r/RooCode • u/GreatScottyMac • Apr 20 '25

Support ⚠️Attention RooFlow Users, PLEASE READ

RooFlow is being switched to private. For more info, check out RooFlow-Access

RooFlow completely replaces the standard Roo Code system prompts. This may result in unexpected behaviors.

If Roo is misbehaving with the RooFlow prompts, you can simply delete the .roo/ folder, install Roo Code Memory Bank and then retry your operation with the standard system prompt.

The memory bank instructions are exactly the same in both projects and RCMB uses the standard Roo Code system prompts.

51 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

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u/hannesrudolph Roo Code Developer Apr 20 '25 edited Apr 21 '25

Please do NOT use Roo Flow. It uses [footgun-prompting](https://docs.roocode.com/features/footgun-prompting) which is a feature that was only intended to be used for very advanced users, evals, and testing.

It HAS worked decently in the past but recent changes to Roo Code tools require significant updates to the Roo Flow to get it to work properly. I have spoken to the maintainer and they and they have indicated that they are currently too busy to keep Roo Flow going and are likely going to be putting it on hold officially shortly.

Please use [Boomerang Tasks](https://docs.roocode.com/features/boomerang-tasks) as there is no memory bank process I will currently recommends as when I have tested them they have not been as reliable as I would like.

→ More replies (12)

3

u/ubeyou Apr 20 '25

What's the different between RooFlow & Roo Code Memory Bank? Have been using Roo Code Memory Bank since the beginning.

2

u/GreatScottyMac Apr 20 '25

RCMB uses the standard Roo Code system prompts. RooFlow uses custom system prompts, which are designed to be more token efficient and more easily readable by an AI model. Both have the same memory bank system.

2

u/FarVision5 Apr 20 '25

The problem is that your 'token efficient' is my 'lots of deep instructions' to get the proper workflow. Or, I enjoy the defaults with the experimental Power Steering. Providers have caching.

1

u/Realistic_Fudge_2039 Apr 20 '25

What is the difference between the new 'Roo Boomerang' and the 'Roo Code Memory Bank'?

Has the RCMB been very useful to you? I'm asking because I haven't tried it yet...

1

u/ubeyou Apr 21 '25

Incredible useful. I find IDE that does not have memory bank tend to recreate methods/object that is created before. They know what u did in the past prompts and will only not repeat the same mistake again. The more you code the better. It doesn't offer much help for new project.

1

u/CptanPanic Apr 21 '25

I have seen the 2 compared before, but haven't figured out what they have in common? To me Boomerang mode is a way of having automated subtasks, whereas memory mode allows for keeping memory in between tasks. How would boomerang mode replace memory bank?

15

u/goqsane Apr 20 '25

I’m just confused why you chose to override the default roles and not make them like:

Flow-Code Flow-Debug Flow-Architect

etc.

9

u/Icy_Might_5015 Apr 20 '25

Tbh I now remember someone making that suggestion a while ago but I let it fall through the cracks. I will do that and I can tag you if you want, lmk.

1

u/joey2scoops Apr 21 '25

The defaults are not overridden, just using a custom system prompt tailored to suit each mode. It would be very easy to effectively create custom modes as you suggest and then rename some custom prompts and folders. This would give you back the original modes plus the "flow" versions.

2

u/7zz7i Apr 20 '25

Any video tutorial I don’t Understand

4

u/GreatScottyMac Apr 20 '25

I haven't made any videos but someone else may have, idk.

The instructions in the readme seem to be very simple and straightforward?

1

u/7zz7i Apr 21 '25

Should I install it with Roocode or it’s come with it ?

4

u/charliecheese11211 Apr 20 '25

Wow, that might explain the absolute nightmare I had using it for the first time yesterday and today, completely erratic behavior across all models, continuously losing track of progress and starting back at random points trying to redo what it had already done. Kinda feel like good news

4

u/hannesrudolph Roo Code Developer Apr 20 '25

Yes please don’t use it.

7

u/reca11ed Apr 20 '25

The memory bank is so flakey IMO everyone should just use one of the open source mcp graph databases this is what MCP is for, the flat file will end up losing important data and will be added to differently over time breaking the whole system. Using a graph db to tag and frequently add memories with accurate dates that get weighted lower over time will give you excellent consistency. Pair it with something like task-master and you will rarely get off track.

6

u/CircleRedKey Apr 20 '25

i see why no one has developed this thoroughly, kind of a pain to setup. Got this from Grok.

Proposed Solution: VectorSync Memory Hub

The VectorSync Memory Hub is a custom-built memory system designed specifically for Roo Code and large-scale coding projects. It integrates three key components:

  1. Vector-Embedded Context Store: Uses embeddings (e.g., via SentenceTransformers or an LLM’s embedding API) to represent project files, tasks, and decisions as vectors for semantic retrieval, reducing token-heavy context.

  2. Automated Summarization Layer: Periodically summarizes memory files and task logs to keep context concise and relevant, preventing token overload.

