KIRO: Agentic AI IDE for Spec-Driven Development

KIRO is AWS's agentic AI IDE built on a VS Code foundation that takes developers from prompt to tested code through structured spec-driven development. Unlike traditional coding assistants that generate snippets, KIRO orchestrates the entire development workflow from requirements to implementation.

Features

Spec-Driven Development

Transforms natural-language goals into structured requirements, architecture blueprints, tasks, and tests, then coordinates AI agents to implement and verify changes.

Agentic Architecture

Multi-agent system that handles different aspects of the development process, from design and implementation to testing and verification.

VS Code Foundation

Built on VS Code, allowing developers to import existing profiles, extensions, themes, and maintain familiar keybindings and UI while adding agentic capabilities.

MCP Support

Native support for Model Context Protocol (MCP) for enhanced AI model integration and communication.

Steering Rules

Configurable rules for controlling agent behavior and decision-making during the development process.

Ad-hoc Chat Interface

Interactive chat for refactors, planning discussions, and real-time code editing assistance.

Automation Hooks

Extensible automation system for integrating with existing development workflows and CI/CD pipelines.

End-to-End Workflow

Complete development cycle management: prompt → specification → design → task breakdown → implementation → testing → verification.

Key Strengths

Holistic Development: Manages entire development lifecycle, not just code generation
Structured Approach: Enforces requirements and design documentation before implementation
Agent Coordination: Multiple specialized AI agents working together on different aspects
Familiar Interface: VS Code foundation reduces learning curve for existing developers
Enterprise Integration: AWS backing with focus on enterprise development workflows

Best For

Teams requiring structured development processes
Enterprise development with compliance requirements
Projects needing comprehensive documentation and testing
Developers familiar with VS Code who want agentic capabilities
AWS-integrated development workflows
Complex multi-component software projects

Access & Availability

Currently in preview with waitlist access due to high demand
AWS has adjusted usage limits during preview period
Pricing tiers under revision during preview phase
Limited access managed by AWS to control demand

Integration

Native AWS service integration
VS Code ecosystem compatibility
MCP protocol support for AI model communication
Hooks for existing automation and CI/CD systems

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