Kiro Loadouts

A Kiro IDE extension for browsing, previewing, and installing loadouts from a GitHub repository. This extension provides a way to quickly add or remove sets of Kiro hooks, steering files, tool settings, MCP settings, etc. in the form of a "loadout".

What Are Loadouts?

A loadout contains predefined loadouts, which include hooks, steering files, tool settings, MCP settings, and other configurations that are commonly used in development workflows. Loadouts help you jumpstart your projects by providing ready-to-use configurations that guide Kiro's behavior and code generation.

Default Repository & Customization

The extension comes with a built-in default repository at https://github.com/arthur-putnam/kiro-loadouts, which provides a curated collection of community loadouts. However, you can and should build your own repository to meet your specific standards and workflows.

Why Create Your Own Repository?

• Customize loadouts to match your team's coding standards
• Add organization-specific hooks and steering files
• Remove loadouts you don't need
• Maintain private loadouts for proprietary workflows
• Share your own loadouts with the community

How to Use Your Own Repository

1. Fork or create a new repository with your loadouts
2. Open Kiro settings (File > Preferences > Settings)
3. Search for "Kiro Loadouts"
4. Update kiroLoadouts.repository to point to your repository (e.g., your-username/your-loadouts-repo)
5. Optionally set kiroLoadouts.loadoutsPath if your loadouts are in a subdirectory (e.g., loadouts/)
6. Refresh the loadouts view to see your custom loadouts

If you find loadouts that you think are useful, please contribute to the project by creating a PR with the new loadout or file changes to the default repository.

Features

• Simple Toggle Control: One-click toggle to activate or deactivate loadouts
• Kiro Sidebar Integration: Access loadouts directly from the Kiro sidebar alongside other Kiro tools
• Browse Documents: Explore available loadouts organized by category and folder hierarchy
• Hierarchical Organization: Navigate nested folder structures within categories for better document organization
• Preview Content: View document content before installation with markdown preview
• Quick Load: Install and activate documents in one action

Requirements

• Kiro IDE: This extension requires Kiro IDE (not compatible with VS Code or other editors)

Getting Started

Installation

1. Install the extension from the Kiro extension marketplace
2. Open a workspace in Kiro
3. Find the "Kiro Loadouts" view in the Kiro sidebar (left panel)

Basic Usage

Manual Browse & Install

The Kiro Loadouts view provides an intuitive interface for managing your loadouts:

Token Management

• Loadouts: Set GitHub Token: Securely store your GitHub Personal Access Token using the OS credential manager
• Loadouts: Clear GitHub Token: Remove your stored token from secure storage
• Loadouts: Check Token Status: Verify your token configuration and test validity against GitHub API

Configuration

Configure the extension through Kiro Code settings (File > Preferences > Settings > Extensions > Kiro Loadouts):

{
  // GitHub repository containing loadouts
  "kiroLoadouts.repository": "arthur-putnam/kiro-loadouts",
  
  // Branch to fetch documents from
  "kiroLoadouts.branch": "main",
  
  // Path to loadouts directory in the repository (relative to repository root, empty string for root)
  "kiroLoadouts.loadoutsPath": "",
  
  // Cache timeout in seconds (default: 1 hour)
  "kiroLoadouts.cacheTimeout": 3600,
  
  // Automatically check for updates on activation
  "kiroLoadouts.autoCheckUpdates": true
}

Token Management

GitHub API has rate limits that affect how many loadouts you can browse and install:

Setting Up a Token

1. Generate a token at GitHub Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens
2. Select scopes:
   • For public repos: No scopes required (read-only access is default)
   • For private repos: Select the repo scope
3. Run the command: Loadouts: Set GitHub Token from the Command Palette
4. Paste your token in the secure input box (input is masked)

Your token is stored securely using the operating system's credential manager (Windows Credential Manager, macOS Keychain, or Linux Secret Service).

Token Commands

Security Features

• Encrypted Storage: Tokens are stored using the SecretStorage API, which uses your OS credential manager
• No Settings Sync: Tokens are never synced to the cloud
• Audit Logging: Token operations are logged to the "Loadouts Security Audit" output channel
• Automatic Migration: If you previously stored a token in settings.json, it will be automatically migrated to secure storage

Note: The legacy kiroLoadouts.githubToken setting is deprecated. Please use the "Set GitHub Token" command instead for secure storage.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Here's how you can help:

1. Report Issues: Found a bug? Open an issue on GitHub with details
2. Suggest Features: Have an idea? Create a feature request
3. Submit Pull Requests: Want to contribute code? Fork the repo and submit a PR
4. Share Loadouts: Create and share your own loadouts

Development Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/arthur-putnam/kiro-loadouts-test.git

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Compile TypeScript
npm run compile

# Run tests
npm test

# Launch extension in debug mode
# Press F5 in Kiro (Make sure the kiro-loadouts-extension\src\extension.ts is active file)

Support

For issues, feature requests, or contributions:

• GitHub Repository: arthur-putnam/kiro-loadouts-extension
• Report Issues: Check existing issues before creating new ones
• Include Details: Kiro version, extension version, and error messages help us help you

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Copyright (c) 2026 Arthur Putnam

Copyright (c) 2025 Michael Rewiri-Thorsen

Changelog

0.1.0 (2026-2-18)

Acknowledgments

• This extension is a fork of kiro-steering-docs-extension by Michael Rewiri-Thorsen. The original extension provided the foundation for document browsing and installation, which has been significantly expanded into a complete loadout management system.
• Thanks to the Kiro community for feedback and testing