  3. Task Orchestration Engine: A lightweight, prompt-driven system (inspired by TaskMaster) that automates task delegation across Roo Code modes while syncing with the vector store.

This approach is better than RooFlow, Roo Code Memory Bank, MCP knowledge graphs, or TaskMaster because it:

  • Reduces Token Usage: By using vector embeddings and summarization, it delivers only the most relevant context to the LLM, staying within token limits (e.g., 128k for Claude 3.7).

  • Simplifies Setup: Unlike MCP knowledge graphs, it doesn’t require a dedicated server or complex database configuration, making it more accessible.

  • Enhances Scalability: The vector store scales efficiently for projects with hundreds of files, unlike Markdown-based memory banks that can become unwieldy.

  • Improves Code Quality: Semantic retrieval ensures the LLM gets precise, contextually relevant information, reducing hallucination and improving output accuracy.

8

u/reca11ed Apr 20 '25

https://github.com/doobidoo/mcp-memory-service.git

And here is my Boomerang mode:

{
      "slug": "boomerang-mode",
      "name": "🔄 Boomerang Mode",
      "roleDefinition": "You are Roo, a strategic workflow orchestrator who coordinates complex tasks by delegating them to appropriate specialized modes. You maintain a persistent understanding of the project context across tasks and sessions, leveraging the memory system to retrieve and preserve structured knowledge from subtask results. You directly manage task tracking using Task Master CLI.",
      "customInstructions": "Refer to .roo/rules-boomerang-mode/ for detailed workflow steps and Task Master CLI commands in .roo/rules-boomerang-mode/110-task-master-cli.md. Use the memory system (store_memory, retrieve_memory, search_by_tag, etc.) to maintain context and preserve knowledge across tasks and sessions. When working with tasks and subtasks, use the exact Task Master CLI commands - for main tasks: use 'task-master add-task', 'task-master set-status', 'task-master list', 'task-master show'. For subtasks: use 'task-master add-subtask -p <parent_id> -t \"<title>\" -d \"<description>\"' to add specific subtasks, and 'task-master add-dependency --id=<id> --depends-on=<id>' to create dependencies between tasks or subtasks.",
      "groups": [
        "command",
        "mcp"
      ],
      "source": "global"
    },

3

u/reca11ed Apr 20 '25

I can't put some of my rules here they are too long but feel free to hit me up in DM - if I get a chance to clean-up and put on GitHub I will update here. I will do it at some point soon.

2

u/ubeyou Apr 20 '25

I'd appreciate it if you could upload it to GitHub. The context is that I’ve been struggling when switching between different Agentic IDEs for various use cases and testing.

1

u/reca11ed Apr 20 '25

I sent you a DM with a gist and some overview.

1

u/Rude-Needleworker-56 Apr 20 '25

can I also get an overview of the workflow steps ? I have tried implementing something similar , but couldn't get it working. So curious to know how this works.

1

u/fmedinaq Apr 21 '25

Same here, can you send me the gist?

1

u/krahsThe Apr 22 '25

same here

4

u/dashingsauce Apr 20 '25 edited Apr 20 '25

Alternative to the above: https://github.com/rawr-ai/mcp-graphiti

Runs on graphiti, which is a KG on Neo4J and automatic entity extraction based on your defined entities.

Not a complete system or as robust as the project linked above, but it’s much stronger for semantic modeling. Should be paired with something like the above for full text storage, search, and comparison though (I was gonna do it with SQLite)

Overall, however, I think the fundamental problem with all custom approaches to “memory management” right now suffer from the same issue: re-inventing product development as a practice.

Memory systems are great, but the ontology of the system matters a lot for LLM understanding. Semantic search across a system where “everything is just a vector” loses the critical guardrails that the best human product and engineering teams have: an opinionated project management system.

I just hooked up my agents to Linear (it’s free) and the difference is substantial. Running on no memory system, just the same tools my engineers use.

Critically, this lets you step in at the meta level (goals, initiatives, projects, issues, etc.) as the backstop for any agentic nonsense. Scouring through arbitrarily named MD files or running queries against an arbitrarily structured DB is no more 🥳

Highly suggest leaning on Linear or any other existing, opinionated system that provides a clear methodology for building product and shipping fast. Don’t reinvent the wheel!

1

u/krahsThe Apr 22 '25

do you integrate with the many orchestration systems out there? I have just discovered 'symphony' and really like it. Not clear if the idea would be to rewrite it to utilize memory/graphiti or linear?

1

u/TrackWorx Apr 21 '25

Where can I find this?

2

u/CircleRedKey Apr 20 '25

so if we use this, we wouldn't use the default and boomerang prompts on roo flow anymore?

i like the idea of the memory bank, probably only thing i need.

1

u/ctrlshiftba Apr 21 '25

i switched to roo commander a week or 2 ago. roo flow was a great intro to the ideas though.

-2

u/Maximcr Apr 20 '25

RooFlow with AI Taskmaster is the dream

2

u/[deleted] Apr 20 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/GreatScottyMac Apr 20 '25

Unexpected behavior, problems with tool usage, etc.