Kilo Code Keyboard Patch

Patches Kilo Code's keyboard behavior: Enter starts a new line, Cmd+Enter sends, and permission prompts stop hijacking your keystrokes while you are typing.

Supported versions

Each patch release keeps the earlier versions' patterns, so a newer patch still works on an older Kilo Code.

What it does

Applies to the chat input, the permission prompt, and the KiloClaw edit/chat panels.

Install

Install from the VS Code Marketplace: Kilo Code KB Patch

The extension detects an unpatched Kilo Code and offers to apply. Three commands are available from the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P → "Kilo Code KB Patch"):

• Apply Patches
• Restore Originals
• Show Status

Reload the window after applying KB Patch: Cmd+Shift+P → Developer: Reload Window.

How keystrokes are routed

Kilo Code asks for your input in three ways. The patch rewires only one of them (permission prompts) and decides purely by whether the chat box contains text; spaces and newlines do not count.

KB Patch never moves the keyboard focus. Because Kilo Code moves focus on its own, a choice can take over the keyboard even when you have typed something. When that happens your keys act on the highlighted choice (this is intended, with minimal interference with the native Kilo Code experience).

Permission prompts

Approve or reject a tool or command. The only surface the patch rewires.

• Kilo Code does not shift focus here: it leaves focus in the chat box and intercepts keys with a document-level listener, so the patch can read the chat box content and route accordingly.

The chat box content decides where each key goes:

Reject and abort use Shift+Escape (not Cmd+Escape, which is Claude Code's quick-launch shortcut).

Follow-up questions

Pick a suggested answer or type your own. The patch leaves these alone.

• Kilo Code auto-focuses the first option when the prompt appears, so keys act on the highlighted choice regardless of what is in the chat box.
• Arrow keys move between choices, Enter selects, and Cmd+Enter send the choice.

Menus and dialogs

Model and mode pickers, confirmations, @-mentions. The patch leaves these alone.

• Kilo Code moves focus into them when they open and handles their keys: arrow keys or type-ahead to move, Enter to choose, Escape to close pop-up menu without invoking the permission prompt abort.

Troubleshooting

• No effect: reload the VS Code window after applying.
• Stopped working after a Kilo Code update: updates overwrite the patched files and can rename Kilo Code's internal code. Re-apply by Cmd+Shift+P → Kilo Code KB Patch: Apply Patches.

Build and install locally

Rebuild and reinstall from source without bumping the version or editing package*.json:

# Build a local .vsix and (re)install it (no version bump, no package*.json changes)
rm -f kilo-code-kb-patch-*.vsix
npm ci                            # install from the lockfile (writes only node_modules/)
npm run compile                   # rebuild out/ (optional: vsce compiles too)
npx @vscode/vsce package          # build kilo-code-kb-patch-<version>.vsix
mv kilo-code-kb-patch-*.vsix kilo-code-kb-patch-latest.vsix   # fixed, version-independent name
code --install-extension kilo-code-kb-patch-latest.vsix --force

--force reinstalls even when the version is unchanged. Then reload the window (Cmd+Shift+P → Developer: Reload Window) so the reinstalled extension re-applies the patch.