creating-kiro-agents

Kiro Agent Development

Patterns for creating specialized Kiro AI agents with proper configuration, tools, and security.

Agent File Structure

{
  "name": "agent-name",
  "description": "One-line purpose",
  "prompt": "System instructions",
  "tools": ["fs_read", "fs_write"],
  "toolsSettings": {},
  "resources": [],
  "mcpServers": {},
  "hooks": {}
}

Location:

• Project: .kiro/agents/<name>.json
• Global: ~/.kiro/agents/<name>.json

Core Principles

1. Specialization

✅ Create focused agents: backend-api-specialist ❌ Avoid generic agents: general-helper

2. Least Privilege

Only grant necessary tools and paths.

{
  "toolsSettings": {
    "fs_write": {
      "allowedPaths": ["src/api/**", "tests/api/**"]
    },
    "execute_bash": {
      "allowedCommands": ["npm test", "npm run build"]
    }
  }
}

3. Clear Prompts

Be specific about domain, focus areas, and standards.

{
  "prompt": "Backend API expert specializing in Express.js and MongoDB.\n\n## Focus\n- RESTful API design\n- Security (input validation, auth)\n- Error handling\n- Query optimization\n\n## Standards\n- Always use async/await\n- Implement proper logging\n- Validate all inputs"
}

Common Patterns

Backend Specialist

{
  "name": "backend-dev",
  "description": "Node.js/Express API development with MongoDB",
  "prompt": "Backend development expert. Focus on API design, database optimization, and security.\n\n## Core Principles\n- RESTful conventions\n- Input validation\n- Error handling\n- Query optimization",
  "tools": ["fs_read", "fs_write", "execute_bash"],
  "toolsSettings": {
    "fs_write": {
      "allowedPaths": ["src/api/**", "src/routes/**", "src/models/**"]
    }
  }
}

Code Reviewer

{
  "name": "code-reviewer",
  "description": "Reviews code against team standards",
  "prompt": "You review code for:\n- Quality and readability\n- Security issues\n- Performance problems\n- Standard compliance\n\nProvide constructive feedback with examples.",
  "tools": ["fs_read"],
  "resources": ["file://.kiro/steering/review-checklist.md"]
}