Kiro updates: October 2026 (October's changes, from the changelog) | Kiro: Zero to Hero

What changed in Kiro in October 2026: the local command sandbox, Memory, the move to Kiro CLI V3, Workspace trust, Workflows, Markdown Review, models, Kiro Web, and Kiro Crew, plus what you need to do. Based on the kiro.dev changelog.

Transcript

1. Kiro: Zero to Hero Updates Kiro updates: October 2026 October's changes, 2026.10 from the changelog IDE 1.2.56–1.4.62, CLI 2.27.0–2.37.1, Crew 0.8.0–0.11.1 November 2026 Riku Inada Amazon Web Services Japan © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 1
2. Introduction About me Riku Inada Amazon Web Services Japan G.K. Solutions Architect Works mainly with manufacturing customers Recent work Promoting the AI-Driven Development Life Cycle (AI-DLC) Writing and speaking about Kiro and AWS Amplify © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. X @inada_riku Speaker Deck speakerdeck.com/inariku Zenn zenn.dev/inariku GitHub github.com/inariku 2
3. Introduction Where this deck fits You are here: the October 2026 update. Next: the November 2026 update 01–04 Go deeper Get started Read first 05–09 Let it run Spec-driven 01 Intro to Kiro 05 development 10–12 Roll it out 13–14 Updates Bringing Kiro 10 Hand off long tasks 13 to your company 02 Intro to Kiro IDE Steering 06 and Hooks 11 Intro to Kiro Crew Migrating from 14 Amazon Q Developer 03 Intro to Kiro CLI 07 MCP and Powers 12 Bots in Kiro Crew 04 Intro to Kiro Web and 08 Skills custom agents 2026.10 Read next 2026.11 New each month for working 09 Tips with Kiro © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 3
4. Introduction What you'll learn Which October changes affect the way you work 1 What changed in October in Kiro IDE, Kiro CLI, Kiro Web, Kiro Crew, and the models. 2 For each big update, what it does and where you use it. 3 What you need to do about features that are off by default or have ended. Short on time? Read slide 6 (what you need to do) and slide 9 (Kiro CLI V3) Read first: 01 Intro to Kiro Purple marks the key point and your decisions, blue what Kiro does. Images from kiro.dev keep their colors © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 4
5. October overview October at a glance The main updates for each product, one line each Product October versions Releases Main updates Kiro IDE 1.2.56–1.4.62 8 Sandbox, Markdown Review, Memory Kiro CLI 2.27.0–2.37.1 13 Memory, sandbox, Workspace trust, Approve for me Kiro Web Oct 12, Oct 28 2 Model fallback, reorganized settings, Schedule Kiro Crew 0.8.0–0.11.1 5 Crewmates (now Bots), dashboard, Kiro Agent by default Models — 8 Sonnet 5.5, Kimi K3, and Haiku 5.5 added; 6 now generally available General — 1 In scope for FedRAMP Class C (US East (N. Virginia)) Counts are changelog entries: patches listed under a release (IDE 1.2.37, CLI 2.27.1 and others) are left out. Models has two entries on Oct 9. Every date and version: appendix A1 © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 5
6. October overview What you need to do Turn on what is off by default, and act on what ended or changed Who When What to do Claude Sonnet 4 users Ended Oct 14 Pick another model (Sonnet 5.5 is the latest Sonnet) Kiro CLI users From Nov 3 Chat uses V3 by default (V2 users are asked first) Anyone with V2 agents From CLI 2.37.0 Rewritten for V3 on startup (slide 9) To use Memory Off by default IDE: the gear in the Memory view. CLI (V3): /memories To use the sandbox Off by default IDE: Sandbox in the status bar. CLI (V3): /sandbox Kiro Crew users From 0.8.0 autoApprove tools skip approval. To keep it: slide 16 CLI autocomplete users Ended in 3.0.0 Remove autocomplete and related commands from scripts First-time Pro buyers From Nov 1 Rest of the month free, plus 500 trial credits (12 months) The free Pro month is only for a first upgrade from the Free plan. Trial credits last 12 months. Workflows in the CLI are also off until you turn them on (slide 11) © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 6
