystem.
Roo Cline renamed Roo Code
The official changelog records the rename from Roo Cline to Roo Code in version 3.3.6.
Roo Code company announced
Roo Code announced that it had formed a company to support development while keeping the core product open source.
🔄 Alternatives to Roo Code
Codeium
🟢ActiveFree AI code completion tool supporting 70+ programming languages across multiple IDEs.
Cursor AI
🟢ActiveAI-first code editor built on VS Code with deep AI integration for code generation and editing.
GitHub Copilot
🟢ActiveAI pair programmer that suggests code completions in your IDE, powered by OpenAI Codex.
Replit Agent
🟢ActiveReplit Agent is an AI software-building tool within Replit that turns natural-language requests into working applications. It can plan projects, write code, configure infrastructure, test changes, and deploy apps from the browser.
🪦 Other dead AI Agents tools
Sweep
🟠Possibly DeadSweep was an AI coding agent that converted GitHub issues and bug reports into proposed code changes and pull requests. Its original product was later discontinued as the team shifted to an AI-assisted JetBrains coding plugin.
Ultimate
🟡Acquired / MergedUltimate was a customer-support automation platform that used conversational AI to resolve requests across chat, email, and social channels. Zendesk acquired the company in 2024 and integrated its technology into Zendesk AI.
Hyperlight
🟡Acquired / MergedHyperlight was an AI-agent startup focused on automating customer-service workflows for businesses. Public reporting indicates that the company was acquired by Cresta in 2024 to strengthen Cresta's AI capabilities.
Sana Agents
🟡Acquired / MergedSana Agents is an enterprise AI agent platform from Sana Labs for creating and deploying agents that work with organizational knowledge, connect to business systems, and automate research, analysis, and recurring workflows.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What is Roo Code?
Roo Code is an open-source AI coding agent distributed as a Visual Studio Code extension. It can inspect a codebase, edit files, execute terminal commands, browse web pages, and use external tools under user-configurable approval settings.
Is Roo Code free and open source?
Yes. Roo Code's source code is publicly available under the Apache License 2.0. Usage costs can still apply when users connect paid model providers or other metered services.
Which AI models does Roo Code support?
Roo Code is model-agnostic and supports multiple providers, including Anthropic, OpenAI, Google Gemini, OpenRouter, AWS Bedrock, and local-model options. Exact provider and model availability can change by release.
How does Roo Code work in Visual Studio Code?
After installation, users select a model provider and give the agent a task. Roo Code can read project context, propose or apply edits, run commands, and iterate on results, with approval behavior controlled through extension settings.
What are the best Roo Code alternatives?
Common alternatives include GitHub Copilot for integrated code completion and chat, Cursor for an AI-focused code editor, Codeium for AI coding assistance, and Replit Agent for building and deploying applications in a hosted environment.