Kilo Code
Kilo Code is an open-source coding agent under MIT for VS Code, JetBrains and the command line, from Kilo Code with a CLI forked from OpenCode. It offers inline autocomplete, agent modes for coding, planning, asking, debugging and review, terminal and browser control, an MCP marketplace, and a choice of over 500 models at the provider's rate with no API key to start. A hosted Cloud Agent and code reviews run from the web.
What does Kilo Code do?
Kilo Code is "the open source coding agent for building with AI in VS Code, JetBrains, or the CLI." It covers both jobs an editor assistant sells: "inline autocomplete with ghost-text suggestions and tab to accept", and an agent that does "code generation from natural language, across multiple files" with "terminal and browser control to run commands and automate the web." It ships specialised agents you switch between, Code, Plan, Ask, Debug and Review, and lets you build custom ones.
Models are the pitch: "500+ models", switched mid-task, with named examples such as GPT-5.5, Claude Opus 4.7, Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview, at "the model provider's rate with zero markup", and "no API keys required to start." An MCP marketplace finds and wires up servers. A hosted Cloud Agent runs Kilo from the web with no local machine, and a hosted Code Reviews product reviews pull requests. The README says the CLI "is a fork of OpenCode, enhanced to work within the Kilo agentic engineering platform." A --auto flag disables every permission prompt, and the README says to use it only in trusted environments.
Key facts
- Licence: MIT, with copyright lines for Kilo Code (2026) and opencode (2025); the README says you may use, modify and distribute it commercially as long as the notices stay.
- Editors and surfaces: VS Code Marketplace, JetBrains Marketplace, a CLI (npm @kilocode/cli, curl installer, pnpm, bun, Homebrew, Arch AUR, or binaries), a web Cloud Agent and hosted Code Reviews.
- Inline autocomplete with ghost text and tab to accept.
- Agent modes: Code, Plan, Ask, Debug and Review, plus custom agents.
- 500+ models, switchable mid-task, paid at the provider's rate with zero markup, with no API key required to start; an account is created in the VS Code flow.
- MCP marketplace for servers; terminal and browser control.
- CLI binaries for Windows x64, macOS Apple Silicon and Intel, Linux x64 and ARM, plus a musl build for Alpine and an x64-baseline build for CPUs without AVX.
- Latest tagged release when read: v7.7.3 on 2026-09-17; 27,344 stars on 2026-09-18. The README is translated into 22 languages.
What does it replace, and where does it fall short?
Kilo Code replaces Cursor and Windsurf's combination of autocomplete plus agent inside VS Code or JetBrains, replaces GitHub Copilot's ghost text, and its Cloud Agent plays the role Devin plays for a task run from the web. It is the pick for autocomplete and agent together on the open-source alternatives to Cursor page.
Where it falls short: the model access with no API key runs through Kilo's account and gateway, and the README does not describe local models such as Ollama, so a fully offline setup is not stated. The Cloud Agent and Code Reviews are hosted services. The --auto mode removes every guardrail, and the README says so.
How does Kilo Code run?
In VS Code, install from the marketplace and create an account; the README says no API keys are required to start. In JetBrains, install from the JetBrains Marketplace. The CLI installs with npm install -g @kilocode/cli, a curl installer, pnpm, bun, Homebrew (Kilo-Org/tap/kilo), the Arch AUR package kilo-bin, or a binary from GitHub Releases. The Cloud Agent runs at app.kilo.ai with no local machine. The README describes "open pricing" at the provider's rate with zero markup; whether any tier is paid beyond that pass-through is not stated.
Who is Kilo Code for?
A developer who wants Cursor's shape, completion plus agent, without leaving VS Code or JetBrains and without a platform markup on models. Someone who needs everything local should look at Cline with Ollama, or Tabby for self-hosted completion.
What limits does the README state?
From the README: "--auto disables all permission prompts and lets the agent execute any action without confirmation. Only use it in trusted environments." The x64-baseline binary exists for older CPUs without AVX.
Questions people ask
Is Kilo Code open source?
Yes. The repository is MIT, an OSI approved licence, and its README says you are free to use, modify and distribute the code commercially as long as you keep the attribution and licence notices. The CLI is a fork of OpenCode, which is also MIT, and the LICENSE carries both copyright lines.
Does Kilo Code need an API key?