7. Main updates (1 of 11) Local command sandbox Kiro runs its commands in an OS sandbox that limits files and network Kiro CLI with the sandbox on: a test setup tried to read ~/.aws/credentials and was blocked (kiro.dev's image). Outbound network is blocked by default and permission rules still apply. IDE 1.4.51 and earlier label the status bar item Command sandbox Versions How to turn it on Outside the sandbox IDE 1.3.0, CLI 2.31.0 (October 13). Off by default IDE: Sandbox in the status bar. CLI (V3): /sandbox The agent, built-in file tools, remote MCP servers © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 7
8. Main updates (2 of 11) Memory Kiro remembers what it learns and reuses it in later sessions. Off by default Chat session Later session Today's task A new task The agent harness Learn Recall Pulled in Create, update From IDE 1.4.0 Choose with the gear in the Memory view Use and learn Use but don't learn Use only Off (default) learns on its own edits if asked read-only when relevant Memory Kept on this computer, across sessions From CLI 2.29.0 (V3) /memories, then config read & write, read only, off Memory keeps a repo's commands and conventions, corrections, approaches that failed, and your preferences. Kiro IDE and CLI on one machine share memories. Put rules that must always apply in Steering. The IDE default became Off in 1.4.10. If you had already chosen a level, it is kept. Turning Memory on or off applies to new sessions © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 8
9. Main updates (3 of 11) Moving Kiro CLI to V3 October prepared the move, and 3.0.0 made V3 the default on November 3 Oct 5 Oct 12 Oct 20–29 Oct 30 Nov 3 2.28.0 2.30.0 2.33.0–2.36.0 2.37.0 3.0.0 Classic offers On startup, offers More safeguards Upgrades V2 agents V3 is the default. to switch to 3.0 to switch to V3 for V3 (next slide) to the V3 format Classic (V1) ends on startup (in stages) on startup (November issue) Chat starts on V3 by default. To use V2, run kiro-cli --v2. V2 users are asked first. Scripts stay on V2 unless they use --trust-all-tools To keep your V2 agents as they are, run: The 2.30.0 startup prompt (part of an image on kiro.dev's blog). V2 and V3 are the CLI's agent harnesses; Classic is the old V1 interface. A V3 session opens with "Welcome to Kiro CLI V3" © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. kiro-cli settings chat.enableAutoAgentUpgrade false Each original file stays beside it as .json.bak. Rename it back to .json to undo 9
10. Main updates (4 of 11) Workspace trust and Approve for me Kiro asks before loading a new folder's setup, and can approve routine actions 1 Workspace trust CLI 2.33.0, V3 chat Asked when you open a folder for the first time Trust this workspace? Until you trust it, Kiro doesn't load its Hooks, agents, MCP, Steering, Workflows, and more 2 How an action is approved (Approve for me: CLI 2.36.0) Rules deny, ask, allow rules come first You write them Approve for me Only what no rule decides Allows it if safe Shows Approved for you Blocks it if risky ? Asks if unsure You Local V3 chat: choose it in /permissions > Policies when shown. Saved per workspace The trust screen and Approve for me are in Kiro CLI (V3); Kiro IDE has handled untrusted workspaces since 1.2. To revoke trust, remove workspaceTrusted from the file named on the trust screen © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 10
11. Main updates (5 of 11) Workflows A workflow starts only when you ask, and you can revise its plan first 1 Ask 2 See the plan 3 Revise 4 Run Starts only when asked Shows a plan first Write changes to it A model for each step IDE: also /workflow-run Steps shown as a tree Kiro asks about gaps Pauses after 2 rejections CLI 2.33.1, IDE 1.3.0 CLI 2.32.0, 2.33.0 CLI 2.34.0, Web Oct 28 Web Oct 12, 28; CLI 2.32.0 IDE's Use workflows setting (1.4.26): how much chat uses Workflows Only when asked (default) Only for large tasks As much as possible Workflows split a job into steps that Kiro runs (deck 10, Hand off long tasks). CLI: turn them on under /settings > Features. Review loops pause after 2 rejected reviews in CLI V3 and Kiro Web © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 11
12. Main updates (6 of 11) Markdown Review Mark what needs work in a .md file, then have Kiro fix it all at once 1 Open 2 Mark 3 Send all 4 Kiro edits Above the editor: Select text and Send N to Kiro Kiro makes the edits Review Markdown write what to fix or Cmd/Ctrl+Enter and the view refreshes Available to every Kiro IDE user from 1.3.11 (October 15). Useful for documents you are polishing: spec requirements and designs, READMEs, runbooks. 1.4.51 (October 27) adds copying selected text, and Enter now saves a comment © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 12
