Feature Request - Advanced option to modify system prompt for all modes

[James-Cherished]

App Version

3.13.2

API Provider

OpenRouter

Model Used

irrelevant

Actual vs. Expected Behavior

Hi!

If feasible, I'd like to request more ownership for the system prompt, and highlight a few pain points:

Allow an experimental/advanced option to override the system prompt for all modes, not just for a specific mode.
--> I want to modify the system prompt : I have to set a system-prompt-code, system-prompt-debug, etc... It's a pain to manage.

Additional idea: maybe a more granular ownership with mode-specific
Consider allowing the mode-specific system prompts to override the mode-specific instructions.
--> If I set a system-prompt-debug in my .roo/, it is because I want it to override the "basic"/"general" custom instructions and custom definitions of my mode.

Detailed Steps to Reproduce

Currently:

1. Prompts tab
2. Advanced : override system prompt
3. It's only doing it for one mode
4. If I want to change 1 thing for many modes, I have to manage many files

Additionally:

1. Prompts tab
2. Modify the role definition and mode-specific custom instructions with "instructions A"
3. Advanced : override system prompt
4. It's doing it for this mode only (.roo/system-prompt-mymode)
5. adding mode-specific "instructions B" in (.roo/system-prompt-mymode)
6. instructions A are followed

---

Ideal:

1. Prompts tab
2. Advanced : override system prompt
3. Opens .roo/"system-prompt" or something like that at root
4. If I want to change 1 thing for all modes, I have to manage ONE file

Additionally:

1. Prompts tab
2. Modify the role definition and mode-specific custom instructions with "instructions A"
3. Advanced : override mode-specific system prompt
4. I can modify .roo/system-prompt-mymode at root to use project-specific "instructions B"
5. instructions A and Roo system prompt are overridden, instructions B are followed

Result : better prompt and modes management for power users ; different projects sometimes require different system prompts at root .roo/

Relevant API Request Output

Additional Context

No response

[James-Cherished]

To be clear, even with .roo/system-prompt-mymode, Roo will follow instructions from instructions A (the role definition and the custom instructions), even if .roo/system-prompt-mymode contains sections about the role definition and the custom instructions.

To illustrate, I've used R1 and wrote conflicting instructions :
when user prompts TREE,

• system-prompt-code states he must say PLANT
• code's custom instructions state he must say CAR

He chose to say CAR.

only the system prompt is overriden, not the custom mode instructions.
IMO this use case is rarer than others :

currently :

• I want to override the system prompt only in this mode, but keep the custom instructions (more rare) --> .roo/system-prompt-mymode

ideal :

• I want to override the system prompt for all modes (useful) --> .roo/system-prompt
• I want to override the system prompt + the mode-specific instructions --> .roo/system-prompt-mymode, must override instructions A
• I want to override the system prompt only in this mode, but keep the custom instructions (more rare) --> .roo/system-prompt-mymode, I keep the section about mode-specific instructions blank or I copy-paste the current instructions from the mode, no changes

Result : all use cases are tackled, none excluded

[James-Cherished]

The only way to persist the system prompt customization across modes currently

[Kreijstal]

lmao roo prompt is massive, I just asked gemini to summarize it and used it as prompt it saves me 5k tokens lmao, and works perfectly fine