Kiro

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Spec-driven agentic IDE by AWS — build what you mean, not just what you say

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Released 2025

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About Kiro

Kiro is AWS's agentic development environment, introduced at AWS re:Invent 2025 and released as the official successor to Amazon Q Developer IDE plugins (which reach end-of-support April 30, 2027). Built and operated by AWS on Code OSS (compatible with Open VSX extensions and VS Code settings), Kiro is available as an IDE (macOS, Windows, Linux), CLI, web interface, and mobile app \u2014 all powered by a unified agent harness that shares the same .kiro/ configuration, specs, and steering files across every surface.

Kiro's defining innovation is spec-driven development: instead of reacting to one-shot prompts like traditional coding assistants, Kiro converts natural language descriptions into structured specifications containing requirements, architectural designs, and sequenced task lists. Parallel specialized agents then implement across the codebase simultaneously, while property-based tests verify that the resulting code actually matches the original specification \u2014 catching edge cases that unit tests miss. Three workflow modes let developers choose their level of structure: vibe mode for quick fixes, Quick Spec to clarify intent before building, and Full Spec for complex tasks that surface architectural trade-offs before parallel agents begin.

Beyond specs, Kiro offers Hooks (automated agent triggers on file save, commit, or CI/CD events), Steering files (persistent project-level context about architecture and conventions), Kiro Crew (open-source collaborative workspace), MCP support for external tool connections, Agent Client Protocol (ACP) compatibility, and AGENTS.md/Skills.md support. Models available include the full Claude lineup (Opus 5, Sonnet 5, Haiku 4.5), GPT-5.6 variants (Sol, Terra, Luna), and open-weight models (DeepSeek 3.2, MiniMax M2.5, Qwen3 Coder Next). The Auto mode intelligently routes each request to the optimal model for quality, latency, and cost.

Key Features

Spec-driven development — converts natural language prompts into structured specs with requirements, architectural design, and sequenced tasks before parallel agents build
Hooks — automated agent triggers on file save, commit, or CI/CD events to enforce standards, generate docs, write tests, and run workflows autonomously
Steering files — project-level persistent context about architecture, conventions, and constraints that guides all agent behavior consistently across sessions
Parallel agents — multiple specialized AI agents work concurrently across the codebase, dramatically accelerating implementation of complex tasks
Property-based testing integration — verifies code correctness against the original specification, catching edge cases that unit tests miss
Multi-surface unified agent — IDE (macOS/Windows/Linux), CLI, web interface, and mobile app all share the same .kiro/ configuration and agent harness
Kiro Crew — open-source collaborative development workspace for team-based agentic projects with shared context and parallel agent coordination
Broad model support — Claude (Opus 5, Sonnet 5, Haiku 4.5), GPT-5.6 (Sol, Terra, Luna), DeepSeek 3.2, and more; Auto mode routes intelligently per task

Pros

Only AWS-native agentic IDE — built and operated by AWS with the same security, reliability, and compliance standards trusted by millions of customers
Spec-driven development solves vibe coding's core problem: generating code that actually matches your intent, verified by property-based tests
Parallel agents work concurrently across the codebase — dramatically faster than single-agent coding tools for complex multi-file tasks
Broadest frontier model roster of any AWS developer tool — Claude Opus 5, Sonnet 5, GPT-5.6 (Sol/Terra/Luna), DeepSeek, and Auto routing
Unified agent harness across IDE, CLI, web, and mobile — one .kiro/ config works everywhere
Hooks enable fully automated SDLC workflows — documentation, tests, and standards enforcement on every file save or commit without interrupting flow

Cons

New product — released July 2025, less battle-tested than Cursor, Windsurf, or VS Code for large complex production codebases
Credit-based pricing model can be unpredictable — complex spec-driven builds consume credits faster than vibe coding
Spec-driven workflow has a learning curve; developers accustomed to chat-based copilots need to adapt to structured specs
Built on Code OSS, not full VS Code — some proprietary VS Code Marketplace extensions may not be available via Open VSX
Kiro Enterprise pricing is custom and sales-gated — no transparent list price for large team deployments
AWS GovCloud requires paid subscription with IAM Identity Center — no free tier in that environment

Pricing

Kiro uses a credit-based Freemium model with five tiers and no daily or weekly rate limits. Credits are consumed fractionally per request \u2014 simple edits use fewer credits than complex spec-driven builds.

Free tier includes limited credits with a restricted model selection (no Free tier in AWS GovCloud). Pro is $19/user/month, Pro+ is $39/user/month, Pro Max is $79/user/month, and Power is $199/user/month \u2014 each offering progressively more credits and model access. All paid plans include a $20 credit on first upgrade via social login or Builder ID (not IAM Identity Center). Add-on credits cost $0.04 each, available in packs from $5 (125 credits) to $100, rolling over for 12 months from purchase date.

Enterprise pricing is custom via AWS sales and includes IAM Identity Center SSO, AWS PrivateLink VPC endpoints, admin governance controls, usage dashboards, cost management, IP indemnity, compliance features, and overage controls managed by admins. All active paid Kiro subscriptions also provide access to Amazon Q Developer IDE plugins during the transition window through April 30, 2027.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Kiro is AWS's purpose-built agentic development environment (IDE, CLI, Web, and mobile app). It introduced spec-driven development: instead of reacting to individual prompts, Kiro converts natural language descriptions into structured specifications with requirements, architectural designs, and sequenced tasks, then uses parallel agents to implement them with property-based test verification. It is the official successor to Amazon Q Developer IDE plugins, which reach end-of-support April 30, 2027.

Specs are structured documents generated by Kiro from your natural language description. They include requirements, an architectural design, and a sequenced task list. Kiro's parallel agents then implement based on those specs, with property-based tests verifying the code matches what you specified. Quick Spec lets you clarify intent before building; Full Spec surfaces architectural trade-offs and constraints before parallel agents begin.

Hooks are automated agent triggers that fire on events like file save, commit, or CI/CD pipeline steps. Once configured, they run autonomously to enforce coding standards, generate documentation, write unit tests, optimize code, or run custom workflows — all without breaking your development flow.

Kiro Free tier is available with limited credits and model access (no Free tier in GovCloud). Pro is $19/user/month, Pro+ is $39/user/month, Pro Max is $79/user/month, and Power is $199/user/month, all based on a credit system. Add-on credits cost $0.04 each in packs from $5 to $100. Enterprise pricing is custom via AWS sales. All paid plans also provide access to Amazon Q Developer IDE plugins during the transition window through April 2027.

Kiro supports a broad model roster including Anthropic's Claude (Opus 5, Opus 4.8, Sonnet 5, Sonnet 4.6, Sonnet 4.5, Haiku 4.5), OpenAI's GPT-5.6 in three variants (Sol, Terra, Luna), and open-weight models including DeepSeek 3.2, MiniMax M2.5, GLM-5, and Qwen3 Coder Next. The default Auto mode intelligently routes each request to the optimal model for quality, latency, and cost.