13. Main updates (7 of 11) MCP and Powers MCP tools load only when needed, which leaves more context for the work MCP tools load on demand MCP tools can ask for input Work goes on if a Power fails IDE 1.3.0, CLI 2.31.0 (V3). No setup CLI 2.34.0 (V3) IDE 1.4.10, Web Oct 28 Power Old Tool definitions Now Context free for work Many tools, without filling the context Mid-call, a tool shows If its server is down, a form or a link. Kiro only warns and Kiro continues after you answer keeps working with the rest A Power bundles MCP servers with guidance on how to use them (deck 07, MCP and Powers) © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 13
14. Main updates (8 of 11) Models Three added, six went GA, and Claude Sonnet 4 ended on October 14 Date Models Change Oct 2 Claude Sonnet 5.5 Added (experimental) Oct 9 Claude Sonnet 5.5, Claude Opus 5.5 Added in AWS GovCloud (US) Oct 14 Claude Sonnet 4 End of life Oct 15 Kimi K3 Added (experimental) Oct 21 Fable 5.1 (Enterprise only), Sonnet 5.5, GPT-5.6 Terra and Luna Generally available Oct 23 Claude Haiku 5.5 Added (experimental) Oct 30 Claude Opus 5.5, GPT-5.6 Sol Generally available Going GA took these six off Kiro Excluded Models, the list of models whose output has no IP indemnity. Claude Haiku 5.5 and Kimi K3 went GA on November 4 (November update), but Kimi K3 stays a Kiro Excluded Model To see a new model, restart the IDE or CLI, run kirocrew restart for Crew, or reload Kiro Web © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 14
15. Main updates (9 of 11) Kiro Web You can pick a fallback model, and settings are now split in two From Oct 28, settings are split in two Agent Config Settings How the agent works Account and environment Cloud Config Steering Skills Workflows Powers & MCP Model fallback Memory Account & plan Appearance Integrations AWS access Sandbox API keys Privacy & data Help & support © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Oct 12 Model fallback Another model answers if one is unavailable or refuses Oct 12 Workflow step models Pick a model for each Workflows step Oct 28 Session recap Recaps the session (turn on in Agent Config > Memory) Oct 28 Schedule The new name for Automations Oct 28 Session reopen Type while the sandbox starts (chat preview from Oct 12) 15
16. Main updates (10 of 11) Kiro Crew Five releases built up crewmates and dashboards. New installs run on Kiro Agent 0.8.0 Oct 9 0.9.0 Oct 16 0.10.0 Oct 25 0.11.0 Crewmate teams Crewmate Crewmates that Mate 2.0 Agent templates Profile plan (preview) New installs run Bundles Kiro CLI Dashboard Dashboard for all on Kiro Agent (preview) Oct 30 0.11.1 Oct 31 Fixes for 0.11.0 (settings kept) Kiro Crew is the Kiro app you hand work to and step away from (deck 11). Crewmates are teammates with a role. 0.11.0 renamed them Mates, and 0.12.0 (November 5) Bots (deck 12). Kiro Agent (KAS) is the engine built into Crew. It runs without a separate kiro-cli install. If you chose Kiro CLI, Crew keeps using it. From 0.8.0, MCP tools in your autoApprove lists skip Crew's approval. To keep approvals, run kirocrew config set mcp.honour_auto_approve false and restart the Gateway. To turn off crew logs, start the Gateway with KIROCREW_CREW_LOG=0 © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 16
17. Main updates (11 of 11) Changes for company admins Admins can limit sign-in methods. CLI V3 follows org MCP and web tool settings Change Version What it does Sign-in controls IDE 1.2, CLI 2.29.0 A settings file on each device limits the methods shown Turn off device flow CLI 2.29.0 Turn off browserless CLI sign-in in the Kiro console Follows org settings CLI 2.35.0 V3 also follows the org's MCP and web tools settings Reconnect sign-in IDE 1.4.51 When a session expires, sign in again with Reconnect All-users installer IDE 1.4.62 Windows x64 and ARM64 (needs admin rights) FedRAMP Class C Oct 12 In scope in US East (N. Virginia) Per the October 13 blog post, sign-in controls need IDE 1.2 and CLI 2.29.0 (the docs say CLI 2.25.0) and work in US East (N. Virginia) and Europe (Frankfurt). Company setup: deck 13 © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 17
