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hannesrudolph merged 1 commit into from
Aug 27, 2025
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docs: enhance documentation for /init command and add reference link … #322

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81 changes: 59 additions & 22 deletions docs/features/slash-commands.mdx
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Expand Up @@ -70,7 +70,8 @@ The filename becomes the command name. For example:
When creating commands through the UI, command names are automatically processed:
- Converted to lowercase
- Spaces replaced with dashes
- Special characters removed
- Special characters removed (except dashes)
- Multiple consecutive dashes replaced with single dash
Comment on lines +73 to +74
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Copilot AI Aug 27, 2025

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The phrase 'single dash' should be 'a single dash' for proper grammar.

Suggested change
- Special characters removed (except dashes)
- Multiple consecutive dashes replaced with single dash
- Multiple consecutive dashes replaced with a single dash

Copilot uses AI. Check for mistakes.
- Leading/trailing dashes removed

Example: "My Cool Command!" becomes `my-cool-command`
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -125,23 +126,20 @@ Please perform a thorough security review of the selected code:

---

## Command Management UI
## Command Management

Roo Code provides a dedicated UI for managing custom commands.

<img src="/img/slash-commands/slash-commands-4.png" alt="Accessing the command manager from Roo Code panel" width="600" />

*Click the commands icon in the Roo Code panel to open the command manager*
Roo Code provides multiple ways to manage custom commands.

**Creating a New Command:**

1. Type your command name in the input field (e.g., "Sample command name")
2. Click the `+` button to create the command
1. Type `/` in the chat to open the slash command menu
2. Type your command name in the input field (e.g., "Sample command name")
3. Click the `+` button to create the command

<img src="/img/slash-commands/slash-commands-1.png" alt="Custom Commands Management Interface" width="400" />


3. A new file will be created and opened automatically (e.g., `sample-command-name.md`)
4. A new file will be created and opened automatically (e.g., `sample-command-name.md`)
5. The file will contain template content to help you get started

<img src="/img/slash-commands/slash-commands-2.png" alt="Creating a new command by typing name and clicking plus button" width="600" />

Expand All @@ -150,16 +148,15 @@ Roo Code provides a dedicated UI for managing custom commands.

## Using Slash Commands

Type `/` in the chat to see a unified menu containing both types of commands. The menu shows both custom workflow commands and mode-switching commands in the same interface.
Type `/` in the chat to see a unified menu containing all available commands. The menu shows custom workflow commands, mode-switching commands, and built-in commands in the same interface.

<img src="/img/slash-commands/slash-commands-3.png" alt="Newly created command file opened in editor" width="600" />


1. **Unified Menu**: Both custom commands and mode-switching commands appear together
1. **Unified Menu**: All command types appear together
2. **Autocomplete**: Start typing to filter commands (e.g., `/sam` shows `sample-command-name`)
3. **Fuzzy Search**: Find commands even with partial matches
3. **Basic Filtering**: Find commands with text matching
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Copilot AI Aug 27, 2025

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The phrase 'text matching' is grammatically incomplete. It should be 'Find commands with text matching patterns' or 'Find commands by text matching'.

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3. **Basic Filtering**: Find commands with text matching
3. **Basic Filtering**: Find commands by text matching

Copilot uses AI. Check for mistakes.
4. **Description Preview**: See command descriptions in the menu
5. **Visual Indicators**: Mode commands are distinguished from custom commands with special icons
5. **Command Priority**: Project commands override global commands with the same name

---

Expand Down Expand Up @@ -368,23 +365,63 @@ Analyze the current test coverage and:

---

## Built-in Commands

Roo Code includes powerful built-in commands that provide specialized functionality:

### The `init` Command

The `/init` command is a comprehensive AI assistant setup tool that analyzes your codebase and creates tailored configuration files. This powerful command:

**Performs Multi-Phase Analysis:**
- **Discovery Phase**: Scans your project structure and identifies key technologies
- **Project Identification**: Determines project type, frameworks, and dependencies
- **Architecture Mapping**: Analyzes code organization and patterns
- **Build/Test Detection**: Identifies build tools, test frameworks, and scripts
- **Code Style Extraction**: Captures coding conventions and patterns

