Kiro Visual Studio 2026

Use Kiro in
Visual Studio 2026
with your existing subscription.

Use your existing Kiro subscription inside Visual Studio 2026. Bring your plan’s models and credits into your C# and .NET workflow, with reasoning effort controls, a locally managed CLI, and native Kiro tools.

BRING YOUR OWN SUBSCRIPTION Sign in with your Kiro account.

Use the models and credits available through your plan.

How subscription access works ↗

Get iolys Explore the integration

The iolys chat in Visual Studio with Ask Kiro, suggested coding tasks, and claude-opus-4.8 with High effort selected. — Real interface. Your next coding task.Click to explore ↗

01 / Usage & credits

Your credits.
In plain sight.

Open Show usage from the chat toolbar to check the allowance reported by your Kiro account, without leaving Visual Studio.

See your usage percentage.A progress bar gives you a quick view of your consumption.
Keep the credit details nearby.Read the credits used and the allowance reported for your plan.
Know when your plan renews.The window shows the plan name and the next reset date returned by Kiro.

Kiro Usage showing a percentage bar, credits covered in the plan, and a reset date beneath KIRO PRO. — Your plan’s usage, one click from the conversation.

Captured from a connected account. These are example values reported by Kiro, not credits included with iolys.

02 / Models & reasoning effort

Choose the model.
Set the depth.

Keep model choice and reasoning effort next to your prompt. Adjust the settings as you move from a focused fix to a larger investigation.

MODEL CHOICE

Use the models available through Kiro.

Choose from the models exposed by your Kiro connection. The selected model stays visible in the composer, together with its reported credit multiplier.

EFFORT LEVEL

Give complex tasks more room to reason.

Open the model options and choose an effort level supported by that model. The capture shows low, medium, high, xhigh, and max, with high selected.

PER MODEL

Settings that follow your selection.

iolys discovers the effort options exposed by Kiro for each model. The choices you see depend on your selected model and CLI connection.

Kiro model options with claude-opus-4.8 selected and an expanded effort menu showing low, medium, high, xhigh, and max. — The available effort levels, directly beside your prompt.

TRY IT ON YOUR NEXT TASK

“Explain why this unit test is failing.”

“Review how this change affects the whole solution.”

Choose the model and reasoning effort for the scope of the task.

03 / Manage Providers

Your CLI.
Your choice of version.

iolys downloads and manages the Kiro CLI locally from Manage Providers. Keep installation, updates, and version selection in one place.

Check what is installed.Compare your installed CLI with the latest available version and see its update status.
Move to a newer release.Select a newer available version and use the Update to action to install it locally.
Return to an earlier release.Choose an older version from the list to see the Downgrade to action before applying the change.

The captures show Kiro CLI 2.21.1 installed and a preview of the downgrade to 2.21.0. Selecting a release alone does not install it. Available versions follow the list in Manage Providers.

Manage Providers with Kiro selected, installed and latest version 2.21.1, an Up to date status, and a list of models. — Your local CLI, update status, and model catalog.

Kiro CLI version selector expanded with 2.21.1 marked latest and installed, followed by 2.21.0 and earlier releases. — Browse the available releases before choosing.

Manage Providers shows Kiro CLI 2.21.1 installed and 2.21.0 selected with the Downgrade to 2.21.0 button. — Review the target version before applying a downgrade.

04 / Native Kiro tools

Kiro’s tools.
Visual Studio’s context.

The integration brings selected native Kiro tools into the agent’s workflow, alongside the tools iolys provides for your solution.

WEB SEARCH & FETCH

Bring the web into the investigation.

Kiro’s native web search and page fetching tools are available to help research a question and read relevant documentation.

AWS

Keep AWS tools within reach.

The integration includes Kiro’s native AWS tool. Its use depends on your AWS configuration, credentials, and permissions.

And the tools for your C# solution.

Kiro also connects to iolys tools for reading and editing code, running builds, and running tests. Open Tools and Skills beside the prompt to inspect the iolys tools available to the conversation.

