feat(robot): add ROBOTCODE_CACHE_DIR env var for cache path override

Enable redirecting the analysis cache to a custom directory via the
`ROBOTCODE_CACHE_DIR` environment variable. This allows all RobotCode
tools — CLI commands, analyze runs, and the language server — to
share the same cache regardless of where it is stored.

The VS Code extension automatically sets this variable in the
integrated terminal, so CLI commands find the correct cache
without any manual setup.

Cache clearing now operates on the database directly instead of
removing the directory, preventing errors when multiple processes
access the cache concurrently.

Author: d-biehl

packages/analyze/src/robotcode/analyze/cache/cli.py

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
     SqliteDataCache,
     build_cache_dir,
     exclusive_cache_lock,
+    resolve_cache_base_path,
 )
 
 from ..config import AnalyzeConfig
@@ -43,6 +44,8 @@ def _resolve_cache(
         if analyzer_config.cache is not None and analyzer_config.cache.cache_dir is not None:
             cache_base_path = Path(analyzer_config.cache.cache_dir)
 
+    cache_base_path = resolve_cache_base_path(cache_base_path)
+
     cache_dir = build_cache_dir(cache_base_path)
 
     if not cache_dir.exists() or not (cache_dir / "cache.db").exists():
@@ -374,6 +377,8 @@ def _resolve_cache_root(
         if analyzer_config.cache is not None and analyzer_config.cache.cache_dir is not None:
             cache_base_path = Path(analyzer_config.cache.cache_dir)
 
+    cache_base_path = resolve_cache_base_path(cache_base_path)
+
     return cache_base_path / CACHE_DIR_NAME
 
 

packages/robot/src/robotcode/robot/diagnostics/data_cache.py

@@ -152,6 +152,14 @@ def exclusive_cache_lock(cache_dir: Path) -> Iterator[bool]:
         os.close(fd)
 
 
+def resolve_cache_base_path(base_path: Path) -> Path:
+    """Apply ROBOTCODE_CACHE_DIR env var override to a cache base path."""
+    env_cache_dir = os.environ.get("ROBOTCODE_CACHE_DIR")
+    if env_cache_dir:
+        return Path(env_cache_dir)
+    return base_path
+
+
 def build_cache_dir(base_path: Path) -> Path:
     return (
         base_path

packages/robot/src/robotcode/robot/diagnostics/document_cache_helper.py

@@ -660,7 +660,9 @@ def get_imports_manager_for_workspace_folder(self, folder: Optional[WorkspaceFol
             return self._imports_managers[folder]
 
     def calc_cache_path(self, folder_uri: Uri) -> Path:
-        return folder_uri.to_path()
+        from .data_cache import resolve_cache_base_path
+
+        return resolve_cache_base_path(folder_uri.to_path())
 
     def get_diagnostic_modifier(self, document: TextDocument) -> DiagnosticsModifier:
         return document.get_cache(self.__get_diagnostic_modifier)

packages/robot/src/robotcode/robot/diagnostics/imports_manager.py

@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import ast
 import multiprocessing as mp
 import os
-import shutil
 import threading
 import weakref
 from abc import ABC, abstractmethod
@@ -905,10 +904,8 @@ def get_resource_doc_from_document(self, document: TextDocument) -> ResourceDoc:
         return self.get_libdoc_from_model(model, source)
 
     def clear_cache(self) -> None:
-        if self.cache_path.exists():
-            shutil.rmtree(self.cache_path, ignore_errors=True)
-
-            self._logger.debug(lambda: f"Cleared cache {self.cache_path}")
+        count = self.data_cache.clear_all()
+        self._logger.debug(lambda: f"Cleared {count} cache entries from {self.cache_path}")
 
     @_logger.call
     def get_command_line_variables(self) -> List[VariableDefinition]:

vscode-client/extension/index.ts

@@ -187,6 +187,10 @@ export async function activateAsync(context: vscode.ExtensionContext): Promise<v
   collection.replace("ROBOTCODE_DISABLE_ANSI_LINKS", "1");
   collection.replace("ROBOTCODE_BUNDLED_ROBOTCODE_MAIN", pythonManager.robotCodeMain);
 
+  if (context.storageUri) {
+    collection.replace("ROBOTCODE_CACHE_DIR", context.storageUri.fsPath);
+  }
+
   languageClientManger.refresh();
 }