bomonike

Create Spec-Driven Development (SDD) of apps running in AWS

Overview

Run Linux shell commands
Powers
- Steering specs
Agent Hooks
References

This article defines how to create apps on the AWS cloud using Kiro, step-by-step.

Processing of Amazon Q AI chatbot prompts was moved into the new AWS Kiro, which consist of a GUI app and CLI.

Saurabh Dahal is Sr Dev Advocate VIDEO

## Install

Open the OS’s default Terminal app, not another AI CLI app from Warp.dev, which cause this error reported by doctor:

✘ Kiro CLI terminal integrations: WarpTerminal is not supported

Instead of using curl following Kiro CLI docs at https://kiro.dev/docs/cli, use Homebrew for better upgrade in the future:

brew install kiro-cli

Response:

==> Downloading https://desktop-release.q.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/1.24.0/Kiro%20CLI.dmg
######################################################################################## 100.0%
==> Installing Cask kiro-cli
==> Moving App 'Kiro CLI.app' to '/Users/johndoe/Applications/Kiro CLI.app'
==> Linking Binary 'kiro-cli' to '/opt/homebrew/bin/kiro-cli'
🍺  kiro-cli was successfully installed!

The first time kiro-cli is run, click “Allow access” to the browser window that appears. /coVerify the install:
```
kiro-cli --version
```
```
kiro-cli 1.24.0
```
Run Linux shell commands

REMEMBER: Use an exclaimation prefix to invoke OS-level commands.
To list files within the tree of folders under the hidden folder created by the Kiro installer:
```
!tree ~/.kiro
```
```
|-- agents
|   `-- agent_config.json.example
|-- argv.json
|-- extensions
|   `-- extensions.json
|-- powers
|   `-- registry.json
|-- settings
|   `-- cli.json
`-- steering
```
Not listed is internal file .cli-bash_history to track every command entered.

Powers

VIDEO: Kiro Powers inject specialized context and tools into Kiro agents on-demand, providing focused knowledge exactly when needed. Unlike traditional context injection that loads everything upfront, Powers activate specific capabilities dynamically. https://dev.to/kirodotdev/analyzing-react-best-practices-with-kiro-powers-4i1f Power-Builder:
- https://github.com/kirodotdev/powers/blob/main/power-builder/POWER.md
- https://github.com/kirodotdev/powers/blob/main/power-builder/steering/interactive.md
- https://github.com/kirodotdev/powers/blob/main/power-builder/steering/testing.md
Steering specs
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap0tXXvyn3k by Allie Fortman, GTM
Add into the “steering” folder .md (markdown) files foundational steering files from the Steering section in the Kiro panel. Click the Generate Steering Docs button, or click the + button and select the Foundation steering files option
- product.md (Product Overview) - Defines your product’s purpose, target users, key features, and business objectives. This helps Kiro understand the “why” behind technical decisions and suggest solutions aligned with your product goals.
- tech.md (Technology Stack) - Documents your chosen frameworks, libraries, development tools, and technical constraints. When Kiro suggests implementations, it will prefer your established stack over alternatives.
- structure.md (Project Structure) - Outlines file organization, naming conventions, import patterns, and architectural decisions. This ensures generated code fits seamlessly into your existing codebase.
- AGENTS.md provides steering directives. This does not support inclusion modes and are always included.
Add into the “steering” folder .md (markdown) files that define your team’s own standards and conventions (context) for building apps. So master it.

