Experimental features

Kiro CLI includes experimental features that provide advanced functionality. These features are in active development and can be toggled on/off using the /experiment command.

These features are provided to gather feedback and test new capabilities. Please report issues through the kiro issue command.

Use the /experiment command to toggle experimental features:

/experiment

This shows an interactive menu where you can:

• See current status of each experiment (ON/OFF)
• Toggle experiments by selecting them
• View descriptions of what each experiment does

Command: /knowledge

Enables persistent context storage and retrieval across chat sessions with semantic search capabilities.

Features:

• Store and search through files, directories, and text content
• Semantic search for better context retrieval
• Persistent knowledge base across sessions
• Agent-specific knowledge isolation

Enable:

kiro-cli settings chat.enableKnowledge true

Learn more about Knowledge Management →

Command: /tangent or Ctrl+T

Create conversation checkpoints to explore side topics without disrupting your main conversation flow.

Features:

• Create conversation checkpoints
• Explore tangential topics
• Return to main conversation thread
• Preserve conversation context

Enable:

kiro-cli settings chat.enableTangentMode true

Learn more about Tangent Mode →

Tool: todo | Command: /todo

Enables Kiro to create and modify TODO lists automatically, with commands for you to view and manage them.

Features:

• Kiro automatically creates TODO lists when appropriate
• View, manage, and delete TODOs
• Resume existing TODO lists
• Persisted across chat sessions

Enable:

kiro-cli settings chat.enableTodoList true

Learn more about TODO Lists →

Shows AI reasoning process for complex problems with step-by-step thought processes.

Features:

• Transparent decision-making process
• Step-by-step reasoning display
• Useful for debugging and learning
• Better understanding of conclusions

Enable:

kiro-cli settings chat.enableThinking true

Learn more about Thinking Tool →

Command: /checkpoint

Enables session-scoped checkpoints for tracking file changes using Git-like commands.

Features:

• Snapshots file changes into shadow git repo
• List, expand, diff, and restore checkpoints
• Conversation history unwinds when restoring
• Auto-enables in git repositories
• Manual initialization for non-git directories

Enable:

kiro-cli settings chat.enableCheckpoint true

Basic Usage:

/checkpoint list                    # Show checkpoints
/checkpoint expand <tag>            # Show detailed checkpoint info
/checkpoint diff <tag1> [tag2]      # Compare checkpoints
/checkpoint restore [<tag>]         # Restore to checkpoint
/checkpoint clean                   # Delete session shadow repo

Learn more about Checkpointing →

Shows context window usage as a percentage in the chat prompt with color-coded indicators.

Features:

• Displays percentage in prompt (e.g., "[rust-agent] 6% >")
• Color-coded indicators:
  • Green: Less than 50% usage
  • Yellow: 50-89% usage
  • Red: 90-100% usage
• Helps monitor context consumption

Enable:

kiro-cli settings chat.enableContextUsageIndicator true

Launch and manage asynchronous task processes, running Kiro chat sessions with specific agents in parallel.

Features:

• Launch background tasks using natural language
• Run parallel chat sessions with specific agents
• Monitor task progress independently
• Agent approval flow for security

Enable:

kiro-cli settings chat.enableDelegate true

Usage: Use natural language to ask Kiro to launch a background task:

Can you create a background task to analyze the performance of our API endpoints?

Then check on results:

Check the status of my API analysis task
Show me the results from the background analysis

Learn more about Delegate →

Experiments are stored as settings and persist across sessions:

# View all experimental settings
kiro-cli settings list | grep -i enable

# Enable/disable specific experiments
kiro-cli settings chat.enableKnowledge true
kiro-cli settings chat.enableTangentMode true
kiro-cli settings chat.enableTodoList true
kiro-cli settings chat.enableThinking true
kiro-cli settings chat.enableCheckpoint true
kiro-cli settings chat.enableContextUsageIndicator true
kiro-cli settings chat.enableDelegate true

All experimental commands are available in fuzzy search (Ctrl+S):

• /experiment - Manage experimental features
• /knowledge - Knowledge base commands (when enabled)
• /todo - TODO list commands (when enabled)
• /tangent - Tangent mode toggle (when enabled)
• /checkpoint - Checkpoint commands (when enabled)

1. Test in safe environments: Try experimental features on non-critical projects first
2. Provide feedback: Report issues and suggestions using kiro issue
3. Stay updated: Check release notes for changes to experimental features
4. Understand limitations: Read individual feature documentation for known issues
5. Have backups: Some features modify files (checkpointing, TODO lists)

1. Verify feature is enabled:

   bash

   kiro-cli settings list | grep -i enable
   

2. Check for error messages in chat

3. Try disabling and re-enabling:

   bash

   kiro-cli settings chat.enableFeatureName false
   kiro-cli settings chat.enableFeatureName true
   

4. Restart Kiro CLI

Ensure the feature is enabled before using its commands. For example, /knowledge only works when knowledge management is enabled.

• Knowledge Management
• Tangent Mode
• TODO Lists
• Settings Configuration