Swap agents without losing your train of thought. The agent selector sits in the chat input row. Click it to switch from Default to a custom code reviewer to Spec mode, all within the same conversation. Your history carries over, so you can start broad and narrow into a specialized agent when you need it.
The agent selector appears in the chat input bar at the bottom of the panel, alongside the model picker. It shows the name of your currently active agent. Click it to open the selector dropdown.
Available agents are grouped by source:
~/.kiro/agents/.kiro/agents/ in your projectSelect an agent to switch the session to that agent's configuration. The switch takes effect immediately for your next message.
The agent you select becomes the active agent for that session. If you always want to start new sessions with a specific agent, set it as your default from the selector. The choice persists across restarts. New chat sessions open with your preferred agent rather than the built-in default.
| Aspect | Behavior |
|---|---|
| System prompt | Changes to the new agent's prompt |
| Available tools | Switches to the new agent's tools configuration |
| Permissions | User and workspace permissions persist |
| MCP servers | Agent-defined MCP servers load; shared servers remain |
| Conversation history | Preserved. The agent sees prior messages |
The agent selector is disabled while the agent is actively executing a multi-step workflow. You can only switch agents when the agent is idle and waiting for your next message.
Custom agents are Markdown files with YAML frontmatter. Place them in .kiro/agents/ (workspace-level, shared via version control) or ~/.kiro/agents/ (user-level, available across all projects).
For the full agent profile format, see Custom agents.
Switching agents