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kiro.dev

Free

An agentic development environment for shipping real engineering work with AI

FreeFree tier
Inputs: text, codeOutputs: code, text
Type
Open Source
Visit Website GitHub (40 stars)

About kiro.dev

Kiro is an agentic development environment (IDE) built by a small team within AWS that reinvents how developers collaborate with AI agents. It introduces spec-driven development, where natural language prompts are turned into structured requirements, design, and tasks that agents execute. Kiro also supports Agent Skills — portable instruction packages that bundle instructions, scripts, and templates. Skills use progressive disclosure to keep context focused: only skill names load initially, full instructions load when relevant, and scripts/files load only as needed. Skills can be imported from GitHub or local folders, and can be scoped globally or per workspace. Additional capabilities include agent hooks for background tasks (e.g., updating docs, generating tests, optimizing code) and slash commands to invoke skills directly.

Key Features

Spec-driven development: converts prompts into structured requirements, design, and tasks for agents
Agent Skills: portable instruction packages that bundle instructions, scripts, and templates
Progressive disclosure: loads only skill name initially, full instructions on activation, scripts as needed
Automatic skill activation based on request matching or manual slash command invocation
Workspace skills (per-project) and global skills (cross-project) with workspace priority
Import skills from GitHub repositories or local folders
Agent hooks for background tasks like documentation updates, unit test generation, and code optimization
Free tier with 50 credits and access to open-weight models and Claude Sonnet 4.5
Paid tiers (Pro, Pro+, Pro Max, Power) with more credits, premium model access, and add-on credits

Pros & Cons

Pros
  • Transparent, structured skill system with clear activation logic and scope control
  • Free tier available (50 credits) with access to capable models, including Claude Sonnet 4.5
  • Integrated spec-driven development reduces ambiguity for AI agents
  • Skills are portable and follow an open standard, enabling community sharing
  • Workspace/global scoping allows per-project customization while keeping personal defaults
  • Supports background agent hooks for non-blocking task execution
Cons
  • Free tier has limited credits (50) and access only to open-weight models and Claude Sonnet 4.5; premium models require paid plans
  • Credit-based pricing may require careful usage management for heavy workflows
  • Currently relies on AWS ecosystem; not fully independent/self-hosted for enterprise
  • Skill compatibility and licensing require manual handling in SKILL.md frontmatter

Best For

Automated code review with checks for security, error handling, test coverage, and namingSetting up project-specific deployment procedures and team conventions via workspace skillsPersonal workflow automation like consistent code review standards across projectsGenerating unit tests and documentation in the background using agent hooksOptimizing code for performance via delegated agent tasksStandardizing analysis pipelines or data processing with reusable skill packages

FAQ

What are Agent Skills in Kiro?
Agent Skills are portable instruction packages that follow the open Agent Skills standard. They bundle instructions, scripts, and templates into reusable packages that Kiro activates when relevant to your task. Skills use progressive disclosure to keep context focused.
How does Kiro pricing work?
Kiro offers a perpetual Free tier ($0/month) with 50 credits and access to open-weight models and Claude Sonnet 4.5. Paid tiers for individuals range from $20/month (Pro, 1000 credits) to $200/month (Power, 10,000 credits), with add-on credits at $0.04/credit. Team plans include centralized billing, SSO, and enterprise controls.
Can I create my own skills in Kiro?
Yes. A skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file (required) with optional scripts, references, and assets subfolders. The SKILL.md uses YAML frontmatter with fields for name, description, license, compatibility, and metadata.
What is spec-driven development in Kiro?
Spec-driven development is a Kiro feature that turns your natural language prompt into structured requirements, design, and tasks. Agents then implement these concrete specifications, reducing guesswork and improving output quality.