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Kiro is an agentic IDE from AWS built on Code OSS (VS Code foundation) with Spec-Driven Development (SDD) methodology. Unlike “vibe coding” tools, Kiro enforces structured workflows requiring specifications and architectural design before implementation.

Key Features

Spec-Driven Development (Three-Phase):

  1. Requirements (requirements.md): User stories, acceptance criteria, EARS notation
  2. Design (design.md): Data flow diagrams, schema definitions, API specifications
  3. Tasks (tasks.md): Dependency-aware implementation steps with verification

Dual Modes:

  • Vibe Mode: Chat/inline command for rapid iteration
  • Spec Mode: Structured specification workflow for complex features

Powers (Dynamic Context):

  • MCP-based modules activating via keywords (e.g., “deploy” → Netlify Power)
  • Next.js, Nuxt, Svelte, Supabase, PlanetScale, CockroachDB, Turso support
  • Agent Hooks: Event-driven automation (File Save → run test, update docs)

Kiro CLI:

  • Terminal-native with ~/.kiro/ steering file sync
  • Natural language shell commands
  • Error recovery via stderr analysis

Model Support:

  • Claude (via Bedrock): Haiku 4.5 (0.4x), Sonnet 4.0/4.5 (1.3x), Opus 4.5 (2.2x)
  • No BYOK: Tightly coupled to Anthropic via AWS Bedrock

Economics:

  • Credit System: Metered to cent (0.01 credits)
  • Pro: $20/mo, 1,000 credits, $0.04/credit overage
  • Power: $200/mo, 10,000 credits (AI-native devs)

Best For

  • Enterprise governance (mandatory spec review gates)
  • AWS-centric organizations
  • Teams requiring structured engineering over rapid prototyping
  • Projects where “measure twice, cut once” prevents technical debt

Avoid For

  • Developers prioritizing speed over structure
  • BYOK advocates (no OpenAI, Gemini support)
  • Teams wanting Claude以外的模型
  • Rapid prototyping/vibe coding workflows

Updated:

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