Overview
Kiro ships as two complementary products: a full-featured IDE (desktop, graphical) and a CLI (terminal, headless). Both share the same AI engine, subscription, and project configuration.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | IDE | CLI |
|---|---|---|
| Spec-Driven Development | ✓ | — |
| Autonomous Agent Sandbox | ✓ | — |
| Powers (plugin system) | ✓ | — |
| Visual Debugging | ✓ | — |
| IntelliSense | ✓ | — |
| Drag & Drop (images/PDFs) | ✓ | — |
| Headless mode (CI/CD) | — | ✓ |
| Custom Agents | — | ✓ |
| API key auth (KIRO_API_KEY) | — | ✓ |
| Command autocomplete (500+ CLIs) | — | ✓ |
| Hooks & Steering | ✓ | ✓ |
| MCP Servers | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shared .kiro/ config | ✓ | ✓ |
When to Use Which
Choose IDE when…
- Developing features with Spec workflow
- Visual debugging and code navigation
- Reviewing AI changes in-context
- Using Powers and extensions
Choose CLI when…
- Automating tasks in CI/CD pipelines
- Running headless (no GUI available)
- Building and deploying Custom Agents
- Quick terminal-based coding sessions
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Kiro IDE and Kiro CLI?
Kiro IDE is a full desktop IDE with graphical interface, Spec workflow, and Sandbox. Kiro CLI is a terminal-based AI tool for headless automation, CI/CD pipelines, and custom agents. Both share the same AI core and subscription.
Can you use Kiro IDE and CLI simultaneously?
Yes. IDE and CLI use the same account, models, and .kiro/ configuration. You can use the IDE for feature development and the CLI for CI/CD automation in parallel.
Which features are IDE-only?
Specs, Autonomous Agent Sandbox, Powers, visual debugging, IntelliSense, and drag-and-drop for images/PDFs as context.
Which features are CLI-only?
Headless mode (--no-interactive) for CI/CD, Custom Agents, API key authentication (KIRO_API_KEY), and command autocomplete for 500+ CLIs.