Kiro·AWS

Kiro Skills

Q: Does Kiro support Agent Skills?

Yes. Kiro IDE reads SKILL.md folders from .kiro/skills/ in a workspace and ~/.kiro/skills/ globally; Kiro CLI supports workspace skills. You can also call one with /skill-name.

Agent Skills for Kiro. Add a SKILL.md folder to .kiro/skills/ and Kiro picks it up next to your steering files and powers.

Browse Skills for Kiro How to install

Kiro

src/index.htmlstyles.css.kiro/skills/

Spec and build a pricing page

● Using skillbs-quartz-saas-landingFollowing the skill’s layout · tasks.md updated

Where the Skill lives

~/.kiro/skills/
bs-quartz-saas-landing/
SKILL.md
assets/
scripts/

Custom agents load a Skill only when it is listed as a skill:// resource in .kiro/agents/<agent>.json.

Popular Kiro skills

Every Skill below drops into .kiro/skills/ unchanged.

Browse all Skills for Kiro

441

Orbit Startup Landing

Quick answer

Kiro skills, steering and powers: what’s the difference?

Steering files give Kiro standing context about your product and stack. Powers bundle MCP tools and skills for a framework or service. Skills are SKILL.md folders in .kiro/skills/ that teach one repeatable job, like a deck or a landing page, and load only when your request matches.

Global folder: ~/.kiro/skills/
Project folder: .kiro/skills/
File format: SKILL.md (Agent Skills standard)
Loads automatically: Yes, by description
Install with Skillry: Paste the install prompt into Kiro
Official docs: kiro.dev/docs

Kiro skills vs powers vs steering

Use all three. Here is where each one earns its place.

Sky Glass DeckFree

Steering

Always-on context: product.md, tech.md and structure.md describe your project.

Quartz SaaS Landing

Powers

MCP tools and skills for one framework, loaded when you mention its keywords.

Manus 2.0 Style Launch Video

Skills

One finished job, such as a deck or a site, loaded only when asked for.

How to install skills in Kiro

Every Skillry Skill is a plain SKILL.md folder. Pick whichever way fits how you work.

Copy the install prompt

Recommended

Paste one sentence into Kiro. It reads the install guide and puts the Skill in the right folder itself.

1Open any Skill on Skillry and click Copy install prompt.
2Paste it into Kiro and send.
3Approve the sign-in in your browser if asked, then ask for what you need.

Download ZIP

No Node.js needed. Unzip the Skill into the folder yourself.

1Click Download ZIP on any Skill page.
2Unzip it so the folder sits in ~/.kiro/skills/.
3Restart Kiro so it picks up the new Skill.

~/.kiro/skills/<skill>/SKILL.md

Upload in the app

Not in Kiro

For agents with an upload button, such as Claude Cowork, Manus or Perplexity Computer.

1Download the Skill ZIP.
2Open the agent’s Skills settings.
3Upload the ZIP and turn the Skill on.

Kiro skills vs steering

They do different jobs, and most people use both.

Steering filesA Skill (SKILL.md)

What it holdsSteering files: Product, tech and structure context in .kiro/steering/One repeatable job: a deck, a site, a video

When it loadsSteering files: Every sessionOnly when your request matches

Context costSteering files: Always in the promptA one-line description until used

ShareableSteering files: Tied to one workspace or ~/.kiro/steering/Works in any project and in 30 other agents

Kiro skills FAQ

Does Kiro support Agent Skills?

Yes. Kiro IDE reads SKILL.md folders from .kiro/skills/ in a workspace and ~/.kiro/skills/ globally; Kiro CLI supports workspace skills. You can also call one with /skill-name.

What are Kiro powers?

A power packages MCP tools and skills for a framework or service. Kiro loads it when you mention its keywords. Powers can be used in the IDE and CLI but are created in the IDE.

Kiro steering vs skills: which should I use?

Steering holds context Kiro always needs, such as your stack and structure. Skills hold a repeatable job with its own templates, loaded only when you ask for it.