Context Mentions

Context mentions are a powerful way to provide Roo Code with specific information about your project, allowing it to perform tasks more accurately and efficiently. You can use mentions to refer to files, folders, problems, and Git commits. Context mentions start with the @ symbol.

Context mentions overview showing the @ symbol dropdown menu in the chat interface.

Types of Mentions

File mentions add actual code content into the conversation for direct reference and analysis.

Mention Type	Format	Description	Example Usage
File	@/path/to/file.ts	Includes file contents in request context	"Explain the function in @/src/utils.ts"
Folder	@/path/to/folder	Includes contents of all files directly in the folder (non-recursive)	"Analyze the code in @/src/components"
Problems	@problems	Includes VS Code Problems panel diagnostics	"@problems Fix all errors in my code"
Terminal	@terminal	Includes recent terminal command and output	"Fix the errors shown in @terminal"
Git Commit	@a1b2c3d	References specific commit by hash	"What changed in commit @a1b2c3d?"
Git Changes	@git-changes	Shows uncommitted changes	"Suggest a message for @git-changes"
URL	@https://example.com	Imports website content	"Summarize @https://docusaurus.io/"

File Mentions

File mentions incorporate source code with line numbers for precise references.

Capability	Details
Format	@/path/to/file.ts (always start with / from workspace root)
Provides	Complete file contents with line numbers
Supports	Text files, PDFs, and DOCX files (with text extraction)
Works in	Initial requests, feedback responses, and follow-up messages
Limitations	Very large files may be truncated; binary files not supported

Folder Mentions

Folder mentions include the content of all files within the specified directory.

Capability	Details
Format	@/path/to/folder (no trailing slash)
Provides	Complete contents of all files within the directory
Includes	Contents of non-binary text files directly within the folder (not recursive)
Best for	Providing context from multiple files in a directory
Tip	Be mindful of context window limits when mentioning large directories

Problems Mention

Problems mentions import diagnostics directly from VS Code's problems panel.

Capability	Details
Format	@problems
Provides	All errors and warnings from VS Code's problems panel
Includes	File paths, line numbers, and diagnostic messages
Groups	Problems organized by file for better clarity
Best for	Fixing errors without manual copying

Terminal Mention

Terminal mentions capture recent command output for debugging and analysis.

Capability	Details
Format	@terminal
Captures	Last command and its complete output
Preserves	Terminal state (doesn't clear the terminal)
Limitation	Limited to visible terminal buffer content
Best for	Debugging build errors or analyzing command output

Git Mentions

Git mentions provide commit details and diffs for context-aware version analysis.

Type	Format	Provides	Limitations
Commit	@a1b2c3d	Commit message, author, date, and complete diff	Only works in Git repositories
Working Changes	@git-changes	git status output and diff of uncommitted changes	Only works in Git repositories

URL Mentions

URL mentions import external web content and convert it to readable Markdown format.

Capability	Details
Format	@https://example.com
Processing	Uses headless browser to fetch content
Cleaning	Removes scripts, styles, and navigation elements
Output	Converts content to Markdown for readability
Limitation	Complex pages may not convert perfectly

How to Use Mentions

1. Type @ in the chat input to trigger the suggestions dropdown
2. Continue typing to filter suggestions or use arrow keys to navigate
3. Select with Enter key or mouse click
4. Combine multiple mentions in a request: "Fix @problems in @/src/component.ts"

The dropdown automatically suggests:

• Recently opened files
• Visible folders
• Recent git commits
• Special keywords (problems, terminal, git-changes)
• All currently open files (regardless of ignore settings or directory filters)

The dropdown automatically filters out common directories like node_modules, .git, dist, and out to reduce noise, even though their content could be included if manually typed.

Important Behaviors

Ignore File Interactions

Behavior	Description
.rooignore bypass	File and folder @mentions bypass .rooignore checks when fetching content for context. Content from ignored files will be included if directly mentioned.
.gitignore bypass	Similarly, file and folder @mentions do not respect .gitignore rules when fetching content.
Git command respect	Git-related mentions (@git-changes, @commit-hash) do respect .gitignore since they rely on Git commands.