Newsletter
Join the Community
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news and updates
Kiro is an agentic IDE that helps you do your best work with features such as specs, steering, and hooks.
Kiro is an innovative IDE developed by AWS that revolutionizes software development by bridging the gap between rapid prototyping and production-ready applications. Built on VS Code's open-source foundation, Kiro introduces spec-driven development methodology that converts natural language prompts into comprehensive requirements, technical designs, and implementation tasks. The platform leverages advanced language models like Claude Sonnet 4.0 and features agent hooks for automated workflow management, steering files for project context, and real-time code diff visualization to maintain developer control throughout the development process.
Spec-Driven Development Specs or specifications are structured artifacts that formalize the development process for complex features in your application. They provide a systematic approach to transform high-level ideas into detailed implementation plans with clear tracking and accountability.
Agent Hooks Automation Agent Hooks are powerful automation tools that streamline your development workflow by automatically executing predefined agent actions when specific events occur in your IDE. With hooks, you eliminate the need to manually request routine tasks and ensure consistency across your codebase.
Build Features Through Chat Kiro offers a chat panel where you can interact with your code through natural language conversations. Just tell Kiro what you need. Ask questions about your codebase, request explanations for complex logic, generate new features, debug tricky issues, and automate repetitive tasks—all while Kiro maintains complete context of your project.
Project Steering Context Steering gives Kiro persistent knowledge about your project through markdown files in .kiro/steering/. Instead of explaining your conventions in every chat, steering files ensure Kiro consistently follows your established patterns, libraries, and standards.
MCP Supported Model Context Protocol (MCP) extends Kiro's capabilities by connecting to specialized servers that provide additional tools and context.
Privacy First Kiro is an AWS application that works as a standalone agentic IDE. Kiro's security framework is built around AWS's security infrastructure and follows practices to protect your development environment and data.
Q: What makes Kiro different from other AI coding tools like GitHub Copilot? A: Kiro focuses on spec-driven development rather than just code completion. It creates comprehensive requirements, technical designs, and task breakdowns from natural language prompts, while Copilot primarily suggests code snippets. Kiro also includes agent hooks for automated workflow management and maintains project context through steering files.
Q: Is Kiro free to use? A:Yes, Kiro is currently free during its preview phase. AWS has indicated there will be both free and premium tiers available after the official launch, but specific pricing details haven't been announced yet.
Q: Which AI models does Kiro support? A: Kiro currently supports Claude Sonnet 3.7 and Sonnet 4.0 models from Anthropic, with additional model options planned for future releases. The platform is designed to integrate with various advanced language models.
Q:Can I use my existing VS Code settings and extensions with Kiro? A: es, Kiro supports VS Code settings import and is compatible with Open VSX extensions and themes. Since it's built on VS Code's open-source foundation, most familiar workflows and configurations can be transferred.
Q:How does Kiro handle code privacy and security? A: Kiro processes code locally and provides transparent control over all actions. Users can opt out of having their code used for training data, and all code execution happens in your local environment rather than being sent to cloud services unless explicitly authorized.
Q:What operating systems does Kiro support? A:Kiro is available for Windows, macOS (both Intel and Apple Silicon), and Linux distributions. You can download the installer from kiro.dev and follow the installation instructions for your specific operating system.
Q: How do agent hooks work in Kiro? A: Agent hooks are automated background processes that trigger on specific events like file saves or commits. They can automatically generate unit tests, update documentation, perform security scans, and enforce coding standards without manual intervention, keeping your development workflow efficient.
