Kiro updates: November 2026 (As of November 8) | Kiro: Zero to Hero

Kiro updates from November 1 to 8, 2026: Kiro CLI 3.0.0 makes V3 the default, compaction Hooks, Memory for sub-agents, credit pooling, Claude Haiku 5.5 and Kimi K3 GA, and Bots in Kiro Crew 0.12.0, plus what you need to do.

Transcript

1. Kiro: Zero to Hero Updates Kiro updates: November 2026 As of November 8 2026.11 IDE 1.4.86–1.4.121, CLI 3.0.0–3.1.0, Crew 0.11.2–0.12.0 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 November 2026 update. Read first: the October 2026 update Get started 01–04 Go deeper 05–09 Let it run 10–12 Roll it out 13–14 Updates 01 Intro to Kiro Spec-driven 05 development 10 Hand off long tasks Bringing Kiro 13 to your company 02 Intro to Kiro IDE 06 and Hooks Steering 11 Intro to Kiro Crew 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 Migrating from Read first 2026.10 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 updates through November 8 change the way you work 1 What changed from November 1 to 8 in each product, the models, and plans. 2 For each big update, what it does and where you use it. 3 What you need to do about changed defaults and retired features. As of November 8, 2026. Latest entries: changelog November 5, blog November 6 Short on time? Read slide 6 (what you need to do) and slides 7 and 8 (Kiro CLI 3.0.0) Read first: 01 Intro to Kiro, and the October 2026 update Purple marks the key point and your decisions, blue what Kiro does. Terms: appendix A6 © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 4
5. November overview November at a glance The main updates for each product, one line each Product November versions Releases Main updates Kiro IDE 1.4.86, 1.4.121 2 Run tab and search, compaction Hooks, sub-agent Memory Kiro CLI 3.0.0, 3.1.0 2 V3 by default, Classic retired, compaction Hooks, credits Kiro Crew 0.11.2, 0.12.0 2 Bots for everyone, a browser you can watch, Ultra Mode Models — 1 Claude Haiku 5.5 and Kimi K3 generally available General — 1 Credit pooling (Kiro Enterprise) Web, mobile — — No November entries Kiro Web and mobile (Kiro Mobile for iOS, in early access) have no November changelog entries. Every date and version: appendix A1 © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 5
6. November overview What you need to do Check your CLI scripts and your company's plan, then act Who When What to do Running the CLI in scripts 3.0.0 (Nov 3) Name --v3 or --v2. Defaults vary by launch (slide 7) Interactive CLI users 3.0.0 (Nov 3) Answer the first-launch prompt. V2 agents get upgraded macOS desktop app users 3.0.0 (Nov 3) Nothing. The next update check moves it to kiro-cli Company admins Nov 4 Decide whether to switch to credit sharing (no undo) Haiku 5.5, Kimi K3 users Nov 4 Restart IDE or CLI. Enterprise admins enable Kimi K3 CLI Session recap users 3.1.0 (Nov 5) Turn on in /settings Features. Each recap uses credits Kiro Crew users 0.12.0 (Nov 5) Nothing. Ultra Mode is in Feature Previews Scripts: a saved chat.agentEngine applies; --trust-all-tools starts V3. The first-launch prompt needs 2.x sessions and no saved choice. V2 agent files are rewritten in place with a .json.bak copy (stop it: chat.enableAutoAgentUpgrade false). Removed commands: slide 8 © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 6
7. Main updates (1 of 10) Kiro CLI 3.0.0 makes V3 the default New chats and new ACP clients start on V3. Headless runs still default to V2 Defaults (no flag, no saved choice) Asked at first launch If you have 2.x sessions and never chose one Chat (kiro-cli, kiro-cli chat) V3 Old-glibc Linux: V2 headless (--no-interactive) V2 --trust-all-tools: V3 ACP (kiro-cli acp) V3 V2-only flags: V2 Continue with V3 Saves V3 and starts on it Stay on V2, remind me later Saves V2, asks again after 14 days --cloud, --repo V3 --resume-id of a V1 or V2 session V2 V3 only Stay on V2, don't ask again Saves V2, never asks again Precedence: --v3, --v2, or --agent-engine on the launch line, then --cloud or --repo, then the saved setting (acp.agentEngine for ACP), then the defaults above. Per the changelog, existing ACP clients stay on V2 unless already supported. Choosing Continue with V3 saves v3. Terms (harness, ACP, headless): appendix A6 © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 7