18. Blog October's blog posts Besides feature news, three posts on how Kiro is built and used Oct 20 How Kiro fixes itself, and how we keep the fixes honest Kiro drafts fixes from its own traces and keeps only those that pass its checks Oct 26 Keeping a software factory stable at 1,000 PRs a week Layers of tests and checks that keep quality at 1,000 PRs a week Oct 30 Spec it safe: shift left and harden your specs with security requirements A Power that adds security requirements to your specs The other 9 posts (features, models, plans) are in appendix A8, with the slide that covers each. All are kiro.dev posts, with their titles as published © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 18
19. Summary Summary October added guardrails and memory for handing work to Kiro on your machine 1 More local guardrails: the sandbox, Workspace trust, Approve for me. 2 Memory brings what Kiro learned into later sessions (off by default). 3 To do: move off Sonnet 4. Kiro CLI uses V3 by default from November 3. Read more Sandbox, Memory Workflows Kiro CLI V3 permissions Deck 06 Deck 01, 08 Deck 10 Deck 03 Company setup, Kiro Crew and sign-in Bots Deck 13 Deck 11, 12 Next: Kiro updates: November 2026 © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 19
20. Appendix A1 October timeline 13 CLI and 8 IDE releases. Updates clustered on October 12 to 15 Oct 1 IDE Oct 8 Oct 15 1.2.56 1.3.11 1.3.0 2.27.0 CLI 2.29.0 2.28.0 2.31.0 2.30.0 Oct 22 1.4.10 1.4.0 2.32.0 2.31.1 Oct 29 1.4.51 1.4.26 1.4.62 2.33.1 2.33.0 2.35.0 2.34.0 2.36.0 Fallback Web, general 2.37.0 Settings FedRAMP 0.8.0 Crew 0.9.0 0.10.0 0.11.0 0.11.1 Models Sonnet 5.5 Sonnet 4 ends GovCloud Kimi K3 4 GA 2 GA Haiku 5.5 Dates are changelog dates. Crew's are GitHub release dates (appendix A9). The white ring is the general entry (FedRAMP) © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 20
21. Appendix A2 Kiro IDE in October Date Version Main changes Oct 8 1.2.56 Search Powers by name. Spec-only commands. Keeps the Effort level you set before starting Oct 13 1.3.0 Sandbox. /workflow-run. Live status on tabs. MCP tools load on demand Oct 15 1.3.11 Markdown Review for everyone. A What's new page. Easier-to-scan step notifications Oct 19 1.4.0 Memory. More reliable find in Markdown Review Oct 20 1.4.10 Memory defaults to Off. Plan feedback reaches the steps. Powers keep working Oct 22 1.4.26 Use workflows setting. Installed Powers more reliable across the IDE and CLI Oct 27 1.4.51 Reconnect after a session expires. Copy and keyboard comments in Markdown Review Oct 28 1.4.62 Windows system-wide installer. Drop files into chat without Shift Patch: 1.2.37 (Oct 5; private local state on macOS and Linux, model search with effort controls) © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 21
22. Appendix A3 Kiro CLI in October (1 of 2) Date Version Main changes Oct 1 2.27.0 Delegation via Workflows. File contents in Steering. Saved prompts as slash commands Oct 5 2.28.0 Offer to switch from Classic to 3.0. V3 Hooks match by tool category Oct 9 2.29.0 Memory (V3). Admins can turn off device flow per profile Oct 12 2.30.0 Startup prompt to switch to V3 (in stages). V3 shows model fallback notices Oct 13 2.31.0 Sandbox, and /autonomous on (runs without per-command approval). MCP tools on demand Oct 14 2.31.1 Mermaid diagrams in chat. Saved settings work in headless V3 runs Patches: 2.27.1 (Oct 2), 2.29.1 (Oct 10) © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 22
23. Appendix A4 Kiro CLI in October (2 of 2) Date Version Main changes Oct 15 2.32.0 Allow a whole folder for writes. A workflow shows its plan before it starts Oct 20 2.33.0 Workspace trust. The plan as a step tree. Model fallback in V3 Oct 21 2.33.1 Workflows start only when you ask Oct 23 2.34.0 MCP tools can ask for input. Revise the plan before it runs. Delete in /memories Oct 27 2.35.0 Warns when run as root or Administrator. V3 follows org settings Oct 29 2.36.0 Approve for me. Approval rules per subcommand Oct 30 2.37.0 V2 agents upgrade to V3 automatically. Sign in from ACP clients Patches: 2.34.1 and 2.34.2 (Oct 26; the V3 offer reaches all eligible users), 2.37.1 (Oct 31) 2.35.1 and 2.35.2 (Oct 28; one continues moving macOS desktop app installs to the standalone CLI) © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 23
