Kiro Skills: How to Use SKILL.md with AWS's AI Coding Agent (2026)

Quick Answer: Kiro is AWS's spec-driven AI coding agent that supports SKILL.md skills. Unlike Claude Code's freeform approach, Kiro creates structured specs (requirements, design, tasks) before writing code. SKILL.md skills work within this workflow by providing domain-specific expertise during the implementation phase. Install skills from agensi.io/skills to extend Kiro's capabilities.

Kiro launched in 2026 from AWS as a fundamentally different take on AI coding. Where Claude Code takes a prompt and starts building immediately, Kiro insists on a structured process: define requirements, create a design document, break work into tasks, then implement.

This spec-driven approach produces more maintainable code but feels slower for quick prototypes. Skills bridge the gap by giving Kiro domain expertise during the implementation phase, so it builds things right the first time.

Where Kiro stores skills

Project skills: .kiro/skills/ in your repository root. Shared with your team through the repo.

Personal skills: ~/.kiro/skills/ in your home directory. Available across all projects.

Kiro also uses its own configuration files: steering files (team coding standards) and hooks (event-driven automation). These are separate from SKILL.md skills but complementary. Steering files define "how we code here." Skills define "how to do this specific task."

Skills to install right now

attack-tree-construction

by LocoLoboZ

$10

User Detection & Session Context Reviewer

by LB Creations

$14.99

ai-team-builder-kanban

by Roy Yuen

$5

Browse all skills

How skills fit Kiro's spec-driven workflow

Kiro's workflow has four phases: specification, design, task breakdown, and implementation. Skills primarily activate during implementation, but good skills can influence earlier phases too.

During implementation, Kiro reads available skills and matches them to the current task. A testing skill activates when Kiro implements the testing tasks from its breakdown. A documentation skill activates for documentation tasks. Each skill provides specific instructions that complement Kiro's structured approach.

The result: Kiro plans methodically, and skills ensure each implementation step follows best practices for that specific domain.

Best skills for Kiro users

Architecture and design skills complement Kiro's spec phase. A skill that defines your team's architecture patterns (clean architecture, hexagonal, event-driven) gives Kiro better design documents.

Testing skills work particularly well because Kiro already breaks testing into discrete tasks. A testing skill makes each test task produce framework-specific, convention-following tests.

Documentation skills align with Kiro's structured approach. Kiro already generates documentation as part of its workflow. A documentation skill ensures that documentation matches your team's standards.

Code review skills act as a final check after Kiro's implementation phase, catching issues the spec-driven process might have missed.

Browse all skills at agensi.io/skills.

Kiro vs Claude Code for skills

Claude Code has the larger skills ecosystem and more flexible workflow. Kiro has a more disciplined approach that produces more maintainable output. Both support the same SKILL.md format.

Choose Claude Code if you prefer speed and flexibility. Choose Kiro if you prefer structured, spec-driven development. Use both if your workflow varies by task. Skills transfer between them without modification.