My Settings: Agentic Coding with Roo Code

Setting up Roo Code for agentic systems is incredibly effective. I often get asked how I achieve such seamless, autonomous agents. The secret? A VS Code plugin called Roo Code—a fork of cline. It handles everything from goal-oriented agents to contextual memory. Below is my setup. Copy-paste these settings into your VS Code, and you'll be creating sophisticated agentic systems in no time.

Core Features & Settings:

• Diff Strategy & Precision: Utilizing Unified Diff with a 98% match ensures precise code modifications, balancing flexibility and accuracy.
• Auto-Approval: Full automation for browser actions, API retries, and file operations. This means Roo operates with minimal human intervention, executing tasks efficiently.
• Model Configuration: Using the Gemini Thinking API with a low temperature (0.2) keeps responses predictable and consistent.
• Auto-Execution Capabilities: Critical for running commands without oversight. Whitelisted commands ensure Roo can perform development, deployment, and automation tasks safely and autonomously.

Follow these settings to harness the full potential of Roo Code, and build robust agentic systems effortlessly.

This is my approach—efficient, precise, and ready to push the boundaries with Roo Code!

Roo Code: Key Features Overview

Roo Code is an AI-native programming environment designed for agentic development, providing persistent memory, autonomous task execution, and real-time code interaction. It enables self-improving AI systems through seamless integration of agents, code execution, and contextual memory.

Install and learn more at: https://docs.roocode.com/

?? AI-Driven Agentic Development

• Goal-Oriented Agents: Define objectives, and agents autonomously execute tasks.
• Persistent Memory: Agents retain context across sessions.
• External Tool Integration: Connects with APIs, file systems, and custom tools.

?? Integrated Development Workspace

• Live File System: Real-time file editing and execution.
• Dynamic Prompts: Adjusts AI responses based on file and project context.
• Chat + Code: Combine interactive conversation with live code manipulation.

?? Version Control & Execution

• Git-Like Change Management: Track agent and user modifications.
• Rollback & Review: Easily revert or inspect diffs between code versions.
• Secure Execution Environment: Supports local and cloud-based runtime with a sandbox for controlled execution.

?? Extensibility & Plugins

• Custom API & Tool Support: Extend Roo with domain-specific functions (e.g., web scraping, RAG, automation).

?? Smart Contextual Awareness

• Vector-Based Retrieval: Keeps relevant information in scope for more accurate agent responses.
• Temporal Awareness: Tracks what happened and when for better decision-making.

?? Autonomous Task Loops

• Self-Reflection & Error Handling: Agents refine outputs over time.
• Continuous Execution: Supports long-running, goal-driven automation.

Ideal For:

• Multi-Agent Systems (AI research, product automation, dev ops).
• Self-Healing Software (auto-debugging, self-updating code).
• AI-Augmented Programming (AI-assisted development, autonomous code completion).

Roo Code redefines development by making agents active collaborators, not just tools. Want a deeper dive into any specific area?

Technical Review & Personal Overview of Your Roo Code Settings

Your Roo Code setup is designed for maximum automation, efficiency, and precision, prioritizing hands-off execution while keeping AI-driven development as deterministic as possible. You've optimized your settings to reduce interruptions, allow trusted automation, and increase development speed, making Roo function like a reliable assistant that executes tasks with minimal oversight.

However, there are some trade-offs. By enabling broad auto-approval, you're giving up manual oversight on operations that could affect file integrity, API calls, and code execution. While this is great for efficiency, it also means that unexpected issues (e.g., incorrect API responses, accidental code changes) could happen without manual review.

Let’s break down your settings, their impact, and potential optimizations.

?? Core Features & Settings Review

Here’s a detailed technical breakdown of your settings, how they work, and what they mean for your workflow.

1?? Diff Strategy & Experimental Features

?? Controls how code changes are applied and how Roo handles experimental tools for editing files.

Current Setup:

? Diff Strategy: Unified Diff (Experimental)

• Uses multiple strategies for applying diffs and picks the best approach.
• Why it’s good: Avoids unnecessary conflicts when merging code changes.
• Potential Optimization: Standard Unified Diff would be more predictable, but you lose AI-driven adjustments.

? Match Precision: 98%

• Controls how strictly Roo applies code changes.
• Why it’s good: Almost ensures that Roo doesn’t insert code in the wrong place.
• Potential Optimization: Lowering to 95% would increase flexibility but also increase risk of incorrect edits.

? Experimental Search & Replace Tool: Enabled

• Roo can replace multiple instances of a term in one request.
• Why it’s good: Saves time when refactoring or modifying code in bulk.

? Experimental Insert Content Tool: Enabled

• Allows Roo to insert content at specific lines without needing a diff.
• Why it’s good: Helps with structured code injection without requiring full file edits.

? Experimental Power Steering Mode: Disabled

• Would make Roo remind itself of its goal more often for better accuracy.
• Why it’s disabled: Saves tokens and prevents overcorrection.
• When to enable it: If Roo forgets tasks or misunderstands instructions frequently.

