Cline Fork Deploy: Roo Code v3.54.0 Install Guide

Roo Code – the well-known Cline fork – stopped at v3.54.0 on May 15, 2026. Same day the repo went read-only. You can still run the extension on your own keys. You will not get new model adapters, security patches, or hosted Cloud/Router.

This is a deliberate legacy deploy: pin the last official build, wire BYOK, verify a read-only tool call, then either keep the freeze or hand off to Zoo Code (community continuation) or upstream Cline.

Should you deploy this Cline fork at all?

Roo began as Roo Cline: Cline plus multi-mode agents (Code, Architect, Ask, Debug, custom modes), diff-style edits, dense BYOK. Marketplace ID RooVeterinaryInc.roo-cline. Source: RooCodeInc/Roo-Code (archived).

The official sunset post shut the VS Code extension, Cloud, and Router on May 15, 2026, refunded unused balances, and pointed people at Cline. Final archive tag: v3.54.0.

Daily production? Zoo or Cline. Need the exact frozen binary? Keep going.

Frozen agent software feels odd the first week – like keeping a compiler pinned because one build farm still hashes it. Useful. Not romantic.

System requirements

Marketplace install is self-contained. You bring the editor and a live inference key.

• Editor: VS Code 1.84.0+ (engine constraint on the v3.54.0 line). Cursor/Windsurf-class forks usually work if they take Marketplace or VSIX.
• OS: Windows 10/11, macOS, Linux x64/ARM – VS Code’s matrix.
• RAM / disk: No vendor floor. Budget ~8 GB free RAM on large repos if indexing is on. VSIX ≈ 29 MB (package metadata ~29.41 MB).
• Network: Your LLM provider only. Hosted Roo endpoints are gone after the sunset date.
• From-source / historical CLI: Node 20+ for CLI docs, pnpm, Git.

First run without local-model drama: current stable VS Code, 16 GB RAM, OpenRouter or direct Anthropic/OpenAI.

Official download sources

Skip random reuploads.

1. VS Code Marketplace – “Roo Code” / RooVeterinaryInc.roo-cline: listing.
2. Open VSX – same name for VSCodium-style editors.
3. GitHub release assets – tag v3.54.0 when you need a pinned VSIX: releases.
4. Maintained fork – Zoo Code ID ZooCodeOrganization.zoo-code; docs at docs.zoocode.dev.

Install Roo Code v3.54.0

Method A – Marketplace

code --install-extension RooVeterinaryInc.roo-cline
# Cursor:
cursor --install-extension RooVeterinaryInc.roo-cline

UI path: Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X) → Roo Code → Install → reload if asked. Activity Bar icon opens the panel – if it doesn’t, jump to errors below.

Method B – Pin the VSIX

Grab the 3.54.0.vsix from the GitHub release (or a trusted Marketplace archive copy).

code --install-extension /path/to/roo-cline-3.54.0.vsix
# Or Extensions → ... → Install from VSIX...

Local VSIX is what you control when gallery mirrors drift. Marketplace may still show the last published build; the file on disk is the audit trail.

Method C – From source (contributors)

git clone https://github.com/RooCodeInc/Roo-Code.git
cd Roo-Code
git checkout v3.54.0
pnpm install
pnpm vsix
code --install-extension bin/roo-cline-3.54.0.vsix

Older trees also had pnpm install:vsix with optional --editor=cursor.

Pin check: Open extension details immediately. Not 3.54.0? Uninstall and force the VSIX before you invest in custom modes.

Bare-minimum configuration

BYOK only. Hosted Cloud/Router paths died with the product – configure a live provider once and move on.

1. Roo icon in the Activity Bar.
2. Gear → API / provider settings.
3. Provider: OpenRouter is still the easiest multi-model on-ramp; Anthropic or OpenAI direct; “OpenAI Compatible” for gateways and local stacks.
4. Paste the key. Pick a tool-capable model (chat-only answers; tools fail).
5. Auto-approve off until you trust the workspace. Modes still gate tools (Ask stays read-leaning; Code can edit).

