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Posted on Nov 27 • Edited on Dec 2

Understanding the Differences: Kiro IDE, Kiro CLI, and Amazon Q Developer

#ai #kiro

※ This article was researched and created by Kiro, then edited by a human.

📋 Overview

Amazon Q Developer is an AI assistant provided by AWS, available in both IDE and CLI.
In November 2025, Amazon Q Developer CLI was rebranded to Kiro CLI.

"Kiro CLI is built on top of the advanced agentic capabilities of Amazon Q Developer CLI (including agent mode, MCP, steering, and custom agents), with the addition of social login, Haiku 4.5, and an Auto agent that automatically balances performance, efficiency, and output quality."

— AWS Blog: Introducing Kiro CLI (November 18, 2025)

🔍 Key Differences

💻 VS Code Q Developer Extension vs Kiro IDE

Basic Differences

Item	VS Code Q Developer Extension	Kiro IDE
Form	VS Code extension	Standalone IDE
Foundation	Additional installation to VS Code	Built on VS Code open source
Optimization	General AI assistance	Optimized for spec-driven development
Supported Editors	VS Code, JetBrains, Eclipse, Visual Studio	Kiro IDE only
Future Updates	Migration to Kiro recommended	New features only in Kiro

"Kiro is built on top of the open source foundation of Visual Studio Code. It's provided as an IDE itself, optimized to execute a development methodology called spec-driven development."

— AWS Blog: Preparing to Switch from Amazon Q Developer IDE Plugin to Kiro (November 20, 2025)

Common Features

The following features are available in both:

Chat functionality: Questions about code, AWS service explanations
Agentic coding: Autonomous code generation assistance
Inline code completion: Real-time code suggestions
Inline chat: Direct interaction within the editor
Code transformation: Automatic upgrades for Java, .NET applications
MCP server support: Integration with Model Context Protocol servers
Workspace context: Assistance considering the entire project
Image analysis: Code generation from Figma designs or UI screenshots

Kiro IDE Exclusive Features

Spec-Driven Mode

Generates requirements, design, and tasks in 3 phases from a single prompt
Automatic generation of acceptance criteria using EARS notation
Documentation of data flow diagrams and API specifications
Task management divided into implementable units
Automatic synchronization between specifications and implementation

"Traditional AI coding assistants generate code immediately when you input a prompt, but it's unclear whether that code truly meets requirements or what design decisions were made. Kiro's Spec feature solves this problem."

Agent Hooks for Automation

Automatic task execution triggered by file save, create, or delete
Example: Automatically update English version when Japanese documentation is updated
Saved in .kiro/hooks/ and shareable via Git with team
Automatic application of coding standards and security checks

Steering (Evolution of Rules)

Project standard definitions placed in .kiro/steering/
Flexible application control through file pattern matching
Auto-generate from existing projects with "Generate Steering Docs"
Detailed control possible with frontmatter

---
inclusion: fileMatch
fileMatchPattern: "components/**/*.tsx"
---

Auto Mode (Intelligent Model Router)

Automatically selects the optimal model for each task
Combination of multiple models including Claude Sonnet 4.0, 4.5
More efficient credit usage than manual selection

Enhanced Context Management

#File, #Folder, #Problems, #Terminal, #Git Diff, #Codebase
Further evolution of Amazon Q Developer's @ specification

Smooth Migration from VS Code

Profile migration feature (extensions, themes, settings, shortcuts)
Compatibility with OpenVSX extension registry
Easy cross-machine migration with manual export/import

Amazon Q Developer Extension Supported Editors

Amazon Q Developer is available as an extension for the following editors:

Visual Studio Code
JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, etc.)
Eclipse
Visual Studio

⚠️ Currently Unimplemented Features

Kiro IDE:

Security Scan: Not implemented as of November 20, 2025
Alternative: Amazon Inspector Code Security
Or continue using Amazon Q Developer IDE plugin

⌨️ Q Developer CLI vs Kiro CLI

Important: Kiro CLI is a rebrand of Q Developer CLI.

Item	Q Developer CLI	Kiro CLI
Brand Name	Amazon Q Developer CLI	Kiro CLI
Basic Features	Same	Same + Additional features
Future Updates	Migration to Kiro recommended	New features only in Kiro
Documentation	AWS Documentation	kiro.dev/docs/cli

Main Features (Available in Both)

Terminal interaction: Interact with Kiro services from command line
Code transformation: Java upgrades, SQL conversion
Local builds: Local conversion and building of applications
Branch management: Automatic branch creation and commits
MCP configuration: Configuration of local and remote MCP servers
Authentication: Authentication via IAM Identity Center

Kiro CLI Additional Features

"Kiro CLI is built on top of the advanced agentic capabilities of Amazon Q Developer CLI, with the following additional features"

Custom Agents

Create AI agents specific to workflows
Automatic execution with pre-approved tools
Persistent context (project files, documentation)
Access control and tool restrictions
Examples: Backend specialist, frontend specialist, DevOps agent