8. Main updates (2 of 10) What Kiro CLI 3.0.0 retired Classic, the desktop app, and autocomplete are gone, along with five commands Classic (V1) interface Desktop app Autocomplete, inline It no longer runs, even if Kiro CLI no longer ships it. Ended with the desktop app, selected. Chat offers V3; Installed macOS apps switch no replacement. Gone: scripts take headless defaults to the standalone kiro-cli autocomplete, inline, translate, at their next update check theme, dashboard Instead Instead Instead Use V3. To run V2: To change how it's installed, Remove from scripts. doctor kiro-cli --v2 see Installation in the docs points to diagnostic or issue Kiro CLI is now a single standalone kiro-cli binary. V2 still runs if you choose it, but gets no new features © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 8
9. Main updates (3 of 10) Kiro CLI 3.1.0: credits and settings See the credits a session uses, and ship default settings per machine /usage Status line Workflow step rows Credits this session Turn on Session credits In the workflow monitor, has used so far under /settings display credits used by each step Update What it does Where Session recap After a few idle seconds, a recap shows above the prompt. Each recap uses credits /settings Features (off by default) Environment defaults A root-owned settings file becomes the lowest layer. Your own cli.json wins KIRO_DEFAULT_SETTINGS (macOS, Linux) One notification row Most urgent first, with +N for those waiting. Warnings and errors stay until you press a key No setup needed © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 9
10. Main updates (4 of 10) Hooks around compaction Save a record before compaction, and add back what you need after it Long chat 1 Pre Compaction Kiro compacts 2 Post Compaction Runs before. Save a copy; Runs after. Its output exit code 2 cancels restores what was dropped Work continues Kiro IDE 1.4.121 Kiro CLI 3.1.0 (V3) Pick it under Compaction Hooks in the Hook editor. Put PreCompact and PostCompact in a Hook Compaction is automatic. Exit code 2 cancels it definition in .kiro/hooks/. Runs around /compact, unless the context is nearly full auto-compaction, and model handoffs Compaction summarizes the older part of a long conversation to free up context. Neither Hook takes a matcher © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 10
11. Main updates (5 of 10) Sub-agents and Memory Sub-agents can read the parent's Memory, but can't add, edit, or delete Parent session Read The Kiro you talk to Allowed Sub-agent Memory What Kiro learned before, Read Kiro hands it Add, edit, delete part of the task Not allowed stored on this computer IDE 1.4.121, CLI 3.1.0 Sub-agents can now use what Kiro learned in earlier sessions. Memory is off until you turn it on: the gear in the IDE's Memory view, or /memories > config in CLI V3. Memory carries context across sessions (October update). A sub-agent is a Kiro that takes part of its parent's task © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 11
12. Main updates (6 of 10) Following workflow runs The IDE opens and searches runs, and the CLI shows credits per step 1 Open a run in its own tab IDE 1.4.86 2 Search runs Choose Open run on the run's card in chat. Step Search workflows filters by name, status, or tree and transcript, with Pause, Resume, Stop duration. Press Esc to clear the search 3 One compact run card IDE 1.4.121 4 Credits per step Run list, chat, and header share one card with Each step row in the workflow monitor shows the duration, and the reason a run didn't start the credits that step used IDE 1.4.121 CLI 3.1.0 Workflows split a job into steps that Kiro runs (deck 10, Hand off long tasks). CLI 3.1.0 also makes runs land on the branch you have checked out © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 12
13. Main updates (7 of 10) Credit pooling (for admins) Pool every seat's credits and share them across the team Before: credits per person Now: one shared pool Illustration Seats Each seat adds 500 credits a month Pool (used and left) Team A Unused credits sit with each person, while people at their limit run short Team B Team C A seat costs $20 a month and adds 500 credits a month to the pool (the price published November 4). Extra credits you buy are good for one year. Usage limits: a user's own limit wins, then the highest group limit, then the profile limit. IAM Identity Center profiles only; add the credit-pooling actions to the admin IAM policy first. Moving subscribers is optional, with no undo © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 13
