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TODO lists

On this page
  • Getting started
  • Enable TODO lists
  • Basic usage
  • How it works
  • Automatic creation
  • Task management
  • Commands
  • /todos view
  • /todos resume
  • /todos clear-finished
  • /todos delete
  • Storage
  • Directory structure
  • Interactive selection
  • Use cases
  • Breaking down complex tasks
  • Tracking multi-step implementations
  • Resuming previous work
  • Best practices
  • Managing lists
  • Workflow integration
  • Organization
  • Limitations
  • Storage
  • Functionality
  • Troubleshooting
  • No lists available
  • Lists not loading
  • Tasks not updating
  • Tool vs command
  • `todo_list` tool
  • `/todos` command
  • Example workflow
  • 1. Start complex task
  • 2. Kiro creates TODO list
  • 3. Work through tasks
  • 4. Resume later
  • 5. Clean up when done
  • Next steps

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The TODO list feature enables Kiro to automatically create and modify task lists, while providing you with commands to view and manage existing TODO lists.

Getting started

TODO lists are automatically created when Kiro breaks down complex tasks. You can then manage these lists using the /todos command.

Enable TODO lists

bash
kiro-cli settings chat.enableTodoList true

Basic usage

bash
/todos view # View existing TODO lists /todos resume # Resume a TODO list

How it works

Automatic creation

Kiro automatically creates TODO lists when:

  • You ask for help with multi-step tasks
  • A complex problem needs to be broken down
  • You explicitly request a TODO list

Example:

> Make a todo list with 3 read-only tasks. I'll create a todo list with 3 read-only tasks for you. 🛠️ Using tool: todo_list (trusted) ⋮ ● TODO: [ ] Review project documentation [ ] Check system status [ ] Read latest updates ⋮ ● Completed in 0.4s

Task management

Kiro can:

  • Create TODO lists
  • Mark tasks as complete
  • Add/remove tasks
  • Load TODO lists by ID
  • Search for existing TODO lists

You can:

  • View TODO lists
  • Resume TODO lists
  • Delete TODO lists

Commands

/todos view

Display and select a TODO list to view its contents, showing task descriptions and completion status.

bash
/todos view

Interactive selection shows:

  • ✓ Completed lists (green checkmark)
  • ✗ In-progress lists with completion count (red X with progress)

Example:

> /todos view ? Select a to-do list to view: › ❯ ✗ Unfinished todo list (0/3) ✔ Completed todo list (3/3)

/todos resume

Show an interactive menu of available TODO lists with their current progress status. Selecting a list loads it back into your chat session, allowing Kiro to continue where it left off.

bash
/todos resume

Example:

> /todos resume ⟳ Resuming: Read-only tasks for information gathering 🛠️ Using tool: todo_list (trusted) ⋮ ● TODO: [x] Review project documentation [ ] Check system status [ ] Read latest updates ⋮ ● Completed in 0.1s

/todos clear-finished

Remove all completed TODO lists from storage. This helps clean up your workspace by removing lists where all tasks have been completed.

bash
/todos clear-finished

/todos delete

Delete specific TODO lists or all lists at once.

bash
/todos delete # Interactive selection to delete one list /todos delete --all # Delete all TODO lists

Options:

  • --all - Delete all TODO lists without interactive selection

Storage

TODO lists are stored locally in .kiro/cli-todo-lists/ directory within your current working directory.

Each list is saved as a JSON file with:

  • Unique timestamp-based ID
  • Task descriptions and completion status
  • Context updates from completed tasks
  • Modified file paths
  • Overall list description

Directory structure

my-project/ ├── .kiro/ │ └── cli-todo-lists/ │ ├── 1234567890-task-list.json │ └── 1234567891-another-list.json └── src/ └── main.py

Interactive selection

All commands use interactive selection allowing you to:

  • Navigate with arrow keys
  • Press Enter to select
  • Press Esc to cancel

Use cases

Breaking down complex tasks

> I need to migrate our database from MySQL to PostgreSQL Let me create a TODO list for this migration: 🛠️ Using tool: todo_list ● TODO: Database Migration [ ] Backup current MySQL database [ ] Set up PostgreSQL instance [ ] Create schema migration scripts [ ] Test migration on staging [ ] Perform production migration [ ] Verify data integrity

Tracking multi-step implementations

> Help me implement user authentication I'll break this down into manageable steps: 🛠️ Using tool: todo_list ● TODO: User Authentication Implementation [ ] Set up authentication library [ ] Create user model and database schema [ ] Implement registration endpoint [ ] Implement login endpoint [ ] Add password hashing [ ] Create JWT token generation [ ] Add authentication middleware [ ] Write tests for auth flow

Resuming previous work

> /todos resume ? Select a to-do list to resume: › ❯ ✗ User Authentication Implementation (3/8) ✗ Database Migration (1/6) ✔ Code Refactoring (5/5) # Select "User Authentication Implementation" ⟳ Resuming: User Authentication Implementation Let's continue with the authentication implementation. We've completed the first 3 tasks. Next up is implementing the login endpoint...

Best practices

Managing lists

  • Use clear-finished regularly to remove completed lists
  • Resume lists to continue complex multi-step tasks
  • Check view to see progress without resuming

Workflow integration

  • Let Kiro create TODO lists for complex tasks automatically
  • Use resume to pick up where you left off in previous sessions
  • Check view to see what tasks remain before resuming work

Organization

  • Work in project directories where TODO lists are relevant
  • Complete tasks in order for better context
  • Delete old lists when no longer needed

Limitations

Storage

  • Lists are stored in current working directory only
  • No automatic cleanup of old lists
  • No cross-directory list sharing

Functionality

  • Cannot manually edit TODO list files
  • Cannot merge or split TODO lists
  • Cannot reorder tasks after creation

Troubleshooting

No lists available

If commands show "No to-do lists available":

  1. Check directory: Ensure you're in the directory where lists were created
  2. Verify storage: Look for .kiro/cli-todo-lists/ directory
  3. Create lists: Use chat sessions to create new TODO lists

Lists not loading

If lists exist but won't load:

  1. Check permissions: Ensure read access to .kiro/cli-todo-lists/
  2. Verify format: Lists should be valid JSON files
  3. Check file integrity: Corrupted files may prevent loading

Tasks not updating

If task completion isn't being tracked:

  1. Ensure TODO list is active: Resume the list first
  2. Let Kiro mark tasks: Don't manually edit JSON files
  3. Check for errors: Look for error messages in chat

Tool vs command

todo_list tool

The todo_list tool is for Kiro to call. Kiro can:

  • Create TODO lists
  • Mark tasks as complete
  • Add/remove tasks
  • Load TODO lists with given ID
  • Search for existing TODO lists

/todos command

The /todos command is for you to manage existing TODO lists. You can:

  • View TODO lists
  • Resume TODO lists
  • Delete TODO lists
  • Clear finished lists

Example workflow

1. Start complex task

> I need to set up CI/CD for our project

2. Kiro creates TODO list

🛠️ Using tool: todo_list ● TODO: CI/CD Setup [ ] Choose CI/CD platform [ ] Create pipeline configuration [ ] Set up build stage [ ] Add test stage [ ] Configure deployment stage [ ] Set up environment variables [ ] Test pipeline

3. Work through tasks

Kiro works through tasks, marking them complete as you go.

4. Resume later

> /todos resume ? Select a to-do list to resume: › ❯ ✗ CI/CD Setup (4/7) # Continue where you left off

5. Clean up when done

> /todos clear-finished

Next steps

  • Experimental Features Overview
  • Checkpointing
  • Custom Agents
Page updated: November 16, 2025
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