**Creates AI Assistant Configuration:**
- Generates mode-specific `AGENTS.md` files in `.roo/rules-*` directories
- Creates detailed rules for different AI assistant modes (Code, Architect, Debug, etc.)
- Produces concise, high-signal documentation following the "non-obvious-only" principle
- Supports multiple AI assistant formats (Claude, Cursor, Copilot)

**Manages Project Setup:**
- Creates comprehensive todo lists for project initialization
- Identifies security and performance considerations
- Documents project-specific conventions and patterns
- Enforces quality criteria for generated documentation

**Usage:**
Simply type `/init` in the chat to analyze your codebase and set up AI assistant configuration files tailored to your project.

:::tip
The `init` command is especially useful when starting work on a new project or when you want to establish consistent AI assistant behavior across your team.
:::

## Troubleshooting

**Commands Not Appearing:**
- **Check file location**: Ensure custom command files are in `.roo/commands/` or `~/.roo/commands/`
- **Verify file extension**: Custom commands must be `.md` files
- **Reload window**: Sometimes VS Code needs to be reloaded to detect new command files

**Command Not Found:**
When a slash command isn't found, the LLM will see:
```
Command 'command-name' not found. Available commands can be found in .roo/commands/ or ~/.roo/commands/
```
When a slash command isn't found, the LLM will see an error message indicating where commands should be located. This helps guide you to create the command in the right place.

**Command Template Content:**
New commands created through the UI receive template content to help you get started. This template includes basic structure and examples that you can customize.

**Command Conflicts:**
- Custom project commands override global custom commands with the same name
- Use unique names to avoid conflicts
- Project commands (`.roo/commands/`) override global commands (`~/.roo/commands/`) with the same name
- Built-in commands cannot be overridden
- When creating duplicate names through the UI, numbers are appended (e.g., `new-command-1`, `new-command-2`)

**File System Errors:**
- **Permission Issues**: Ensure you have write permissions to the `.roo/commands/` directory
- **Directory Creation**: The system will attempt to create the commands directory if it doesn't exist
- **Symbolic Links**: Command directories support symbolic links for sharing commands across projects

:::info About Mode Commands
The slash menu includes mode-switching commands (like `/code`, `/ask`) that fundamentally change the AI's operational mode - they don't just inject text but switch the entire AI context. Custom modes you create also appear as slash commands (e.g., a mode with slug `reviewer` becomes `/reviewer`). These mode commands cannot be overridden by custom workflow commands. Learn more in [Using Modes](/basic-usage/using-modes) and [Custom Modes](/features/custom-modes).
:::
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2 changes: 2 additions & 0 deletions docs/update-notes/v3.26.0.mdx
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Expand Up @@ -38,6 +38,8 @@ We've added a new /init slash command for project onboarding ([#7381](https://gi

The /init command helps LLMs understand your project's unique patterns and conventions by documenting project-specific information that isn't obvious from the code structure alone.

> 📚 Documentation: See [Slash Commands - The init command](/features/slash-commands#the-init-command) for details.

## Qwen Code CLI API Support

We've integrated with the Qwen Code CLI tool, allowing Roo Code to leverage its free access tier for Alibaba's Qwen3 Coder models ([#7380](https://github.com/RooCodeInc/Roo-Code/pull/7380)):
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2 changes: 2 additions & 0 deletions docs/update-notes/v3.26.mdx
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -42,6 +42,8 @@ We've added a new /init slash command for project onboarding ([#7381](https://gi

The /init command helps LLMs understand your project's unique patterns and conventions by documenting project-specific information that isn't obvious from the code structure alone.

> 📚 Documentation: See [Slash Commands - The init command](/features/slash-commands#the-init-command) for details.

### Qwen Code CLI API Support

We've integrated with the Qwen Code CLI tool, allowing Roo Code to leverage its free access tier for Alibaba's Qwen3 Coder models ([#7380](https://github.com/RooCodeInc/Roo-Code/pull/7380)):
Expand Down