24. Appendix A5 Kiro Web and Kiro Crew in October Date Product Main changes Oct 12 Web Model fallback. A model for each workflow step. Conversation preview on reopen Oct 28 Web Settings split in two. Session recap. Schedule. Workflows ask about gaps Oct 9 Crew 0.8.0 Teams, templates, watches that wake only when needed, Kiro CLI bundled Oct 16 Crew 0.9.0 Profile, dashboards (preview), a forecast of credit use Oct 25 Crew 0.10.0 Crewmates that plan with you (preview), the dashboard for everyone Oct 30 Crew 0.11.0 Mate 2.0, new installs on Kiro Agent, Escape to stop Oct 31 Crew 0.11.1 Fixes for 0.11.0 (memory, Kiro Agent, security) Crew dates are GitHub release dates (appendix A9) © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 24
25. Appendix A6 Models and general news in October Date Type Change Oct 2 Model Claude Sonnet 5.5 added (experimental, us-east-1 and eu-central-1) Oct 9 Model Claude Sonnet 5.5 and Opus 5.5 in AWS GovCloud (US) (IDE and CLI) Oct 12 General In scope for FedRAMP Class C (US East (N. Virginia)) Oct 14 Model Claude Sonnet 4 reaches end of life Oct 15 Model Kimi K3 added (experimental, US geography) Oct 21 Model Fable 5.1, Sonnet 5.5, GPT-5.6 Terra and Luna generally available Oct 23 Model Claude Haiku 5.5 added (experimental) Oct 30 Model Claude Opus 5.5 and GPT-5.6 Sol generally available Fable 5.1 is for Kiro Enterprise organizations only (us-east-1). Kimi K3 is still a Kiro Excluded Model. Crew loads the new list with kirocrew restart © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 25
26. Appendix A7 Glossary Term Meaning Term Meaning Sandbox Limits what commands reach Harness What runs the agent Memory Context kept across sessions V2, V3 CLI harnesses; V3 is default Workspace trust Asks whether to trust a folder Classic The V1 CLI. Ended in 3.0.0 Approve for me Kiro approves routine actions Headless An unattended CLI run Steering Rules you give Kiro to follow Device flow Sign-in without a browser Hook Runs when an event happens MCP, Power Tool protocol; a tool bundle Experimental, GA Trial; generally available GovCloud AWS Regions for US government Kiro Excluded Models No indemnity for their output Kiro Agent (KAS) The engine built into Crew ACP Lets other editors use Kiro FedRAMP A US gov security program © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 26
27. Appendix A8 October's other kiro.dev blog posts Date Type Title (as published) Slide Oct 2 Model Claude Sonnet 5.5 is now available in Kiro 14 Oct 9 Feature Kiro CLI V3 is rolling out as the default experience 9 Oct 13 Feature Introducing improved enterprise sign-in controls 17 Oct 14 Feature Local sandboxing in Kiro: keep agent commands within boundaries 7 Oct 15 Model Kimi K3 model is now available in Kiro 14 Oct 20 Feature Introducing memory in Kiro IDE and CLI 8 Oct 26 Model Claude Haiku 5.5 is now available in Kiro 14 Oct 27 Plan Kiro's new free trial gives you 500 extra credits 6 Oct 28 Plan Kiro for Students expands to 41 more universities — Dates are blog dates. Some differ from the changelog (Haiku 5.5 is October 23 there) © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 27
28. Appendix A9 Sources and references kiro.dev changelog (accessed November 8, 2026: each product's list and each version's page) https://kiro.dev/changelog/ kiro.dev blog (12 posts in October) https://kiro.dev/blog/ kiro.dev docs: Local command sandbox, Memory, Permissions (Workspace trust, Approve for me), Upgrade from CLI 2.x, Upgrading agent configs, Workflows, Markdown Review, Working with the agent (Kiro Web), Available models, Sign-in controls, MCP: Tools, Crew: Configuration (https://kiro.dev/docs/) GitHub kirodotdev/KiroCrew: CHANGELOG.md and releases https://github.com/kirodotdev/KiroCrew/releases Crew dates are GitHub release dates (UTC). CHANGELOG.md gives other dates (0.8.0 October 8, 0.9.0 October 9, 0.10.0 October 15, 0.11.0 October 24), and so does the kiro.dev changelog (0.8.0 September 27). Images: slide 7 crops an image from the kiro.dev post "Local sandboxing in Kiro", and slide 9 one from "Kiro CLI V3 is rolling out as the default experience". Slide 8 is based on the figure on kiro.dev's Memory page. The October changelog has no entries for Kiro for iOS (Kiro Mobile). © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 28