feat: Automatic generation for rules file #5873

liwilliam2021 · 2025-07-18T09:37:58Z

Add magic rules generation feature for automated codebase analysis

Implement automated codebase analysis that generates mode-specific rules (general, code, architect, debug, docs-extractor)
Add rule type selection UI with descriptions for each mode's focus areas
Include .gitignore auto-integration option to prevent committing generated rules
Add auto-approval toggle for protected .roo directory file operations
Implement custom rules input field for project-specific instructions
Add small repository warning for projects with limited code examples
Support file overwrite detection and warnings for existing rule files

Feature Loom: https://www.loom.com/share/6dc1eae6a5774008be760b590091792e

Important

Introduces automatic generation of mode-specific rules with UI integration, configuration management, and comprehensive testing.

Behavior:
- Implements automatic generation of mode-specific rules (general, code, architect, debug, docs-extractor) in generate-rules.ts.
- Adds UI for rule type selection and descriptions in RulesSettings.tsx.
- Supports .gitignore auto-integration and file overwrite warnings.
Settings and Configuration:
- Updates global-settings.ts to include rulesSettings for storing rule generation preferences.
- Adds RulesSettings component to ExperimentalSettings.tsx for managing rule generation settings.
Testing:
- Adds tests for rule generation logic in generate-rules.test.ts and rulesGenerator.test.ts.
Misc:
- Adds make-rules command to context menu in context-mentions.ts.
- Updates i18n files for new rule generation strings.

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delve-auditor · 2025-07-18T09:39:01Z

✅ No security or compliance issues detected. Reviewed everything up to a7e4e5b.

Security Overview

🔎 Scanned files: 28 changed file(s)

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MuriloFP · 2025-07-18T17:45:12Z

Hey! I like this a lot, but I have a few questions:

Are we going to be able to edit the prompt for creating the rules? If so, how?
Does it detect our own custom modes if we want to create rules for them, or is it just for the default modes?

liwilliam2021 · 2025-07-18T18:28:13Z

Hey! I like this a lot, but I have a few questions:

Are we going to be able to edit the prompt for creating the rules? If so, how?

Does it detect our own custom modes if we want to create rules for them, or is it just for the default modes?

Those are some great thoughts! The PR was getting a little big, so I was thinking off adding more of default modes stuff in a separate PR if you think that makes sense?

For editing the rule creation prompt-- that's a great idea! Maybe I could add a "preview task prompt" button that compiles an editable preview of the rule creation prompt. I wasn't that pressed about it for this PR bc we have the user input box + I think the idea for the rule generator is that you would only run it once per repo.

Another PR to build of this if we see rules taking off is making the magic rule generator additive instead of overriding!

alright if I just start with this for now?

MuriloFP · 2025-07-18T18:36:54Z

Hey! I like this a lot, but I have a few questions:

Are we going to be able to edit the prompt for creating the rules? If so, how?

Does it detect our own custom modes if we want to create rules for them, or is it just for the default modes?

Those are some great thoughts! The PR was getting a little big, so I was thinking off adding more of default modes stuff in a separate PR if you think that makes sense?

For editing the rule creation prompt-- that's a great idea! Maybe I could add a "preview task prompt" button that compiles an editable preview of the rule creation prompt. I wasn't that pressed about it for this PR bc we have the user input box + I think the idea for the rule generator is that you would only run it once per repo.

Another PR to build of this if we see rules taking off is making the magic rule generator additive instead of overriding!

alright if I just start with this for now?

Sounds good!

daniel-lxs

This looks good!

I only saw one small detail with the UI:

The space here looks a bit too large.

Also left another small suggestion, let me know what you think

src/core/webview/webviewMessageHandler.ts

mrubens · 2025-07-22T03:43:07Z

src/core/prompts/instructions/generate-rules.ts

+      - Focus: ${rule.focus}${alwaysAllowWriteProtected ? "\n      - The directory has already been created for you" : "\n      - Create the necessary directories if they don't exist"}
+      - Always overwrite the existing file if it exists
+      - Use the \`write_to_file\` tool to save the content${alwaysAllowWriteProtected ? "\n      - Note: Auto-approval for protected file writes is enabled, so you can write to .roo directories without manual approval" : "\n      - Note: You will need to approve the creation of protected directories and files"}`,


Does the prompt need to know whether alwaysAllowWriteProtected is enabled? I wouldn't think so.