14. Main updates (8 of 10) Models Haiku 5.5 and Kimi K3 went GA, and a blog post explains how Auto works Generally available on Nov 4 How Auto works (blog, Nov 6) Illustration Claude Haiku 5.5 For fast, high-volume work. US and EU No longer a Kiro Excluded Model Kimi K3 Moonshot AI's open-weight model. US only Still a Kiro Excluded Model 1 Start on an efficient model 2 An independent check watches in the background IDE, CLI, Crew, Web. Enterprise: an admin enables Kimi K3 3 If needed, a stronger model picks up the work Kiro Excluded Models are the models whose output has no IP indemnity under the AWS Service Terms. Right: how Auto works today. In the blog's evaluation, about four in five tasks finished on the first model © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 14
15. Main updates (9 of 10) Bots in Kiro Crew 0.12.0 Bots are out of preview for everyone, each with its own job, memory, and tools What changed Mates are now called Bots, and everyone has them without a preview switch What they do Each Bot has its own memory and a git worktree per repo. It hands work to workers, watches them, and asks you only what needs a decision How to start Add one from Bots in the left rail. Export and import one as a .kirobot file The Bots list in Kiro Crew (part of an image on kiro.dev's blog) © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 15
16. Main updates (10 of 10) Kiro Crew 0.12.0: the rest Watch the browser while Kiro works, more harnesses, and Ultra Mode to try For everyone (0.12.0) Browser Watch it live in chat and take over. Sign-ins stay hidden from the agent Agent harnesses Two more harnesses, including Strands Connections Google Workspace (Gmail, Drive, Calendar and more) Settings Developer Mode is gone; Developer settings always show Previews (opt in) Settings > Developer > Feature Previews Ultra Mode A conductor gives each task a worker chat Explore Shows features tried and not yet tried Also here: Agent harness per Bot Other previews (each in its own place): Session Environments, Shared Crew, Remote dispatch 0.11.2 (November 4) fixes 0.11.1: on KAS, Crew's own engine, MCP servers start as in kiro-cli; a broken mcp.json is kept © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 16
17. Blog November's blog posts Two feature posts, and two on how Kiro works inside Nov 2 Kiro proves properties of its own harness in Lean Kiro modeled core harness functions in Lean, proved properties, and checked the models against the code Nov 4 Share Kiro credits across your team with credit pooling How credit pooling works, with the limits and alerts admins set (slide 13) Nov 5 Introducing bots in Kiro Crew What bots are, with examples by role, such as intake and release readiness Nov 6 How Kiro Auto uses model cascading to match the model to the work How Auto hands a session to a more capable model midway, and how it scored All are kiro.dev posts, with their titles as published. Dates are blog dates © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 17
18. Summary Summary V3 is now the CLI default; workflow tracking and company plans changed too 1 Kiro CLI 3.0.0 makes V3 the default. Put --v3 or --v2 in your scripts. 2 Compaction Hooks, Memory for sub-agents, and credits per step arrived. 3 Companies can share credits with credit pooling, and everyone gets Crew Bots. Read more Kiro CLI and V3 Deck 03 Compaction Memory and Hooks sub-agents Deck 06 Deck 01, 08 Workflows Deck 10 Credits, Kiro Crew and company setup Bots Deck 13 Deck 11, 12 This issue is as of November 8, 2026. It doesn't include later updates © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 18
19. Appendix A1 November timeline CLI, general, model, and Crew updates clustered between November 3 and 5 Nov 1 Nov 2 Nov 4 1.4.86 IDE Nov 5 Nov 6 Nov 7 Nov 8 1.4.121 3.0.0 CLI 3.1.0 0.11.2 Crew Haiku 5.5, Kimi K3 Models 0.12.0 Credit pooling General Blog Nov 3 Lean Bots Pooling Auto Dates are changelog dates, Crew's are GitHub release dates, and blog dates are post dates. The white ring is the general entry © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 19
