Kilo Code - Write and Manage Code with AI

Can I use Kilo with my own API keys for Claude, GPT-4, or other models?

Yes. Kilo lets you bring your own API keys for any of the 500+ supported models, so you pay the provider directly with zero markup added. This means you can choose frontier models from OpenAI or Anthropic, open-weight models, or run local models without ever being locked into Kilo's pricing.

Does Kilo work in VS Code and JetBrains at the same time?

Kilo runs in VS Code, JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm), the CLI, and cloud environments, with full handoff between them. You can start a task in one IDE and pick it up in another without losing context, since both local and cloud agents maintain your worktrees.

What do the Code, Architect, and Debug modes do differently?

Each mode tailors the agent's reasoning to a specific job: Code mode writes and refactors production code with full codebase understanding, Architect mode plans complex features and provides design guidance before you write anything, and Debug mode identifies and fixes bugs using error traces. You switch modes depending on what you need the agent to do.

Is the Kilo codebase actually open-source and inspectable?

Yes, Kilo is MIT-licensed and fully open-source, so you can read the prompts, see how decisions are made, and audit the code yourself. This transparency means you are not trusting a black box; you can verify exactly what the agent does before you run it in your IDE or cloud environment.