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Using Kiro inside VSCode with ACP

Using Kiro inside VSCode with ACP

You don't have to leave VS Code to use Kiro. Run Kiro inside VS Code. Step-by-step setup using the Agent Client Protocol (ACP) plus an open-source extension, with troubleshooting tips.

Keerthi

Using Kiro Inside VS Code

Kiro CLI supports ACP (the Agent Client Protocol), which lets us add Kiro to VS Code and get a plugin-like experience without leaving the editor. If VS Code is where you write code all day, you can keep it and still drive Kiro's agent to explain a repo, generate code, run commands — right from a plugin like experience in VS Code's sidebar panel
The VS Code piece that makes this work is a community-built, open-source extension, not an official Kiro product. It's a solid bridge, but you adopt it under a shared-responsibility model, review the extension, understand what it does, and keep the permission checkpoints in place. Kiro provides the agent; you own the choice to run a third-party client and the trust decisions that come with it.
This post shows how to set that up, and explains just enough of the plumbing underneath (ACP) so the setup makes sense and you know what to do when something breaks.

What you get

Once it's wired up, Kiro runs as a connected agent inside VS Code:
  • Chat with Kiro in a side panel without switching apps.
  • Watch tool calls and terminal output render inline as the agent works.
  • Approve file writes and commands as they happen, so you stay in control.
  • Keep your existing VS Code setup — extensions, themes, keybindings — untouched.
The agent itself is the same Kiro CLI you'd run in a terminal. VS Code just becomes the front end for it.

How the connection works (the quick tour)

The bridge between VS Code and Kiro is the Agent Client Protocol (ACP), an open standard for connecting coding agents to editors. If you've heard of the Language Server Protocol, the thing that lets any editor talk to any language server - ACP is the same idea for AI coding agents. Implement it once on each side and any compliant agent works with any compliant editor. (agentclientprotocol.com , Kiro: Specialized IDEs deserve AI too )
You don't need to know the protocol in depth to use it, but a few facts make the setup and troubleshooting easier:
  • Two roles. The agent is Kiro (started with kiro-cli acp). The client is VS Code, via an extension. The agent runs as a subprocess of the editor, and the two exchange messages over stdin/stdout.
  • The editor stays in charge. When Kiro wants to read a file, write a change, or run a command, it asks VS Code to do it. The editor mediates every sensitive action and prompts you for permission, so nothing executes behind your back.
  • Responses stream. As Kiro works through a request, it sends incremental updates like streaming text, tool activity, and a signal when the turn is done, which the panel renders as they arrive.

Setup

A note on VS Code support

VS Code doesn't speak ACP natively yet (See Kiro Docs:https://kiro.dev/docs/cli/acp/), it's an open feature request (microsoft/vscode#265496 ). Some editors (Zed, JetBrains IDEs) support it directly. For VS Code, you bridge the gap with a community ACP client extension; the most established is formulahendry.acp-client, which ships with a ready-made Kiro entry. It's open source, so treat it under shared responsibility: skim the source or release notes, install it from a trusted source, and keep permission prompts on (more on that in Step 3). (extension README )

Prerequisites

  1. Kiro CLI, installed and authenticated. Confirm it works:```bash
    kiro-cli --version```
  2. The absolute path to the binary. Editors usually don't inherit your shell's PATH, so a bare kiro-cli often won't resolve. Grab the full path now:bash which kiro-cli It's commonly ~/.local/bin/kiro-cli on macOS/Linux. (Kiro ACP docs )
  3. Node.js 18+, which the extension uses to spawn the agent process. (extension README )

Option 1: Agentic setup:

Use my opensourced skill to setup Kiro CLI ACP in VSCode agentically. Copy the below prompt in an AI Code assistant of your choice to configure ACP on your machine.
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"Setup Kiro CLI ACP with VSCode using https://github.com/Keerthi-Sreenivas/kiro-vscode-acp-setup-skill/tree/main/skill"

Option 2 : Manual setup

Step 1 — Confirm Kiro can run as an agent

Before involving VS Code, check that Kiro responds on this channel:
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kiro-cli acp
This starts Kiro in agent mode, waiting for input on stdin/stdout — sitting there quietly is expected. To prove the handshake works, pipe in an initialize request:
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echo '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":0,"method":"initialize","params":{"protocolVersion":1,"clientCapabilities":{"fs":{"readTextFile":true,"writeTextFile":true},"terminal":true},"clientInfo":{"name":"smoke-test","version":"1.0.0"}}}' | kiro-cli acp
You should get a result back describing the agent's capabilities. If that works, Kiro is ready. (Kiro ACP docs )

Step 2 — Install the client extension

Install "ACP Client" from the Marketplace (or Open VSX on a non-Microsoft build). After installing, the ACP icon appears in the Activity Bar. (extension README )

Step 3 - Point VS Code at Kiro

The extension includes a default Kiro entry, but because of the PATH issue, set the absolute path explicitly. Open VS Code settings (JSON) and configure the acp.agents map:
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{
"acp.agents": {
"Kiro Agent": {
"command": "/Users/you/.local/bin/kiro-cli",
"args": ["acp"],
"env": {}
}
},
"acp.autoApprovePermissions": "ask",
"acp.logTraffic": true
}
What these settings do:
  • command — the absolute path from which kiro-cli.
  • acp.autoApprovePermissions — leave at ask so you approve file writes and terminal commands. Use allowAll only when you fully trust the workflow; it removes the human-in-the-loop checkpoint.
  • acp.logTraffic — records the messages between editor and agent in an output channel, which is invaluable when debugging.
To target a specific named Kiro agent configuration instead of the default, add the flag:
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"args": ["acp", "--agent", "my-agent"]
(Kiro ACP docs , extension README )

Step 4 — Connect and start working

  1. Open the ACP Client panel from the Activity Bar.
  2. Click Kiro Agent to connect (this launches kiro-cli acp as a subprocess).
  3. Start a conversation. Ask it to explain the repo, generate code, or run a command — tool calls and terminal output render inline, and you approve sensitive actions as they come up.
Keyboard shortcut: Cmd+Shift+A (Ctrl+Shift+A on Windows/Linux) opens the chat panel; Escape cancels an in-progress turn. (extension README )

Troubleshooting

SymptomLikely causeFix
"Command not found" on connectVS Code didn't inherit PATHUse the absolute path from which kiro-cli in command
Connects but every prompt fails authKiro CLI not authenticatedRe-run the auth flow, verify with kiro-cli --version
Nothing streams backHandshake or transport issueEnable acp.logTraffic, check the ACP Traffic output channel, and run KIRO_LOG_LEVEL=debug kiro-cli acp to inspect agent logs
Want raw agent logsNeed verbose tracingKIRO_LOG_LEVEL=debug kiro-cli acp or redirect with KIRO_CHAT_LOG_FILE=/path/to/custom.log
Agent-side logs land at $TMPDIR/kiro-log/kiro-chat.log (macOS) or $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/kiro-log/kiro-chat.log (Linux). Sessions persist to ~/.kiro/sessions/cli/, so you can resume past work. (Kiro ACP docs )

Where this is headed

The idea behind all of this is "right tool for the job." Use a SQL-focused IDE for database work, a notebook for data science, VS Code for everyday editing and bring Kiro's agent along to each one instead of re-tooling every time. Native VS Code support for this connection is still pending upstream; until then, the community client extension is a solid bridge, and the setup above mirrors what a first-party integration would do too. (Kiro: Specialized IDEs deserve AI too )

Any opinions in this article are those of the individual author and may not reflect the opinions of AWS.
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