CLI changelog

This release brings custom diff tools, built-in code intelligence for 18 languages, skills for progressive context loading, remote authentication, granular web_fetch tool permissions, and conversation compaction to keep long sessions running smoothly.

Progressive Context Loading with Skills

Skills are a new resource type designed for large documentation sets. Only metadata (name and description) loads at startup — full content loads on demand when the agent needs it. Skill files require YAML frontmatter with descriptive metadata. Write specific descriptions so the agent reliably knows when to load the full content. Learn more ->

Custom diff tools

View code changes your way. Configure external diff tools like delta, difftastic, or VS Code instead of the built-in inline diff. Set your preference with `chat.diffTool` in your settings. Popular options include delta for syntax highlighting with side-by-side view, difftastic for structural diffs that understand code syntax, and GUI diff tools for visual comparison. Learn more ->

Precise Refactoring with AST Pattern Tools

New pattern-search and pattern-rewrite tools let the agent find and transform code using syntax-tree patterns rather than text regex. No more false matches on string literals or comments.

Improved Code Intelligence

Out-of-the-box code understanding for 18 languages — no LSP setup required. Agents can now search symbols, navigate definitions, and perform structural code searches immediately. The new /code overview command gives you a complete picture of any workspace in seconds. Use --silent for cleaner output when diving into unfamiliar packages. Built-in support includes Bash, C, C++, C#, Elixir, Go, Java, JavaScript, Kotlin, Lua, PHP, Python, Ruby, Rust, Scala, Swift, TSX, and TypeScript. Learn more ->

Conversation Compaction

Free up context space with the /compact command. When you're approaching context limits, compaction summarizes your conversation history while preserving key information. Compaction also triggers automatically when your context window overflows. Configure retention with compaction.excludeMessages (minimum message pairs to keep) and compaction.excludeContextWindowPercent (minimum % to retain). Compaction creates a new session — resume the original anytime via /chat resume. Learn more ->

Granular URL Permissions for web_fetch tool

Control which URLs agents can access through your agent configuration. Use regex patterns to auto-allow trusted domains or block specific sites. Blocked patterns take precedence over trusted ones. URLs not matching trusted patterns will prompt for approval. Learn more ->

Remote Authentication

Sign in with Google or GitHub when running Kiro CLI on remote machines. Whether you're connected via SSH, SSM, or containers, authentication now works with port forwarding. For Builder ID and IAM Identity Center, device code authentication works out of the box — just enter the URL and code in your local browser. Learn more ->

This release introduces subagents for delegating complex tasks with live progress tracking, a built-in Plan agent for breaking down complex tasks into structured implementation plans, new grep and glob tools for fast file searching, multi-session support with an interactive session picker, and MCP registry support for governance.

Subagents

Delegate complex tasks to specialized agents with live progress tracking. Subagents run autonomously with their own context, enabling parallel task execution while keeping the main agent context focused. A default subagent is included for general-purpose tasks. You can also spawn subagents using your own agent configurations, allowing you to create specialized subagents tailored to specific workflows. Subagents have access to core tools including file read/write, shell commands, and MCP tools.

This feature introduces a new built-in tool: subagent. If you have an existing agent configuration that restricts available tools, add subagent to your allowed tools list.

Plan agent

The Plan agent is a specialized built-in agent that transforms ideas into structured implementation plans. Access it with Shift + Tab or the /plan command. Here's the workflow:

1. Requirements gathering - Structured questions with multiple choice options to refine your idea

2. Research & analysis - Explores your codebase using code intelligence, grep, and glob tools

3. Implementation plan - Creates detailed task breakdowns with clear objectives and demo descriptions

4. Handoff - Transfers the approved plan to the execution agent

The Planning agent operates in read-only mode—it can explore your codebase but cannot modify files, keeping focus on planning.

Grep and Glob Tools

Two new built-in tools for fast file searching:

• grep - Fast content search using regex. Respects `.gitignore`. Use instead of `grep`, `rg`, or `ag` commands in bash.

• glob - Fast file discovery using glob patterns. Respects `.gitignore`. Use instead of `find` command in bash.

Both tools are trusted by default in the current working directory and can be configured with allowedPaths and deniedPaths in your agent configuration.

Multi-Session Support

Work across multiple chat sessions with the new interactive session picker:

• kiro-cli chat --resume-picker - Open the session picker from command line

• kiro-cli chat --list-sessions - List all saved sessions

• /chat resume - Open session picker from within a chat

Sessions are automatically saved on every turn. The picker shows session name, last activity, and message preview.

MCP Registry Support

MCP registry support adds governance capabilities for MCP tools. Organizations can manage and control which MCP tools are available, ensuring consistency and security across teams.

This release introduces code intelligence through LSP integration, knowledge index with agent schema configuration, enhanced auto-compaction, and improved guardrails for file reading.

Code Intelligence

Introducing Code Intelligence, bringing Language Server Protocol (LSP) integration to the Kiro CLI. The agent now has access to the same code understanding that powers Kiro IDE—go-to-definition, find references, hover information, and diagnostics. This enables more accurate code navigation, refactoring suggestions, and context-aware assistance across your entire codebase.

Knowledge Index

Adds Knowledge Index with agent schema configuration for Knowledge Bases and auto-indexing support. Define custom knowledge sources in your agent configuration to give it domain-specific context that automatically stays in sync with your codebase.

We've added new web search and fetch capabilities to the Kiro CLI, enabling access to current information from the internet in real-time.

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Kiro CLI leverages the Kiro Auto agent to deliver the best results at the best price, in your terminal, and takes you from natural language, to code, to deployment. Kiro CLI supports different agent modes, MCPs, Kiro steering files, and custom agents, allowing you to mold the CLI to meet your needs.