Kilo Code

Kilo Code is an open-source VS Code extension with a model aggregator backend that gives you access to 500+ models — including Claude, Gemini, and GPT series — with pay-per-token billing at raw provider rates. This makes it a flexible choice for teams that want model independence without committing to a single vendor. Kilo Code was one of the first agents to natively implement the Agent Skills specification and provides full workflow orchestration via its built-in Orchestrator Mode.

Skills

Supports Agent Skills standard: ✅ Native — one of the first agents to adopt the standard

Scope	Path
Project	`.kilocode/skills/`
Global	`~/.kilocode/skills/`

Kilo Code loads skills from .kilocode/skills/. A symlink to your canonical location is required:

ln -s ../.claude/skills .kilocode/skills

Kilo Code was one of the first agents to natively implement the Agent Skills specification with zero-configuration detection. Skills are evaluated before every response — the agent checks all skill descriptions against your request and loads the most relevant one.

Kilo Code also supports mode-specific skills that activate only in specific modes (Code, Architect, Debugger, Orchestrator), which is especially useful for factory engineering workflows where different agents operate in different modes.

📖 Kilo Code Skills Documentation

For more about how skills work in factory engineering, see Skills.

Commands

Folder location: .kilocode/workflows/ (project) or ~/.kilocode/workflows/ (global)

Invocation: /workflow-name or @workflow-name

Kilo Code calls them “workflows” — this is Kilo Code’s storage mechanism for commands, not factory engineering workflows. Kilo Code workflows are markdown files that define a sequence of steps.

Usage:

/write-spec @submit-sales-order

Use a symlink so .kilocode/workflows points to .claude/commands:

ln -s ../.claude/commands .kilocode/workflows

📖 Kilo Code Workflows Documentation

For more about how commands work in factory engineering, see Commands.

Agents

Supports true agents: ✅ Yes

Feature name: Modes

Storage location: Project modes: .kilocodemodes in the project root (YAML). Rules: .kilo/rules-{slug}/ or .kilorules-{slug}

Kilo Code modes are true agents that work within their own context window. Modes support a role definition, custom instructions, and mode-specific rules from .kilo/rules-{slug}/. By adding instructions such as “At the start of each session, read from .claude/agent-memory/{mode-name}/MEMORY.md; at the end, append your learnings to that file,” a mode implements the persistent, read/write memory pattern.

Example mode definition:

customModes:
  - slug: spec-writer
    name: 📝 Spec Writer
    description: Technical specification writer. Transforms user stories into detailed, unambiguous technical specs.
    roleDefinition: |
      You are a technical specification writer.
      At the start of each session, read .claude/agent-memory/spec-writer/MEMORY.md.
      At the end of each session, append your learnings to that file.
      Write specs that include clear feature description, user flows, data model, API contracts, and acceptance criteria.
    groups:
      - read
      - - edit
        - fileRegex: \.(md|mdx)$
          description: Markdown and MDX only
    customInstructions: Update your agent memory with team patterns, standards learned, and spec conventions you discover.

Note: The - - edit is not a typo. In Kilo Code, groups is a list: each entry is either a capability string (e.g. read) or a list whose first element is the capability (e.g. edit) and whose remaining elements are options for that capability.

📖 Kilo Code Custom Modes Documentation

For more about how agents work in factory engineering, see Agents.

Workflows

Orchestration support: ✅ Full

Kilo Code has a built-in Orchestrator mode that breaks down complex tasks and delegates to other modes via new_task(). The Orchestrator reads the task, formulates a plan, and spawns work in other modes. Custom modes use a whenToUse field to guide delegation.

Terminology: Kilo Code’s “Workflows” (in .kilocode/workflows/) are commands, but can be used for orchestration of agents. Create a symlink from .claude/commands/ to .kilocode/workflows/ so the same workflow file is available everywhere.

Factory engineering workflows are implemented in Kilo Code through Orchestrator Mode. Invoke a workflow using the slash-workflow at-artifact pattern (e.g. /tdd-cycle @docs/specs/order-validation.md).

Place orchestration instructions in a rule file the Orchestrator reads, then invoke with the same pattern: slash-workflow at-artifact.

📖 Kilo Code Custom Modes 📖 Kilo Code Orchestrator Mode

For more about how workflows work in factory engineering, see Workflows.

Kilo Code

Kilo Code

Skills

Commands

Agents

Workflows

External Docs