{
"name": "backend-specialist",
"description": "Expert in building Express.js APIs with MongoDB",
"tools": ["fs_read", "fs_write", "execute_bash"],
"toolsSettings": {
    "fs_write": {
    "allowedPaths": ["src/api/**", "tests/api/**"]
    }
}
}

Flexible Authentication Options

GitHub account
Google account
AWS Builder ID
AWS IAM Identity Center

Auto Agent

Automatically selects the optimal model for each task
Automatically balances speed, cost, and quality
Approximately 30% more efficient than manual selection (1.3X → 1.0X credits)

Visual Indicators

Visualization of context usage (/context command)

Display of credit usage

Multimodal Input

Direct reference to images (screenshots, diagrams, error messages)

Full Integration with Kiro IDE

Shared .kiro/settings/mcp.json
Shared .kiro/steering/*.md steering rules
Shared project documentation
Single configuration for both environments

Reference: AWS Blog: Introducing Kiro CLI

Color Scheme Changes

Amazon Q Developer CLI: Red (pink) based

Kiro CLI: Purple prominent

🔄 About Upgrades

"Amazon Q Developer and Kiro are separate products with independent subscription systems. Even if you have an Amazon Q Developer Pro subscription, it won't automatically migrate to Kiro, and manual upgrade is required."

— AWS Blog: Kiro Implementation Guide (November 19, 2025)

Amazon Q Developer Pro Users

If Maintaining Current Status

Can use Kiro CLI and Kiro IDE at Pro plan equivalent
Existing Amazon Q Developer Pro features continue to be available
Limitation: Cannot change to higher plans (Pro+, Power)

If Fully Migrating:

Amazon Q Developer Pro subscription will be canceled
Complete migration to Kiro Pro plan or higher
Ability to change to higher plans becomes available

Kiro CLI Auto-Update

November 17, 2025: Manual update available (q update command)
November 24, 2025: Automatic update executed
Configuration files copied from .amazonq to .kiro
Auto-update can be disabled (not recommended due to security patches)

Individual Account Users

Can upgrade Q CLI and Amazon Q extension to Kiro (optional)
After upgrade, all Amazon Q components automatically update to Kiro
Future new features will only be provided in Kiro

Amazon Q Developer Pro Administrators

Use Kiro Console to manage user subscriptions
Kiro Console is a rebrand of Amazon Q Developer Console (same functionality)
Recommend users to upgrade IDE extensions and CLI to Kiro

💳 Plan Structure and Pricing

Kiro Plans

Kiro adopts a unified credit system. Vibe mode and Spec mode requests are consumed from a single credit pool.

Plan	Key Features
Free	Experience basic code generation and spec-driven development
Pro	For standard development teams
Pro+	More credits
Power	For large-scale development

Authentication Methods and Billing

Authentication Method	Supported Plans	Payment Method
AWS IAM Identity Center	Pro / Pro+ / Power	AWS Account (billing consolidation)
Builder ID	Free / Pro / Pro+ / Power	Credit card
GitHub	Free / Pro / Pro+ / Power	Credit card
Google	Free / Pro / Pro+ / Power	Credit card

Recommendation for Enterprise Use: Kiro Pro plan or higher + AWS IAM Identity Center

Enables AWS billing consolidation, organization-level usage management, per-user plan assignment, and MCP management

Limitations for New Kiro Users

If you newly subscribe to Kiro Pro plan or higher:

✅ Available

Kiro IDE / Kiro CLI
Amazon Q Developer IDE plugins (Visual Studio, Eclipse, JetBrains)
※ Consumes Kiro credits

❌ Not Available

Amazon Q Developer Pro in AWS Management Console
Integration with various AWS services (Amazon SageMaker, etc.)

⚙️ Management Features and Security

This section is based on information as of November 21, 2025. Please check the official documentation for the latest information.

MCP Control and Overage

MCP Control

Administrators can control MCP availability across the organization

Overage

Can continue using after exceeding monthly credit limit
Price: 0.04 USD/credit
Default: Disabled
Administrators opt-in via Kiro Console

Network Configuration

Firewall/Proxy Support

Authentication endpoints (IAM Identity Center, OIDC, etc.)
Kiro service endpoints
Telemetry endpoints

Private Network Access

VPC Endpoint (PrivateLink) support
Service names:
com.amazonaws.us-east-1.q
com.amazonaws.eu-central-1.q
com.amazonaws.us-east-1.codewhisperer
Private connection possible without going through the internet

📝 Summary

Kiro CLI is a rebrand of Amazon Q Developer (November 2025)
Basic features are the same, but Kiro has many additional features
Kiro IDE: Spec-driven mode, Agent Hooks, Steering, Auto mode
Kiro CLI: Custom agents, flexible authentication, multimodal input
Both IDE and CLI are subject to rebranding
Future new features will only be provided in Kiro
Upgrade is optional, but recommended to use the latest features