Kilo Code: install, agents, rules, skills, MCP and the Roo Code shutdown

What is Kilo Code?

Kilo Code is an open source AI coding agent for VS Code, JetBrains IDEs and the terminal that works with hundreds of models. You pick an agent such as Code, Ask, Plan or Debug, describe a task, and Kilo reads your project, edits files and runs commands with your approval. The GitHub README calls it "The open source coding agent for building with AI in VS Code, JetBrains, or the CLI."

The code is MIT licensed. A few facts help place it:

• Lineage. The CLI docs say "The Kilo CLI is a fork of OpenCode and supports the same configuration options," and the current VS Code extension is built on that CLI. If you know OpenCode, much of Kilo will feel familiar.
• Ownership. The Kilo docs note that Kilo has been acquired by Anaconda.
• Beyond the editor. Kilo also offers a Cloud Agent, automated pull request reviews, mobile apps, Slack and a desktop app in beta.

This guide follows the Kilo docs as of 26 October 2026.

What happened to Roo Code, and is Kilo Code an alternative?

Many people looking for Kilo arrive from Roo Code, a popular VS Code agent. Roo Code is no longer maintained. Its GitHub repository was archived on 15 May 2026, and the README says "The Roo Code Extension was shut down on May 15th." It points to two alternatives: ZooCode, "a fork started by the Roo Code community," and Cline, "from where Roo Code originated."

Kilo Code is another option with a similar shape: a VS Code agent with Ask, Plan, Debug and Code agents, MCP support and any model. Kilo publishes a Roo migration page that says the extension runs a wizard which "auto-converts your legacy config files on first launch," and that maps .roorules to AGENTS.md. Its manual steps still use older names such as .kilocodemodes and .kilocode/mcp.json, while the current custom modes docs say legacy .kilocodemodes files are converted on startup and Kilo's config now lives in kilo.jsonc. Back up your Roo settings first and re-check the result against the current docs below.

How do you install Kilo Code?

VS Code. Search "Kilo Code" in the Extensions view (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+X), or run:

code --install-extension kilocode.kilo-code

The installation page lists VS Code 1.84.0 or later. VSCodium, Windsurf and other editors that use Open VSX can install it from there, and a .vsix file on GitHub Releases covers manual installs. On Windows, PowerShell must be on your PATH.

JetBrains. Go to Settings, Plugins, Marketplace, search Kilo Code, install and restart. The JetBrains page lists IntelliJ IDEA, WebStorm, PyCharm, PhpStorm, GoLand, Rider, CLion, RubyMine and DataGrip, and says the plugin "does not require Node.js."

CLI. The README lists several installers:

npm install -g @kilocode/cli
curl -fsSL https://kilo.ai/cli/install | bash
brew install Kilo-Org/tap/kilo

Run kilo in a project to open the terminal UI, and use /connect inside it to set up a provider. For unattended work, kilo run --auto "Implement feature X" runs a task without the UI, and kilo serve starts a headless server.

How do Kilo Code's agents work?

Kilo calls its modes agents. The agents page lists:

Switch with the agent dropdown, by typing /agents, or with Cmd+. (Ctrl+. on Windows and Linux). Orchestrator is being removed because code, plan and debug now delegate to subagents natively. You can add your own agents and subagents with their own prompts, models and permissions.

Other built-in features include inline autocomplete, checkpoints, git commit message generation and voice transcription.

How do rules and AGENTS.md work in Kilo Code?

Kilo's rules now live in the instructions key of kilo.jsonc. The custom rules page shows a project example:

{
  "instructions": [".kilo/rules/formatting.md", ".kilo/rules/*.md"]
}

Per the settings page, the project file is kilo.jsonc in the repo root or .kilo/kilo.jsonc, and the .kilo/ one wins if both exist. Global rules use the same key in ~/.config/kilo/kilo.jsonc. Global instructions load first, and project instructions win on conflicts. The extension is still backward compatible with .kilocode/rules/ folders, but the docs recommend moving to kilo.jsonc.

Kilo also reads AGENTS.md. The AGENTS.md page says "Kilo Code checks for AGENTS.md or AGENT.md at the project root," and the filename must be uppercase. AGENTS.md files in subfolders are "dynamically loaded when the agent reads files in that directory." It cannot be switched off on its own, and changes apply to new tasks.

How do you add skills and MCP servers to Kilo Code?

Skills. Kilo supports the Agent Skills format. The skills page lists:

• Project: .kilo/skills/
• Global: ~/.kilo/skills/
• Always loaded: .agents/skills/ and ~/.agents/skills/
• With Claude Code Compatibility on: .claude/skills/ and ~/.claude/skills/
• Extra sources via skills.paths and skills.urls in kilo.jsonc

name can be up to 64 characters of lowercase letters, numbers and hyphens and should match the folder, and description can be up to 1,024 characters. Kilo reads only metadata at startup and loads the full SKILL.md when a task matches. Every loaded skill also appears as a slash command, and /reload picks up changes without ending the session.

MCP. MCP servers go under the mcp key in the same kilo.jsonc files. Per the MCP usage page, local servers use "type": "local" with a command array and remote servers use "type": "remote" with a URL:

{
  "mcp": {
    "my_server": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": ["node", "/path/to/server.js"],
      "enabled": true
    },
    "docs": {
      "type": "remote",
      "url": "https://your-server-url.com/mcp",
      "enabled": true
    }
  },
  "permission": {
    "my_server_*": "allow"
  }
}

Clicking Approve Always on a tool call saves an allow rule like the one above. Keep wildcards for servers you trust. Curated servers are also available from the Kilo Marketplace, and the MCP servers roundup lists more.

How much does Kilo Code cost?

As of October 2026, Kilo's pricing page lists:

Kilo Gateway users "Pay exact provider rates with no markup," and a 5% processing fee applies to credit purchases. You can also skip the gateway and bring your own provider keys.

How does Kilo Code compare with Claude Code and Codex?

Because Kilo always reads .agents/skills/, skills written for Codex work in Kilo as they are, and turning on Claude Code Compatibility adds Claude Code's .claude/skills/ folders. The Claude Code vs Cline comparison covers a close cousin, and Codex vs Claude Code covers the other two.

Kilo suits people who want an open source agent inside VS Code or JetBrains with free choice of model, and Roo Code users looking for a familiar workflow. Claude Code and Codex suit people who want one vendor's models and tooling end to end.

How do you carry your skills over to Kilo Code?

Moving between agents is easier when your prompts and skills live outside any one tool. Kipt keeps them as Markdown in a private GitHub repo you own, with Cmd+K search and skill imports from a GitHub link, a folder or a .zip. Copy any skill folder into .kilo/skills/ or .agents/skills/ and Kilo loads it in the next session. To start a skill from a prompt you already use, try the free SKILL.md generator.