Roo Code.
Open-source VS Code agent — the most active Cline fork.
What it is.
Roo Code began as a fork of Cline in 2024 and now ships features ahead of the upstream — Boomerang Tasks for sub-agent delegation, custom modes for role-specific agents, MCP integration for tool extension. Open source on GitHub. The buyer pays the model provider directly; Roo takes no margin on tokens.
Where it fits.
Engineers who want a more configurable agent than Cline and a fully open codebase. Custom modes are the standout feature — define a Code Reviewer mode, a Debugger mode, a Documentation Writer mode, and the agent switches personas mid-task. Boomerang sub-agent delegation closes the gap with Devin-style multi-agent flows.
- Custom modes enable role-specific agent personas
- Boomerang sub-agent delegation handles long tasks
- Fully open source with active release cadence
- Configuration depth assumes engineer familiarity with agent loops
- No managed enterprise tier — buyer runs all infrastructure
Frequently asked.
How does Roo differ from Cline?
Roo started as a Cline fork and now ships features upstream lacks — custom modes, Boomerang Tasks for sub-agents, deeper MCP integration. Both remain open source.
What are custom modes?
Per-role agent configurations. Define a Code Reviewer mode with read-only file access; a Debugger mode with shell access; a Documentation Writer mode scoped to markdown. The agent switches personas mid-task.
What is Boomerang Tasks?
Roo's sub-agent delegation feature. The main agent spawns a child agent for a scoped task, receives the result, and continues. Handles long workflows without context overflow.
