feat: Add support for .roorules configuration files

[upamune]

Context

We are adding support for .roorules configuration files while maintaining backward compatibility with existing .clinerules. This change is part of our transition to use Roo-specific configuration files, making it clearer which settings belong to the Roo Code ecosystem.

Cline has recently added support for .clinerules/ directory, which prevents the creation of .clinerules files when the directory exists.

Implementation

The implementation involves several key changes:

1. Added .roorules to the list of supported rule files in loadRuleFiles
2. Enhanced the mode-specific rule file handling to:
   • First attempt to load from .roorules-{mode}
   • Fall back to .clinerules-{mode} if .roorules is not found
   • Track which file was successfully loaded to ensure correct rule attribution
3. Updated test cases to cover:
   • Basic .roorules functionality
   • Mode-specific rule loading
   • Directory skipping behavior
   • Multiple rule file combinations

Key technical decisions:

• Maintained backward compatibility by keeping .clinerules support
• Prioritized .roorules over .clinerules for future extensibility
• Used a tracking variable (usedRuleFile) to ensure correct rule source attribution
• Kept the existing file loading pattern to minimize impact on other functionality

Screenshots

Not applicable for this change as it's a backend configuration enhancement.

How to Test

1. Create a test directory with the following files:

.roorules
.roorules-test-mode
.clinerules
.clinerules-test-mode

2. Add different content to each file:

# .roorules
roo rules content

# .roorules-test-mode
roo mode specific rules

# .clinerules
cline rules content

# .clinerules-test-mode
cline mode specific rules

3. Run the test suite to verify:

npm test

4. Verify that:

• .roorules content is loaded before .clinerules
• Mode-specific rules from .roorules-test-mode are prioritized over .clinerules-test-mode
• All existing functionality with .clinerules continues to work as before

Get in Touch

I'm available in the Roo Code Discord as serizawa_. Feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns about this implementation.

---

Important

Add support for .roorules configuration files, prioritizing them over .clinerules, with updated tests for new behavior.

• Behavior:
  • Add support for .roorules in loadRuleFiles() in custom-instructions.ts, prioritizing over .clinerules.
  • Mode-specific rules attempt to load from .roorules-{mode} first, then .clinerules-{mode}.
  • Use usedRuleFile to track which file was loaded.
• Tests:
  • Update tests in custom-instructions.test.ts to cover .roorules and mode-specific rule loading.
  • Ensure directory skipping behavior and multiple rule file combinations are tested.
• Misc:
  • Maintain backward compatibility with .clinerules.

^{This description was created by for 72498ef. It will automatically update as commits are pushed.}

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[mrubens]

Thank you so much for starting the process on this! I've been thinking about this a bit too.

1. Going forward I don't think we should try to pull in rules files from other tools. So, I think we should first look for .roorules and then fall back on .clinerules, and same with .roorules-code and .clinerules-code for instance. We can just remove the logic for cursorrules and windsurfrules.
2. We should update the copy on the prompts tab to reflect this as well. Maybe something like "Instructions can also be loaded from .roorules in your workspace (.clinerules is deprecated and will stop working soon)."?

[upamune]

@mrubens Thank you for your comments!

1. I understand. Currently RooCode is combining them, but you're saying that if .roorules exists, RooCode should not load .clinerules, correct? 5b1cc0c 03c56c3

2. Understood. Also, should RooCode replace the .clinerules references in the docs with .roorules and indicate that .clinerules is deprecated? As an example, I changed it to English only. 7964181

[mrubens]

Pushed a few updates!

[mrubens]

So the changes in this are:

• We stop looking for .cursorrules and .windsurfrules
• We prioritize .roorules over .clinerules, but look for .clinerules as a fallback if .roorules is not found

Seem reasonable to everyone?

[upamune]

Thank you for your quick code review and code fixes!​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Seem reasonable to everyone?

LGTM :)

[mrubens]

I’ve been wanting to do this for so long! Thanks for making it happen.

[Wstnn]

quick question. how are roorules different to the complete system-prompt replacement in combination with roomodes?
Thanks :)