Kilo Code Open source

What it is

Kilo Code is an open-source (MIT) AI coding agent from Kilo, available as a VS Code extension, a JetBrains plugin and a command-line tool, with a hosted cloud agent and automated pull-request reviews alongside. It grew out of the Cline and Roo Code lineage and Kilo publishes a migration guide for Roo Code users, whose extension has been discontinued.

Its business model is inference: you can bring your own API key or local model for free, or route requests through the Kilo Gateway, which the company says charges model-provider rates without markup.

Key features

• Built-in agents for coding, planning, asking questions, debugging and review, plus custom modes
• Inline autocomplete in addition to the chat agent
• Access to a large catalogue of models, with switching mid-task
• A CLI that can run non-interactively for CI jobs (kilo run --auto)
• Terminal and browser automation, and a cloud agent you can start from the web
• Install the CLI with npm install -g @kilocode/cli (Homebrew and a shell installer are also documented in the README)

Skills, subagents and MCP

Kilo documents support for Agent Skills (folders with a SKILL.md plus optional scripts, references and assets), AGENTS.md files including per-directory files that load when the agent works in that folder, custom modes, and MCP servers. MCP servers can be managed from the settings UI or in the kilo.jsonc config, and there is an MCP marketplace for finding servers.

Pricing

At the time of writing (September 2026), the extensions are free, and BYOK or local models cost nothing extra. Kilo Pass subscriptions are $19, $49 or $199 a month and add bonus credits on top of the amount paid; the pricing page advertises a 50% welcome bonus in the first month. Teams is $15 per user per month, and Enterprise is custom. Cloud compute for the hosted agent is billed per second. Check the pricing page before committing, as the bonus schedule changes over time.

Who it is for

Developers who want an open-source agent that works across VS Code, JetBrains and the terminal, with the freedom to pick models and control spend. It suits former Roo Code and Cline users who want a familiar workflow that is still actively developed.

Verdict

Kilo Code is a capable, fast-moving open-source agent with broad standards support. The trade-off is complexity: there are many agents, modes and credit options to understand, and hosted models still cost money even though the tool does not.