No. The README says no API keys are required to start; you create an account and pay each model provider's rate with zero markup through Kilo's gateway. You can also bring your own keys. Local models such as Ollama are not described in the README.
Does Kilo Code have autocomplete?
Yes. Inline autocomplete with ghost-text suggestions and tab to accept is listed in the README, alongside the agent modes. That makes it one of the few projects here that covers both halves of what Cursor and Copilot do inside the editor.
How does Kilo Code compare with Cursor?
Kilo Code gives you autocomplete plus agent modes inside VS Code or JetBrains, with 500+ models at the provider's rate and the source under MIT. Cursor is a separate editor with its own subscription. The open-source alternatives to Cursor page compares the options by need, including Cline and Zed.
What is the Kilo Cloud Agent?
A hosted way to run Kilo from the web, described in the README as "Run Kilo from the web, no local machine needed", with a companion hosted Code Reviews product. Both run on Kilo's infrastructure rather than yours; the editor extensions and the CLI run locally.
Sources
- Kilo Code README and MIT LICENSE: github.com/Kilo-Org/kilocode, read 2026-09-17.
Compared with the others
On the open-source alternatives to Cursor page, Kilo Code is the pick for autocomplete plus agent, inside vs code or jetbrains. MIT, with inline ghost-text completion, Code, Plan, Ask, Debug and Review modes, an MCP marketplace, and 500+ models at the provider's rate with no key to start.
Also on that page: Zed for replacing the editor itself, Cline for an agent with reviewable diffs and any model, Tabby for a completion server for a whole team.
On the open-source alternatives to GitHub Copilot page, Kilo Code is the pick for completion and an agent in one extension. MIT, inline autocomplete with tab to accept plus five agent modes, in VS Code and JetBrains, with 500+ models at the provider's rate.
Also on that page: Tabby for a self-hosted copilot server for a team, twinny for ghost text in vs code from a local model, Cline for the chat and agent side, any model.
On the open-source alternatives to Windsurf page, Kilo Code is the pick for autocomplete plus agent in vs code or jetbrains. MIT, with ghost-text completion, five agent modes, an MCP marketplace and 500+ models with no key to start.
Also on that page: Zed for an open editor that hosts other agents, Cline for an agent with reviewable diffs, Tabby for team completion on your own gpu.
On the open-source alternatives to Devin page, Kilo Code is the pick for a task run from the web. MIT, with a hosted Cloud Agent that runs Kilo with no local machine and hosted code reviews.
Also on that page: OpenHands for an always-on agent on your own infrastructure, goose for a general agent with a desktop app and an api, Cline for headless runs in ci and scheduled agents.
More coding assistants and agents
An MIT terminal coding agent with a full-access build agent and a read-only plan agent switched with the Tab key, installers for every platform, a beta desktop app, and the most-starred repository in this directory.
OpenAI's Apache-2.0 coding agent that runs locally in your terminal, with a desktop app and IDE extensions, signed in with a ChatGPT plan or an OpenAI API key, so the code is open and the models are OpenAI's.
Google's Apache-2.0 terminal agent for Gemini models with a free tier of 1,000 requests a day on a personal Google account, built-in search grounding, file and shell tools, MCP support, checkpointing and a GitHub Action.
A high-performance code editor from the creators of Atom and Tree-sitter, GPL-3.0-or-later with Apache-2.0 components, with an agent panel, external agents over ACP, edit prediction, MCP tools, sandboxing, and local models through Ollama or llama.cpp.
An MIT self-hosted control centre, called Agent Canvas, that runs the OpenHands agent or Claude Code, Codex, Gemini and any ACP-compatible agent across local, Docker and cloud backends, with automations triggered by schedules and webhooks.
An Apache-2.0 coding agent for VS Code, JetBrains, the terminal and a desktop app that edits files as reviewable diffs, runs commands with your approval, works with any model provider including Ollama, and connects tools through MCP.
Added September 17, 2026. Every claim above comes from the project's README, LICENSE or model card, read on September 17, 2026, or from the GitHub API on the date shown in the panel. Found an error? Write to reveneau@licheo.com and it is fixed in the next weekly pass. Repository: github.com/Kilo-Org/kilocode.
Running one of these inside your own environment, with your own data and your own security rules, is the kind of work Reveneau does. Read how a forward deployed engagement works.