Developer Studio

Developer Studio is Row-Bot's code workspace. Use it when you want Row-Bot to understand a local folder or Git repository, discuss code, inspect files, run approved commands, propose edits, and help review changes.

The Developer Home tab opens folders, connects repositories, clones projects, and starts Developer Studio workspaces.

The Developer workspace keeps repository identity, changed files, inspector state, conversation, commands, and review controls together.

Where To Find It

Open Home -> Developer. Choose an existing folder, connect a repository already on your machine, or clone a repository into a local workspace.

The Agents tool can also assign a child directly to an existing local folder. Row-Bot validates the path and registers it as that child's Developer workspace; a folder assignment and a pre-existing workspace ID are alternative ways to select the workspace, not settings to combine.

End-To-End Workflow

1. Open or clone a project.
2. Confirm the workspace name, path, branch, and dirty state.
3. Ask Developer chat a code question or assign a change.
4. Review the inspector for files, detected commands, todos, context, and approvals.
5. Approve only the commands or edits you understand.
6. Run tests or checks.
7. Review the changed files before committing or exporting a patch.

UI Walkthrough

• Open folder connects a local project without cloning.
• Connect repository uses a local Git checkout.
• Clone repository creates a new checkout from a remote URL.
• Developer chat is the conversation bound to that workspace.
• Inspector shows workspace identity, files, command suggestions, todos, changes, and run state.
• File/context panel helps Row-Bot and you see what code is relevant.
• Command controls run detected or requested commands through approval policy.
• Change review summarizes edits and lets you inspect before accepting next steps.

Parallel Child Workspaces

Writer ownership follows the resolved workspace folder. Children working in distinct folders or worktrees can edit concurrently, while writers aimed at the same folder are serialized to prevent overlapping changes. Changing only a shell working directory does not create an independent write boundary. Use a separate worktree or folder when two children genuinely need parallel write access.

Sandbox Modes

Local mode lets Row-Bot operate in the selected workspace with your configured file and command permissions. Docker Sandbox mode, when available on a host installation, isolates command execution in a container and requires an import step before changes affect the real workspace. It requires a supported host Docker runtime and can differ from your local environment.

Inside the official Row-Bot application container, Developer Docker Sandbox is unavailable and a requested Docker workspace fails closed; Row-Bot never probes a nested daemon or silently runs that workspace locally. Local mode remains an explicit choice and can see only workspace paths deliberately mounted into the application container.

An approved risky Custom Tool is a third case: it deliberately executes in Local mode inside the application container against the selected visible Custom Tool path. That behavior is shown in the approval dialog and is not a nested Docker sandbox or fallback from a requested Docker workspace. See Docker And VPS Operations for the complete container boundary.

For a host installation, start with Local mode on a disposable branch. Use Docker Sandbox when you want stronger isolation and the supported host runtime is available.

Troubleshooting

• If Developer tools are unavailable, open a Developer workspace first.
• If an Agent folder assignment is rejected, confirm that the directory already exists and pass either that folder or an existing workspace ID, not both.
• If commands are missing, inspect detected commands or ask Row-Bot to identify the project tooling.
• If a command asks for approval, read the exact command and workspace before approving.
• If Docker sandbox import is offered, review the patch before importing it into the real project.