20. Appendix A2 Kiro IDE in November Date Version Main changes Nov 2 1.4.86 Workflow runs open in their own tab. Warnings when Kiro can't fully use a steering file. Kiro Agent version in About Nov 2 1.4.86 fixes No early sign-out at the end of an IAM Identity Center session. Agent Focus projects reappear when you open them Nov 5 1.4.121 Compaction Hooks. Run search and compact run cards. Web pages fetched as Markdown. Sub-agents read Memory Nov 5 1.4.121 fixes A failed MCP token refresh no longer forces a new sign-in. Very large sessions now open. A sub-agent that hits its turn limit reports its unfinished work © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 20
21. Appendix A3 Kiro CLI in November Date Version Main changes Nov 3 3.0.0 V3 is the default for chat. Classic, the desktop app, and autocomplete retire; Kiro CLI is one standalone kiro-cli Nov 5 3.1.0 Compaction Hooks. Session credits. Default settings for an environment. Session recap (opt in) Nov 5 3.1.0 (more) Sub-agents read the parent's Memory. One notification row. web_fetch asks for Markdown. Remote MCP credential files are owner-only Nov 5 3.1.0 fixes Sessions over 512 MiB now open. Workflow runs land on your checked-out branch. Agent upgrades warn about tools V3 lacks (such as todo_list) From 3.1.0, an agent's file:// resources are capped at 32 files and 100,000 characters. Large files are cut or skipped © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 21
22. Appendix A4 Kiro Crew in November Date Version Main changes Nov 4 0.11.2 Fixes for 0.11.1. On KAS, MCP servers start and sign in as in kiro-cli. A broken mcp.json is never overwritten Nov 5 0.12.0 Bots Mates become Bots for everyone. A folder and a git worktree per Bot. Share a Bot as a .kirobot file. A work ledger with a patrol Nov 5 0.12.0 tools Browser live view and takeover. Two more agent harnesses, including Strands. Google Workspace. Amazon Bedrock Knowledge Bases Nov 5 0.12.0 screens Developer Mode is gone; Developer settings always show. A color-blind-safe theme. Push notifications even when Crew is closed Nov 5 0.12.0 previews Ultra Mode, Explore, Agent harness per Bot, Session Environments, Shared Crew, Remote dispatch Dates are GitHub release dates (UTC). The kiro.dev changelog for Crew stops at 0.9.0, with no 0.11.2 or 0.12.0 entry © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 22
23. Appendix A5 Models, general, web, and mobile in November Date Type Change Nov 4 Model Claude Haiku 5.5 generally available. No longer a Kiro Excluded Model Nov 4 Model Kimi K3 generally available. Still a Kiro Excluded Model. Not on the Free tier Nov 4 General Credit pooling (Credit sharing in the console), for Kiro Enterprise — Kiro Web No November entries (the last one is October 28) — Mobile No changelog category. Kiro Mobile (iOS) is in early access through TestFlight 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. 23
24. Appendix A6 Glossary Term Meaning Term Meaning V3, V2 CLI harness versions Classic The V1 CLI interface Harness What runs the agent Headless An unattended CLI run ACP Connects other editors Compaction Summarizes older chat Hook Runs when an event happens Memory Context across sessions Sub-agent A Kiro given part of a task Workflows Steps Kiro runs for you Kiro Excluded Models No indemnity for output Auto Kiro picks the model Credit pooling Credits a team shares Bot A teammate with a role KAS The engine built into Crew Ultra Mode Hands tasks to workers © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 24
25. Appendix A7 Sources and references kiro.dev changelog (accessed November 8, 2026: each product's list and the six November entries) https://kiro.dev/changelog/ kiro.dev blog (4 posts in November) https://kiro.dev/blog/ kiro.dev docs (.md versions, https://kiro.dev/docs/): Choose an agent harness, Credit pooling, Kiro bots, Hook types, Memory, Available models, Workflows, Installation GitHub kirodotdev/KiroCrew: releases and CHANGELOG.md https://github.com/kirodotdev/KiroCrew/releases Crew dates are GitHub release dates (UTC): 0.11.2 on November 4 and 0.12.0 on November 5. CHANGELOG.md also dates 0.12.0 November 5. 0.11.2 is a hotfix backported to the release/0.11.0 line, so main's CHANGELOG.md has no section for it. Images: slide 15 crops an image from the kiro.dev post "Introducing bots in Kiro Crew". Slide 13 is based on the changelog's credit pooling figure, and the right of slide 14 on the figure in "How Kiro Auto uses model cascading". © 2026, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 25