2?? Auto-Approval & API Handling

?? Controls when Roo requires confirmation before taking actions.

Current Setup:

? Always Approve Browser Actions

• Roo can interact with browsers without asking permission.
• Why it’s good: Removes friction when using browser-based tools.
• Risk: If misconfigured, Roo could trigger unwanted actions.

? Always Retry Failed API Requests (5s Delay)

• Automatically retries when an API returns an error.
• Why it’s good: Helps maintain reliability during temporary failures.
• Potential Optimization: Lower delay (e.g., 3s) for faster recovery.

? Always Approve MCP Tools

• Roo auto-approves tools in the MCP server view.
• Why it’s good: Removes manual approval bottlenecks.
• Risk: Auto-approving unverified tools could lead to unintended consequences.

? Always Approve Mode Switching

• Allows Roo to switch modes automatically without asking.
• Why it’s good: Faster adaptation to different tasks.
• Risk: If a mode change causes unexpected behavior, there’s no manual rollback.

? Always Approve Subtasks & Execution Operations

• Roo can create and complete subtasks and execute commands without approval.
• Why it’s good: Enables full automation.
• Risk: If a subtask fails or executes an unintended action, it won’t prompt for review.

3?? Model Settings & File Permissions

?? Configures how Roo interacts with the AI model and file system.

Current Setup:

? Custom Temperature: 0.2

• Controls randomness in AI responses.
• Why it’s good: Keeps responses deterministic and predictable.
• Potential Optimization: Increasing to 0.3 or 0.4 might add some creativity while still staying controlled.

? Auto-Approve Read/Write Operations

• Roo can read, modify, and write files without asking permission.
• Why it’s good: Enables hands-off development.
• Risk: If Roo writes incorrect or undesired changes, they happen instantly without manual review.
• Delay: 3400ms → Adds a short buffer for diagnostics.

4?? Allowed Auto-Execute Commands

?? Defines which terminal commands Roo can execute without approval.

Current Setup:

You’ve whitelisted a range of commands, mostly for development, deployment, and automation.

• ? Development & Testing: npm test, pytest, tsc, python, cargo
• ? Version Control: git log, git diff, git show
• ? Cloud & Containers: docker, az, supabase, fly
• ? File Operations: mkdir, chmod, bash, cat, find
• ? Agent Tools: aider, sparc, sparc2run

Potential Optimization:

• Consider adding safe logging (tee, echo) for debugging.
• If you automate deployments, adding scp or rsync could help.

5?? Modes & Role Definition

?? Configures Roo’s expertise and personality in different modes, adjusting its behavior and tool access accordingly.

Current Setup:

? Available Modes: Code, Architect, Ask, Debug

• Each mode adjusts Roo’s functionality to better align with specific workflows.

? Code Mode Settings:

• Role Definition: "You are Roo, a highly skilled software engineer with extensive knowledge in many programming languages, frameworks, design patterns, and best practices." "No file shall have more than 500 lines. Never hard code env, auto-doc every feature, use a modular structure."
• API Configuration: Gemini Thinking
• Available Tools: Read Files, Edit Files, Use Browser, Run Commands, Use MCP

? Custom Mode Creation: Enabled

• Allows new modes to be created dynamically via prompts.
• Why it’s good: Reduces manual configuration and allows fast adaptation to new tasks.
• Potential Optimization: Disable if mode switching is rarely needed, saving ~700 tokens in system prompts.

? Custom Instructions for All Modes:

• "Use WSL for all local terminals when running in Windows."
• "Never hardcode .env variables in Dockerfiles or code."

?? These instructions apply across all modes, enforcing good practices for security and platform consistency.

Final Optimization Suggestions for Modes & Role Configuration:

• Fine-tune role instructions for Code Mode to provide more granular rules for structuring outputs, error handling, and refactoring.
• Consider different API configurations per mode to optimize for response quality versus token efficiency.
• Add mode-specific custom instructions (e.g., explicit debugging protocols for Debug Mode).

?? Summary & Final Thoughts

This configuration makes Roo highly autonomous, streamlining coding, task execution, and API handling with minimal manual intervention.

However, the trade-off is limited oversight, meaning incorrect changes or misinterpretations won’t be flagged before execution.

?? Key Strengths: ? High-speed automation with robust agent autonomy. ? Good security practices (e.g., safe command whitelisting). ? Well-optimized AI behavior for controlled outputs.

? Potential Risks:

• Full auto-approval removes manual review, making rollback harder if unintended actions occur.
• Strict 98% match precision in diffs reduces errors but may reject valid updates.
• Lack of additional mode-specific custom instructions could reduce adaptability in complex workflows.

Suggested Tweaks for More Balanced Performance:

• Lower match precision slightly (95-96%) for more flexible diffs.
• Enable power steering mode if Roo forgets context too often.
• Add lightweight approval checkpoints for critical actions like file deletion or deployment.

Overall? 9/10—powerful, but leans towards high-trust, high-risk automation.