“KIRO automatically shows which steering documents are being included in your conversation, giving you full visibility into the context being applied.*”
Load steering files from Vivek Velso cataloged by https://www.promptz.dev/library/kiro-best-practices :
- <a target=”_blank” href=”https://github.com/awsdataarchitect/kiro-best-practices/blob/main/.kiro/steering/aws-cli-best-practices.md”>aws-cli-best-practices.md</a> —no-cli-pager and AWS integration patterns
- cdk-best-practices.md - Project structure, testing, and deployment patterns
- development-standards.md - Dependency management, code quality, documentation
- docker-best-practices.md - Container security and optimization
- git-best-practices.md - Conventional commits, branching, and security
- mcp-best-practices.md - Model Context Protocol server configuration and usage
- python-best-practices.md - Code style, virtual environments, and testing
- react-best-practices.md - Component patterns, hooks, and accessibility
- security-best-practices.md - Code security, dependency management, data protection
- testing-best-practices.md - Minimal verbosity, output management, performance
- typescript-best-practices.md - Code style, type safety, and testing guidelines
Load steering files described in https://kiro.dev/docs/steering/ from ???
- https://github.com/awsdataarchitect/kiro-best-practices boilerplate
- https://github.com/gotalab/cc-sdd builds a Photo Album app.
- https://github.com/cremich/promptz.lib
- https://github.com/5capeg0at/kiro-tdd-workflow-files
- https://github.com/mikeartee/kiro-steering-docs
- https://github.com/cremich/promptz.lib
- https://github.com/mbonig/kiro-steering-docs
Files
- well-architected-context.md
- terraform_best_practices.md
- minimal-engineering-approach.md
- git_commit_rules.md
To Develop intelligent agents with Amazon Bedrock, AgentCore, and Strands Agents by Eduardo Mota
- strands-python.md and
- agentcore_strans_requirements.md
Others: QUESTION: Where do we find these???
- troubleshooting_app.md
- sam-deployment-bucket.md
- react_best_practices.md
- python_best_practices.md
- custom-nova-act.md
- aws_cli_usage.md
- automation-notes.md
- architecture_diagram_rules.md
- approved-model-for-building-agentic.md
- amazon-q-resources-reference.md
- CloudFront_S3_setup_for_UI_app_website.md
- api-standards.md - Define REST conventions, error response formats, authentication flows, and versioning strategies. Include endpoint naming patterns, HTTP status code usage, and request/response examples.
- testing-standards.md - Establish unit test patterns, integration test strategies, mocking approaches, and coverage expectations. Document preferred testing libraries, assertion styles, and test file organization.
- code-conventions.md - Specify naming patterns, file organization, import ordering, and architectural decisions. Include examples of preferred code structures, component patterns, and anti-patterns to avoid.
- security-policies.md - Document authentication requirements, data validation rules, input sanitization standards, and vulnerability prevention measures. Include secure coding practices specific to your application.
- deployment-workflow.md - Outline build procedures, environment configurations, deployment steps, and rollback strategies. Include CI/CD pipeline details and environment-specific requirements.
- API design standards
- deployment-procedures
- security-policies
- css-standards
- javascript-standards
- product
- project-structure
- tech-stack
- testing-approaches
- troubleshooting-guide
  
  This is how consistency is automatically enforced.
These files can be generated or refactored by AI.
In the YAML front matter (between “—”) at the top of each steering file, configure inclusion directives for loading, to optimize performance and ensures relevant context is available when needed.
```
---
title: Invoked in all runs
inclusion: always
---
```
For example, steering for Typescript files use this conditional:
```
---
title: Typescript steering
inclusion: fileMatch
fileMatchPattern: "components/**/*.tsx"
---
```
Other fileMatchPatterns:
- “*.tsx” - React components and JSX files
- “app/api/*/” - API routes and backend logic
- “*/.test.*” - Test files and testing utilities
- “src/components/*/” - Component-specific guidelines
- “*.md” - Documentation files

Know Kiro commands:

kiro-cli --help

╭────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮
│ chat         Chat with Kiro CLI                    │
│ agent        Manage AI agents                      │
│ doctor       Debug installation issues             │ 
│ settings     Customize appearance & behavior       │
│ quit         Quit the app                          │
╰────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯

Analyze (like with Git):

kiro-cli doctor

Model: claude-sonnet-4 (/model to change)

Chat:

kiro-cli chat

Model: claude-sonnet-4 (/model to change)

TODO: ???

Know Kiro commands:

kiro-cli --help-all

debug         Debug the app
settings      Customize appearance & behavior
setup         Setup cli components
update        Update the Kiro application
diagnostic    Run diagnostic tests
init          Generate the dotfiles for the given shell
theme         Get or set theme
issue         Create a new Github issue
login         Login
logout        Logout
whoami        Prints details about the current user
profile       Show the profile associated with this idc user
user          Manage your account
doctor        Fix and diagnose common issues
launch        Launch the desktop app
quit          Quit the desktop app
restart       Restart the desktop app
integrations  Manage system integrations
translate     Natural Language to Shell translation
dashboard     Open the dashboard
chat          AI assistant in your terminal
mcp           Model Context Protocol (MCP)
inline        Inline shell completions
agent         Agent root commands
help          Print this message or the help of the given subcommand(s)
 
Options:
-v, --verbose...
         Increase logging verbosity
      --help-all
         Print help for all subcommands
      --agent 
         Launch chat with specified agent
-h, --help
         Print help
-V, --version
         Print version
</pre>

Drag the Terminal window’s right edge to widen it for viewing the response:

Device authorized
Logged in successfully
 
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⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀    ⢸⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⣾⡟⣷⡀⠀⠀⠘⣿⣆⠀⠀⢸⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⡇⢸⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⡟⣷⡀⠀⠀⠀⠘⣿⣆⠀⠀⢻⣧⠀⠀⠀⠹⣷⣦⣤⣤⣾⠏⠀⠀⠀⣼⡟
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀    ⢸⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⡇⠹⣷⡀⠀⠀⠈⢻⡇⠀⢸⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⡇⢸⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⡇⠹⣷⡀⠀⠀⠀⠈⢻⡇⠀⠀⢻⣧⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠉⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀⣼⡟
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀    ⠸⣿⣄⡀⢀⣠⣿⠇⠀⠙⣷⡀⠀⢀⣼⠇⠀⠸⣿⣄⡀⢀⣠⣿⠇⠸⣿⣄⡀⢀⣠⣿⠇⠀⠙⣷⡀⠀⠀⢀⣼⠇⠀⠀⠀⠻⣷⣦⣄⡀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣠⣴⣾⠟
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀    ⠀⠈⠻⠿⠿⠟⠁⠀⠀⠀⠈⠻⠿⠿⠟⠁⠀⠀⠈⠻⠿⠿⠟⠁⠀⠀⠈⠻⠿⠿⠟⠁⠀⠀⠀⠈⠻⠿⠿⠟⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠙⠻⠿⠿⠿⠿⠟⠋⠁
 
