kilo

kilo

Kilo is the all-in-one agentic engineering platform. Build, ship, and iterate faster with the most popular open source coding agent. #1 on OpenRouter. 1.5M+ Kilo Coders. 25T+ tokens processed

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Kilo CLI is an open source AI coding agent that provides a command-line interface for developers. It includes built-in agents for different tasks like development work and code analysis. Users can switch between agents using the Tab key. The tool also offers a general subagent for complex searches and multi-step tasks. Kilo CLI supports autonomous mode for CI/CD pipelines, allowing fully automated operation without user interaction. It provides migration support for users transitioning from the Kilo Code VS Code extension. The tool is designed to enhance the agentic engineering platform and offers detailed documentation for configuration. Contributors are welcome to join the community and contribute to the project.

README:

Kilo CLI logo

The open source AI coding agent.

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Installation

# npm
npm install -g @kilocode/cli

# Or run directly with npx
npx @kilocode/cli

Then run kilo in any project directory to start.

Agents

Kilo CLI includes two built-in agents you can switch between using the Tab key:

  • build - Default, full access agent for development work
  • plan - Read-only agent for analysis and code exploration
    • Denies file edits by default
    • Asks permission before running bash commands
    • Ideal for exploring unfamiliar codebases or planning changes

Also included is a general subagent for complex searches and multi-step tasks. This is used internally and can be invoked using @general in messages.

Autonomous Mode (CI/CD)

Use the --auto flag with kilo run to enable fully autonomous operation without user interaction. This is ideal for CI/CD pipelines and automated workflows:

kilo run --auto "run tests and fix any failures"

Important: The --auto flag disables all permission prompts and allows the agent to execute any action without confirmation. Only use this in trusted environments like CI/CD pipelines.

Migrating from Kilo Code Extension

If you're coming from the Kilo Code VS Code extension, your configurations are automatically migrated:

Kilo Code Feature Kilo CLI Equivalent
Custom modes Converted to agents
Rules (.kilocoderules, .kilocode/rules/) Added to instructions array
Skills (.kilocode/skills/) Auto-discovered alongside .opencode/skill/
Workflows (.kilocode/workflows/) Converted to commands
MCP servers Migrated to mcp config

MCP servers are configured in ~/.config/kilo/opencode.json (or opencode.jsonc; on Windows the config directory may be under %USERPROFILE% depending on your environment). Use a top-level "mcp" object: each key is a server name, value is type: "local" and command: ["executable", "arg1", ...]. Optional per-server: environment, enabled, timeout. Restart the CLI after editing for changes to take effect. (Path from packages/opencode/src/global/index.ts; schema in config.ts McpLocal.)

Default mode mappings:

  • codebuild agent
  • architectplan agent

For detailed migration information, see:

Documentation

For more info on how to configure Kilo CLI, head over to our docs.

Contributing

If you're interested in contributing, please read our contributing docs before submitting a pull request.

FAQ

Where did Kilo CLI come from?

Kilo CLI is a fork of OpenCode, enhanced to work within the Kilo agentic engineering platform.


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