Build and test from your IDE.The Visual Studio Tools group includes Run build and Run tests.
Start from the relevant code.Type # to add a file, or attach the active document or selection as context for Kiro.
Follow the work in the conversation.Keep tool activity and permission requests in view as the task progresses.

iolys Tools and Skills menu with Reading Tools, Visual Studio Tools expanded to Run build and Run tests, Writing Tools, Planning, and Interactive Tools. — The iolys tools available alongside Kiro’s native tools.

Connect Kiro

Set up Kiro in Manage Providers.

iolys downloads and manages the CLI locally. Keep installation, versions, and updates together inside Visual Studio.

01
Open Manage Providers in iolys and select Kiro.
02
Download the CLI locally from the provider panel, then follow the Kiro sign-in flow. Manage versions and updates in the same place.
03
Choose your Kiro model and a supported effort level, then start from your active Visual Studio 2026 solution.

Kiro FAQ

Kiro and Visual Studio 2026.

Visit the official Kiro website ↗

How can I use Kiro in Visual Studio for C#?

Install the iolys extension for Visual Studio 2026 and open your C# solution. Open Manage Providers in iolys and select Kiro. Download the CLI locally from the provider panel, then follow the Kiro sign-in flow. Manage versions and updates in the same place. Choose your Kiro model and a supported effort level, then start from your active Visual Studio 2026 solution. You can then ask Kiro to help with your C# and .NET code from the iolys workspace.

Is there a VSIX extension to use Kiro in Visual Studio?

Yes. iolys is a VSIX extension for Visual Studio 2026, and Kiro is one of the provider connections it ships with. Install the iolys VSIX once from the Visual Studio Marketplace, then add Kiro from the Manage Providers panel; there is no separate VSIX per provider.

Can I use my existing Kiro subscription in iolys?

Yes. Sign in with your Kiro account to use the models and credits available through your existing subscription inside Visual Studio 2026. iolys provides the Visual Studio integration; your provider subscription and allowance remain with Kiro.

Does Kiro work in Visual Studio 2026?

Yes, with the iolys extension. Kiro does not integrate with the IDE on its own: iolys provides the layer between the Kiro CLI and Visual Studio 2026, and runs it against your active C# or .NET solution.

Can I check my Kiro usage in Visual Studio?

Yes. Open Show usage from the iolys chat toolbar. The Kiro Usage window displays the percentage, credit details, plan name, and reset date reported by your Kiro account. Your allowance depends on your provider account and plan.

Can I choose Kiro’s reasoning effort level?

Yes. Open the model options beside the prompt and choose an effort level supported by the selected model. iolys discovers the effort options from Kiro; available levels depend on the model and CLI connection.

How is the Kiro CLI installed and managed?

Open Manage Providers and select Kiro. iolys downloads and manages its own local CLI installation from this panel, including version selection and updates. You do not need to install the CLI separately first.

Can I update or roll back the Kiro CLI?

Yes. Compare the installed and latest versions in Manage Providers. Select a newer available release to update, or an earlier release to display the Downgrade to action. Choosing a version alone does not install it; apply the change with the corresponding button.

Which native Kiro tools does iolys support?

The integration includes Kiro’s native AWS, web search, and web fetching tools, alongside iolys tools for your Visual Studio solution. Tool availability and execution depend on your Kiro configuration and relevant permissions; AWS tools also require an appropriate AWS setup.

Can Kiro use Visual Studio build and test tools?

Yes. Kiro connects to the tools provided by iolys, including reading and editing code, running builds, and running tests. Open Tools and Skills to inspect the iolys tools available to the conversation.

Is Kiro the only provider I can use?

No. You can move between Kiro and every other provider configured in iolys.

Use Kiro for C# and .NET without leaving Visual Studio 2026.

Keep your active solution, provider access, and development workflow.

Get iolys for Visual Studio 2026