kiro-prime

A configuration installer for Kiro that enforces disciplined coding practices through systematic planning, verification, and self-review.

What is kiro-prime?

kiro-prime delivers tool-agnostic discipline rules adapted from Andrej Karpathy's coding practices:

• Plan Gate: Forces planning before any code modification
• Surgical Changes: Minimizes scope of modifications
• Pre-flight File List: Declares all files to be touched upfront
• Verify Receipt: Requires proof of testing
• Edge Case Checklist: Forces consideration of error paths
• Self-Review Delta Report: Mandatory summary before completion

Why Kiro?

Unlike other AI coding tools, Kiro has native global steering (~/.kiro/steering/), which means:

• ✅ Install once, applies to all projects automatically
• ✅ No manual UI pasting required
• ✅ No per-project setup needed (unless you want customization)
• ✅ Native hooks system for automation
• ✅ Reliable, file-based configuration

Installation

Quick Start (Recommended)

# Clone and install
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/kiro-prime.git
cd kiro-prime
.\install.ps1

That's it! The Plan Gate now applies to every Kiro session.

Advanced Options

# Install with destructive operation guards
.\install.ps1 -WithHooks

# Force reinstall (overwrites existing)
.\install.ps1 -Force

What Gets Installed

The installer automatically:

1. Copies core behavior rules to ~/.kiro/steering/behavior.md
2. Sets up global gitignore at ~/.gitignore_global
3. Configures git to use the global gitignore
4. Optionally installs guard hooks to ~/.kiro/hooks/ (with -WithHooks)
5. Creates a manifest at ~/.kiro-prime-manifest.json for clean uninstall

No manual steps required. Open any project in Kiro and the rules apply immediately.

Verify Installation

After installing, ask Kiro to perform any non-trivial task. You should see:

1. A <plan> block describing intended changes
2. Kiro waiting for you to type "GO"
3. After completion, a Delta Report summarizing changes

Optional: Project-Level Customization

Most projects don't need this, but if you want project-specific configuration:

# Inside your project directory
path\to\kiro-prime\init.ps1

This adds:

• .kiro/steering/project.md - Project-specific context
• progress.md - Milestone tracker
• .gitignore - Project gitignore starter

Uninstall

.\uninstall.ps1

Removes all files listed in the manifest. Your projects remain untouched.

Project Structure

kiro-prime/
├── steering/
│   └── behavior.md              # Core discipline rules (global)
├── templates/
│   ├── project.md               # Project-specific context template
│   ├── progress.md              # Progress tracking template
│   ├── gitignore                # Project .gitignore template
│   └── gitignore_global         # Global .gitignore
├── hooks/
│   └── guard-destructive.json   # Optional safety hook
├── install.ps1                   # Global installation script
├── init.ps1                      # Optional project initialization
├── uninstall.ps1                 # Clean removal script
├── README.md                     # This file
└── LICENSE                       # MIT License

The Rules

The core discipline enforced by kiro-prime:

1. Plan Gate (Mandatory)

Before any code modification:

• Output <plan> block
• List all files to be touched
• Wait for explicit "GO"

2. Surgical Changes

• Touch only what's needed
• No adjacent code modifications
• Remove only imports made unused by your changes

3. Verify Receipt

• Run actual commands
• Paste exact output
• No "tested and works" without proof

4. Edge Case Checklist

For each new function/endpoint, document:

• Empty/missing input behavior
• Malformed input behavior
• Error handling paths

5. Self-Review Delta Report

Before declaring done, output:

Delta Report
- Files changed: <path> (+lines / -lines)
- Outside plan: ⚠️ <if any>
- Signatures changed: <if any>
- Symbols deleted: <if any>
- Verify: <command> → <PASS/FAIL>

Comparison with cursor-prime

Feature	cursor-prime	kiro-prime
Global rules	Manual UI paste required	File-based, automatic
Per-project setup	Required	Optional
Installation steps	5 + manual paste	1 automated
Reliability	Version-dependent	Native file system
Hooks	Custom PowerShell	Native Kiro hooks

kiro-prime leverages Kiro's superior architecture to deliver the same discipline with 10x less complexity.

Requirements

• Kiro (AI coding environment with native steering support)
• Git (for global gitignore configuration)
• Windows (PowerShell scripts; macOS/Linux port coming soon)

Contributing

kiro-prime is designed to be minimal and tool-agnostic. When contributing:

• Don't change the core discipline rules
• Don't add network calls or telemetry
• Keep installation simple and reversible
• Test end-to-end before submitting

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file

Credits

• Rules adapted from Andrej Karpathy's coding practices
• Inspired by cursor-prime
• Built for Kiro's superior steering architecture

Support

• GitHub Issues: https://github.com/yourusername/kiro-prime/issues
• Kiro Discord: [link]
• Documentation: https://kiro.dev/docs