RooCode (New Upgrades & Cloud) + Free APIs: Cloud Features, Slash Commands, Mode Markets & More!

Key Concepts

• Rue Code Updates: Overview of new features and improvements from versions 3.20 to 3.25.
• Marketplace: Central hub for discovering and installing extensions and modes.
• MCP (Model Context Protocol) Servers: Allow integration of different AI models.
• Codebase Indexing: Semantic analysis of the codebase for improved AI understanding.
• Task To-Do Lists: Automated checklist of steps for tracking task progress.
• Custom Slash Commands: User-defined commands for automating workflows.
• Concurrent File Edits/Reads: Ability to process multiple files simultaneously.
• Image Support: OCR-based text extraction from images.
• Rue Code Cloud: Cloud-powered features for collaboration, data persistence, and usage tracking.
• Free APIs: Access to free AI models through various providers.

Rue Code Updates (3.20 - 3.25)

Rue Code 3.20

• Experimental Marketplace: Introduced for extensions and modes, allowing users to browse and install community-created MCP servers and custom modes without experimental flags.
• Concurrent File Edits and Reads: Enabled simultaneous editing and reading of multiple files, improving efficiency for large codebases.
• Prompt History Navigation: Allowed users to cycle through prompt history using up and down arrow keys when the cursor is at the start of the input.

Rue Code 3.21

• Official Marketplace Launch: The marketplace for MCPs and modes became officially available to all users.
• Direct Claude Max Support: Integrated direct support for Claude Max subscriptions, allowing users to access Sonnet 4, Opus 4, and other models without API keys.
• Excel and LaTeX Support: Improved Excel file support and enabled rendering of LaTeX equations in the chat.

Rue Code 3.22

• Timer-Based Auto Approval: Introduced timer-based auto-approval for follow-up questions, reducing manual intervention.

Rue Code 3.23

• Stable Codebase Indexing: Codebase indexing graduated to a stable feature, running in the background to maintain an up-to-date semantic understanding of the project.
• Task To-Do List: Introduced a new task to-do list feature, displaying a checklist of steps for a task directly in the chat.
• Command Deny List: Added a command deny list to automatically reject unwanted commands in workflows.
• Rue Code Cloud Waitlist: Made the Rue Code Cloud waitlist signup available on the website and in the extension.
• Claude Code Provider - Windows Support: Added native Windows support for the Claude Code provider.
• Smarter Command Validation: Improved command validation logic to only auto-deny subshell commands with denied prefixes.

Rue Code 3.24

• Hugging Face Provider: Integrated Hugging Face as a provider, allowing access to thousands of open-source models.
• Agent Rule Standard: Introduced the agent rule standard with agents.md files, enabling the sharing of natural language guidelines across Rue Code and other compatible tools.
• Interactive Terminal Command Permissions UI: Added a new interactive UI for managing command patterns visually, with intelligent pattern suggestions and quick toggles.

Rue Code 3.25

• Custom Slash Commands: Introduced custom slash commands, allowing users to automate workflows by placing markdown files in the RU commands folder. A management UI was added for creating, editing, and deleting commands, with argument hints and rich descriptions for self-documenting commands.
• Message Queuing: Added message queuing, allowing users to type and send messages while Rue is still processing earlier ones.
• New Model Providers: Added Cerebras, Dubao, Sambanova, and new shoots AI models.
• Rue Code Cloud: Introduced Rue Code Cloud, extending the Rue Code extension with cloud-powered features for enhanced collaboration, data persistence, and usage tracking.

Marketplace Demonstration

• Accessing the Marketplace: Click the marketplace icon in the top bar to access the catalog of available MCPs and modes.
• Installation Process: Select an MCP or mode, choose whether to install it for the current project or globally, and enter any required configuration details (e.g., API keys).
• Seamless Integration: Installed MCPs and modes are immediately active without requiring config file modifications or extension restarts.

Codebase Indexing Details

• Semantic Embeddings: Rue Code analyzes the entire project and generates semantic embeddings for all files.
• Vector Indexing: The AI queries the vector index to retrieve the most relevant files and context when searching or making changes.
• Performance Improvement: Codebase indexing improves search speed, accuracy, and the quality of code suggestions and refactors, even in large repositories.

Task To-Do List Functionality

• Automated Checklist Generation: Rue Code can automatically break down new tasks into a checklist of steps, displayed in the chat window.
• Progress Tracking: The AI checks off each step as it is completed, providing real-time progress tracking.
• Model-Specific Configuration: To-do lists can be enabled or disabled per model in the advanced settings.

Custom Slash Commands Explained

• Markdown-Based Commands: Custom commands are created using simple markdown files.
• Command Manager: The command manager generates a starter file for new commands.
• Argument Hints: Argument hints are displayed as visual placeholders in the chat, making it easy to remember the required inputs.
• Workflow Automation: Custom commands can turn multi-step workflows into single actions, improving productivity and standardizing best practices.

Concurrent File Processing

• Multi-File Operations: Rue Code can edit or read multiple files simultaneously, saving time when making sweeping changes or gathering information from multiple sources.
• Model Compatibility: Concurrent file processing works especially well with models like Opus 4 and Gemini 2.5.

Image Support with OCR

• Text Extraction: Rue Code can extract text from images using OCR, allowing users to process documentation, receipts, and other visual data.

Rue Code Cloud Features

• Accessing Rue Code Cloud: Sign into Rue Code Cloud via the icon in the extension.
• Usage Dashboard: View the usage dashboard to see the history of tasks, models used, and other relevant information.
• Collaboration: Share tasks with others and generate public share links from the Rue Code extension.

Free APIs and Model Access

• Horizon Beta Model: A free, fast, and unlimited model.
• Quen 3 Coder: Free API available via Open Router and Cerebras.
• Cerebras Code Plans: Paid plans ($50 and $200) offering almost unlimited access to the Quen three coder API with 2,000 tokens per second speed.
• Kilo Code: A fork of Root Code with $20 of free credits for using any model.

Conclusion

Rue Code has undergone significant updates, introducing features like the marketplace, codebase indexing, task to-do lists, custom slash commands, concurrent file processing, image support, and Rue Code Cloud. These updates aim to enhance productivity, improve AI understanding of codebases, and streamline workflows. The availability of free APIs and models further expands the accessibility and utility of Rue Code. The speaker recommends trying out these new features and considers Rue Code their main coding tool.