Oh, I just read a little more. Zooming out I don't think this feature should be interacting with the alwaysAllowWriteProtected setting the way it is (or encouraging people to set it to true as part of this feature).

mrubens · 2025-07-22T03:47:54Z

src/core/prompts/instructions/generate-rules.ts

+	general: {
+		path: ".roo/rules/coding-standards.md",
+		focus: "General coding standards that apply to all modes, including naming conventions, file organization, and general best practices",
+		analysisSteps: [
+			"Examine the project structure and file organization patterns",
+			"Identify naming conventions for files, functions, variables, and classes",
+			"Look for general coding patterns and conventions used throughout the codebase",
+			"Check for any existing documentation or README files that describe project standards",
+		],
+	},


At least in my testing this didn't seem to generate very useful rules. I think it might be worth tweaking the prompt, especially since this is the content that will end up in the system prompt for every one of the modes (including the custom modes). What do you think the most important information for the model to know is? What does Claude Code do?

mrubens · 2025-07-22T03:48:57Z

src/core/prompts/instructions/generate-rules.ts

+			"Examine test files to understand testing patterns and frameworks used",
+			"Look for error handling patterns and logging strategies",
+			"Identify code style preferences and import/export patterns",
+			"Check for TypeScript usage and type definition patterns if applicable",


The typescript mention might be a little too specific?

mrubens · 2025-07-22T03:49:43Z

src/core/prompts/instructions/generate-rules.ts

+	"docs-extractor": {
+		path: ".roo/rules-docs-extractor/documentation-rules.md",
+		focus: "Documentation extraction and formatting rules, including documentation style guides, API documentation patterns, and content organization",
+		analysisSteps: [
+			"Check for existing documentation files and their formats",
+			"Analyze code comments and documentation patterns",
+			"Look for API documentation tools or generators",
+			"Identify documentation structure and organization patterns",
+			"Check for examples or tutorials in the codebase",
+		],
+	},


I don't think we should have this option - it's only applicable in the Roo Code repo

mrubens · 2025-07-22T03:55:15Z

src/core/webview/webviewMessageHandler.ts

+					}
+				}
+
+				// Count all files in the workspace


I wonder if we can use one of the existing ways of listing files in the workspace so the logic is consistent

mrubens · 2025-07-22T04:02:19Z

webview-ui/src/components/settings/RulesSettings.tsx

+	exists?: boolean
+}
+
+export const RulesSettings = ({ className, hasUnsavedChanges, ...props }: RulesSettingsProps) => {


Product-wise, I kind of feel like it's more magical (and simpler) if we just have a single button to automatically generate rules and it's smart enough to generate relevant ones for the project. The user will always have the ability to decide which of the files to keep or not, and they'll likely have the option to approve each one as well with the default of auto-approving writes to protected files turned off (in this case seems reasonable to review the output).

I also think they can add to .gitignore later if they want, but in general I would think that the default should be that these rules files are not gitignored and that teams would collaborate on them to build up a collection of project-specific rules. So probably wouldn't have that setting in the UI/prompt either.

mrubens · 2025-07-22T04:09:27Z

Just finished reviewing. The more I think about it, I'm really interested in the angle where there's a single button that intelligently proposes a set of rules files that makes the modes all work better together in the project, and what the ideal prompt would be for that.

liwilliam2021 added 10 commits July 16, 2025 08:40

initial working

e09afaa

LLM working

beb5f7a

new task spin up is working

586e237

basically working

8390379

UI changes + refactor

236ba2c

fix the settings save edge case

3890db6

added small repo warning + custom instructions

775c321

prompt refactor

743278c

deleted old code

5706d85

translations

4f26c7f

liwilliam2021 requested review from cte, jr and mrubens as code owners July 18, 2025 09:37

github-project-automation bot added this to Roo Code Roadmap and Roo Code Roadmap Jul 18, 2025

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dosubot bot added size:XXL This PR changes 1000+ lines, ignoring generated files. enhancement New feature or request UI/UX UI/UX related or focused labels Jul 18, 2025

liwilliam2021 changed the title ~~Automatic generation for rules file~~ feat: Automatic generation for rules file Jul 18, 2025

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code review and small improvement

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liwilliam2021 added 3 commits July 23, 2025 01:35

Merge branch 'main' into will/rules-init

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Merge branch 'main' into will/rules-init

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dosubot bot added size:XS This PR changes 0-9 lines, ignoring generated files. and removed size:XXL This PR changes 1000+ lines, ignoring generated files. labels Jul 29, 2025

fix readme error

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dosubot bot added size:XXL This PR changes 1000+ lines, ignoring generated files. and removed size:XS This PR changes 0-9 lines, ignoring generated files. labels Jul 29, 2025

Merge branch 'main' into will/rules-init

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feat: Automatic generation for rules file #5873

feat: Automatic generation for rules file #5873

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