AWS Kiro v0.1.0 (preview)
https://kiro.dev/
A new "agent-based IDE" (like Cursor and Windsurf) from Amazon Web Services (AWS), presented on July 14, 2025. Built on Visual Studio Code. Pleasant visual theme. Supports MCP. Currently uses only two Claude Sonnet models 4.0 and 3.7.

Available for free in preview, and includes limits that allow you to try the product without interruptions. In the future, various pricing plans are planned: Free, Pro, and Pro+.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9fUPyowRLI

The key feature is a mechanism that helps transition from rapid prototyping ("vibe coding") to creating full-fledged, production-ready code ("viable code"). Kiro creates detailed structured artifacts: requirements documents (requirements.md), design documents (design.md), and task lists (tasks.md).

There are also Hooks, which configure event-driven automation, such as updating documentation or generating tests when a file is saved. And Steering, which allows defining description files to guide agent behavior, adding context, standards, and desired workflows.

Kiro's developer, NathanKP, actively interacts with users in the discussion https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44560662. Many people express disappointment that Kiro is another VS Code fork – reporting high CPU and RAM consumption.

Some believe that Kiro is "late to the party," as the market has already shifted to terminal agents like Claude Code. I also thought it would be a console agent.

Currently, for me (compared to Cursor and Windsurf), it runs quite slowly. Also, I haven't found checkpoints – you can only undo individual agent edits or last batch.

#kiro