# OpenAI Compatible local (Ollama-style)
# API Provider: OpenAI Compatible
# Base URL: http://localhost:11434/v1
# API Key: ollama
# Model ID: exact id from the server's /v1/models list

Remote gateways: Base URL needs the /v1 segment, no trailing slash. Model ID must match the provider listing character-for-character – bare names often 400 as “invalid model format.”

Think of the first good reply as a three-way handshake, not magic: extension host alive, key accepted, model willing to emit tool calls. Drop any leg and the UI just stares.

Verify it works

• Extensions view: Roo Code enabled at 3.54.0.
• Activity Bar icon opens chat.
• View → Output → Roo-related channel → no activation errors.
• Read-only prompt: “List the top-level files in this workspace; do not modify anything.”
• Model answers; optional file-list tool call completes if you allow it.

No health HTTP endpoint on the extension host. The chat round-trip is the check.

Common install errors

No Activity Bar icon. Documented failure mode after Marketplace install (GitHub issue #10917). Restart the window. Confirm enabled. Disable/re-enable. Read Output. Nuclear path people used: uninstall, delete rooveterinaryinc.roo-cline under user extensions and globalStorage, reinstall.

Stuck on welcome “API key / Let’s go”. Wrong provider field, empty key, or a key the UI refused. Switch provider type, paste again, reload window.

401 / empty key on OpenAI Compatible. Community reports: keys containing : or @ sometimes failed to propagate (empty key on the relay) – Azure-style secrets were classic offenders. Prefer keys without those characters, or a profile that does not mangle headers.

Works in curl, dead in Roo. Missing /v1, trailing slash, or model id without the vendor prefix your gateway wants.

Codebase indexing on custom embedders. Near archive, community threads described API keys not persisting, hardcoded embedder model lists, and config resets on late builds. If you only need chat/agent tools, turn indexing off in settings rather than debugging a dead embedder path.

Anything that assumed Roo Cloud or Roo Router. No fix. BYOK or leave.

Upgrade path, migration, uninstall

No official release after v3.54.0. “Upgrade” means migrate.

Zoo Code (closest continuity):

code --install-extension ZooCodeOrganization.zoo-code
# Export from Roo if the UI still offers it, Import in Zoo.
# Expect small tweaks - not a silent settings clone.

Install notes: docs.zoocode.dev. Zoo tags sat in the v3.86.x range as of early October 2026 – confirm on their releases before you pin.

Cline: current Marketplace build. Rebuild habits around Plan/Act instead of Roo’s mode gallery.

Uninstall Roo:

code --uninstall-extension RooVeterinaryInc.roo-cline
# Windows: %USERPROFILE%.vscodeextensionsrooveterinaryinc.roo-cline-*
# %APPDATA%CodeUserglobalStoragerooveterinaryinc.roo-cline
# macOS: ~/.vscode/extensions/rooveterinaryinc.roo-cline-*
# ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/...

Historical CLI leftovers (if used): rm -rf ~/.roo/cli ~/.local/bin/roo.

FAQ

Is Roo Code still safe to install in 2026?

As a pinned open-source VSIX on your own keys, it can run. No official patches. Isolate the workspace and plan the exit.

Marketplace install vs VSIX – which should I use?

Marketplace for a quick try. Locked lab or CI image? Ship the 3.54.0 VSIX with code --install-extension and the hash you audited. Example: a corporate image baked mid-2026 should not depend on “whatever the gallery returns next month.”

Does installing the Cline fork replace Cline, or can both run?

Separate extension IDs. Both can sit installed. Driving two full agents on one folder is how you get conflicting edits and doubled spend – one driver per workspace. “Fork” does not mean drop-in settings sync either. Mode files and prompt packs often need manual porting, especially into Zoo Code’s renamed package.

Next: code --install-extension RooVeterinaryInc.roo-cline (or the 3.54.0 VSIX), one read-only chat, then either keep the pin or install ZooCodeOrganization.zoo-code and uninstall Roo the same afternoon.