The Roo Commander framework is built upon a set of core principles designed to create a robust, efficient, and reliable AI-assisted development environment. These principles guide the architecture, agent behavior, and overall workflow within the system. Understanding these principles is key to leveraging Roo Commander effectively.

1. Delegation & Specialization:

   • Principle: Complex tasks are broken down and delegated to specialized AI agents (modes) with specific expertise (e.g., framework-react, dev-api, util-writer).
   • Rationale: Improves quality by leveraging focused knowledge, enhances efficiency, and allows for modular development of AI capabilities. Avoids relying on a single generalist AI for all tasks. (Ref: roo-commander/kb/01-operational-principles.md, roo-commander/kb/03-workflow-coordination.md)

2. Structured Context (File System as Source of Truth):

   • Principle: Project state, tasks, decisions, rules, and knowledge are stored primarily as structured text files (TOML+Markdown) within the workspace (.roo/, .ruru/). This file system is the primary source of truth.
   • Rationale: Enables version control, human readability, tool accessibility, persistent context beyond LLM limits, and traceability. (Ref: DOC-FS-SPEC-001, DOC-SCHEMA-001, .roo/rules/01-standard-toml-md-format.md)

3. Traceability & Logging:

   • Principle: Significant actions, decisions, delegations, errors, and task status changes MUST be logged in designated artifacts (primarily MDTM task files in .ruru/tasks/ or decision records in .ruru/decisions/).
   • Rationale: Creates an auditable history, facilitates debugging, enables context recovery between sessions, and provides data for reporting. (Ref: .roo/rules/08-logging-procedure-simplified.md, roo-commander/kb/12-logging-procedures.md)

4. User Control & AI Assistance:

   • Principle: The AI acts as an assistant and automator, but the user retains ultimate control. Critical actions or potentially destructive operations require user confirmation. AI suggestions should be clearly marked.
   • Rationale: Balances the power of AI automation with the need for human oversight and safety. Ensures the user is aware of and approves significant changes. (Ref: DOC-AI-SPEC-001, .roo/rules-roo-commander/07-safety-protocols-rule.md)

5. Safety & Confirmation:

   • Principle: Implement safeguards against accidental data loss or unintended consequences. This includes checks for risky commands, confirmation prompts for file modifications (especially by prime-* modes), and adherence to file access restrictions.
   • Rationale: Prioritizes the integrity of the user's workspace and project data. (Ref: .roo/rules-roo-commander/07-safety-protocols-rule.md, prime-txt / prime-dev rules)

6. Consistency & Standards:

   • Principle: Adhere to defined standards for file structures, naming conventions, TOML schemas, commit messages, and coding styles (where applicable). Use templates to enforce consistency.
   • Rationale: Improves predictability, maintainability, and makes it easier for both humans and AI agents to navigate and understand the project structure and artifacts. (Ref: .ruru/docs/standards/, .ruru/templates/)

7. Modularity & Extensibility:

   • Principle: The mode-based architecture allows for adding, removing, or updating specialized capabilities without disrupting the entire system. Rules and KBs provide targeted knowledge.
   • Rationale: Facilitates easier maintenance, upgrades, and customization of the framework.

8. Methodology Flexibility (via IntelliManage):

   • Principle: Support standard Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban) and custom workflows on a per-project basis through configuration.
   • Rationale: Allows teams to use the project management approach that best suits their needs within the same integrated environment. (Ref: DOC-METHODOLOGY-GUIDE-001)

9. Multi-Project Support (via IntelliManage):

   • Principle: Natively support managing multiple distinct projects within a single workspace, maintaining separate contexts and artifacts.
   • Rationale: Addresses the reality of modern development workflows, especially in monorepos or related project ecosystems. (Ref: DOC-FS-SPEC-001)

10. Iterative Execution & Context Management:

    • Principle: Break down large tasks into smaller, iterative steps, reporting progress and managing context window usage proactively.
    • Rationale: Ensures reliable task completion, prevents context overflows, and aligns with MDTM tracking. (Ref: .roo/rules/06-iterative-execution-policy.md)

These core principles form the foundation of the Roo Commander framework and its IntelliManage integration. They emphasize structure, specialization, safety, user control, and adaptability, aiming to create a powerful yet manageable AI-assisted development experience. Adherence to these principles by all participating modes (and understanding by users) is essential for the system's success.