Building Roo Code: Agentic Coding, Boomerang Tasks, and Community

In this episode of the Modern Web Podcast, Rob Ocel and Danny Thompson talk with Hannes Rudolph, Community Manager at RooCode, to explore how this fast-moving, community-driven code editor is rethinking what AI-assisted development looks like. Hannes breaks down Roo’s agentic coding model, explains how their “boomerang tasks” tackle LLM context limits, and shares lessons from working with contributors across experience levels.

Keypoints from this episode:

- RooCode's "boomerang" architecture breaks complex coding tasks into structured, recursive subtasks, helping AI agents stay focused while avoiding context bloat and hallucination chains.

- Developers can build their own orchestrator and agent modes in Roo, tailoring persona and instructions to fit specific workflows—crucial for long-term productivity.

- Unlike many tools, RooCode shows developers exactly how much each LLM call costs in real time, empowering teams to manage both quality and budget.

- RooCode is deeply community-driven, with user-submitted PRs frequently reshaping priorities. The team emphasizes transparency, collaboration, and accessibility for contributors at all levels.

Follow Hannes Rudolph on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannes-rudolph-64738b3b/

Sponsored by This Dot: thisdotlabs.com