Jump into building with Kiro:

Ask a question or describe a task
Use /context add to provide Kiro with additional info
Connect to external tools with by using /mcp Use /help for more information and happy coding! Model: claude-sonnet-4 (/model to change)

</pre>

https://support.aws.amazon.com/#/contacts/kiro says “For technical support, please submit an issue on Github

https://github.com/kirodotdev/Kiro/issues
PROTIP: Open another Terminal tab for doing other work, so you can quickly ask questions.
To the right of the “>”, type a chatbot question such as:
```
What is the time in NYC
```
PROTIP: A question mark is not needed.
To exit kiro-cli, press control+c twice.
Consider prompt templates uses “steering files” to guide AI behavior with project-specific instructions. Steering files are markdown documents in .kiro/steering/ that provide context, workflows, and constraints. When you work in Kiro, these files automatically shape how the AI assistant responds - no manual prompting required.

https://github.com/jasonkneen/kiro/blob/main/spec-process-guide/prompting/templates.md

https://github.com/aws-samples/sample-kiro-cli-prompts-for-product-teams

Kiro outputs standalone HTML files that open directly in any browser - no build step or server required. That enables you to share them with stakeholders by simply sending the files.

Install the Kiro.app, which is a clone of Microsoft Visual Studio Code IDE.

brew install --cask kiro

Response:

✔︎ JSON API cask.jws.json                                            Downloaded   15.3MB/ 15.3MB
✔︎ JSON API formula.jws.json                                         Downloaded   32.0MB/ 32.0MB
==> Downloading https://prod.download.desktop.kiro.dev/releases/stable/darwin-arm64/signed/0.8.
######################################################################################## 100.0%
==> Installing Cask kiro
==> Moving App 'Kiro.app' to '/Users/johndoe/Applications/Kiro.app'
==> Linking Binary 'code' to '/opt/homebrew/bin/kiro'
🍺  kiro was successfully installed!

Open Kiro.app:
```
kiro
```
Agent Hooks

Kiro hook files contain JSON-format code that specify automation actions. reach APIs.

Hook files include clear, specific prompts.

“when: fileEdited” hooks run automatically

when a file matching one of the “patterns”, the “prompt” is displayed. Vivek’s example:
```
{
   "enabled": true,  // Change to false to disable
   "name": "Descriptive Hook Name",
   "description": "Clear description of what this hook does",
   "version": "1",
   "when": {
      "type": "fileEdited",  // or "manual"
      "patterns": ["**/*.ext"],  // or "button_text" for manual
   },
   "then": {
      "type": "askAgent",
      "prompt": "Clear, specific instructions for the AI agent..."
   }
}   
```
- auto-test-on-save.kiro.hook - Runs tests with minimal verbosity when code changes
- lint-and-format-on-save.kiro.hook - Auto-formats and lints code following project standards
- security-scan-on-dependency-change.kiro.hook - Audits when package files change
- cdk-synth-on-change.kiro.hook - Validates CDK code and runs synthesis
- validate-docker-on-change.kiro.hook - Checks Docker files for best practices and security
- mcp-config-validation.kiro.hook - Validates MCP server configurations
- env-file-validation.kiro.hook - Checks .env files for security issues
- api-schema-validation.kiro.hook - Validates OpenAPI/GraphQL schemas and generates types
🔘 Manual Hooks (Button Triggers) run on-demand from the Kiro Agent Hooks panel:
- commit-message-helper.kiro.hook - Creates conventional commit messages
- readme-spell-check.kiro.hook - Fixes spelling and grammar in documentation
- mcp-server-test.kiro.hook - Tests all configured MCP servers
- dependency-update-check.kiro.hook - Finds outdated packages and security issues
- code-coverage-check.kiro.hook - Analyzes test coverage gaps
- performance-analysis.kiro.hook - Identifies optimization opportunities
🎛️ Optional Hooks are disabled by default

Because these hooks are performance-sensitive, enable as needed:
- accessibility-audit.kiro.hook - Checks React components for accessibility issues
- update-documentation.kiro.hook - Updates docs when code changes
- translation-update.kiro.hook - Syncs translation files

References

BLOG: https://prpm.dev/blog

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40vTCH0Iaac&pp=2AaCAg%3D%3D videos by Rasmus Widing

_{26-01-25 v003 steering files :aws-kiro.md created 2026-01-25}

bomonike

Run Linux shell commands

Powers

Steering specs

Agent Hooks

“when: fileEdited” hooks run automatically

🔘 Manual Hooks (Button Triggers) run on-demand from the Kiro Agent Hooks panel:

🎛️ Optional Hooks are disabled by default

References