Add Kilo Code as a compile/install target

[fm-knopfler]

Feature request

Add Kilo Code as a supported target for apm compile / apm install, alongside claude, codex, cursor, gemini, grok-build, copilot, opencode, windsurf, and kiro.

• Target slug: kilo
• Deploy root (project): .kilo/
• Detection signal: .kilo/ directory (distinct from existing kiro target's .kiro/)

Target mapping

Sources: skills, subagents, custom-modes, AGENTS.md, custom-instructions, MCP.

Primitive	Global (user)	Project
Instructions (AGENTS.md)	~/.config/kilo/AGENTS.md	AGENTS.md (root and distributed subdirectories)
Skills (SKILL.md trees)	~/.agents/skills/ (shared)	.agents/skills/ (shared)
Agents	~/.config/kilo/agents/*.md	.kilo/agents/*.md
Prompts / Commands	~/.config/kilo/commands/*.md	.kilo/commands/*.md
MCP Servers	~/.config/kilo/kilo.jsonc	.kilo/kilo.jsonc

• Instructions: Kilo reads root + per-directory AGENTS.md (agents-md). apm compile → AGENTS.md (agents family, distributed by default per applyTo: globs); apm compile -g → ~/.config/kilo/AGENTS.md (custom-instructions).
• Skills: Standard Agent Skills format — folder + SKILL.md with name, description frontmatter. Reuses the shared .agents/skills/ path (following opencode / codex conventions) as Kilo scans .agents/skills/ by default (skills).
• Agents: Markdown + YAML frontmatter; body is system prompt; filename (minus .md) = agent name (custom-modes).
• Prompts / Commands: Markdown workflow files located in .kilo/commands/*.md (workflows).
• MCP Servers: Configured under the top-level "mcp" key in kilo.jsonc (using-in-kilo-code).

Notes on user-scope paths (.config used only where no alternative exists)

• Global skills: Follows opencode / codex convention and targets ~/.agents/skills/ (skills).
• Global agents, commands, and instructions: Currently have no Home-relative documented location — all live in ~/.config/kilo/ (subagents, custom-instructions).

Key facts

1. Skills reuse .agents/skills/: Kilo automatically scans EXTERNAL_DIRS = [".claude", ".agents"] → ~/.agents/skills/ (global) and .agents/skills/**/SKILL.md up the project tree (skills). APM's existing .agents/skills/ deploy is picked up without requiring duplicate deployments to .kilo/skills/.
2. Agents require native deployment: Agent files are discovered from .kilo/agents/ (project) and ~/.config/kilo/agents/ (global) (subagents).
3. MCP integration: apm install --mcp writes server configurations to .kilo/kilo.jsonc (bootstrapping the file if it does not exist) or ~/.config/kilo/kilo.jsonc at global scope.

Registration

• Add kilo to apm.yml targets: validation, apm targets table, and --target / --all catalog (non-explicit ⇒ included in all).
• Targets matrix: project root .kilo/; instructions via AGENTS.md; agents → .kilo/agents/*.md; prompts → .kilo/commands/*.md; skills → reused .agents/skills/; mcp → .kilo/kilo.jsonc.
• User-scope compile → ~/.config/kilo/AGENTS.md.
• Tests mirroring opencode / kiro target tests.

Config / env surface

• Config: global ~/.config/kilo/kilo.jsonc (Windows C:\Users\<user>\.config\kilo\kilo.jsonc), project ./.kilo/kilo.jsonc or ./kilo.jsonc (settings, CLI).
• Extra skill dirs: skills.paths / skills.urls in kilo.jsonc.
• Env overrides: KILO_CONFIG, KILO_CONFIG_DIR, KILO_CONFIG_CONTENT, KILO_DISABLE_EXTERNAL_SKILLS (CLI, architecture).

Testing

• .kilo/ activates kilo; no collision with .kiro/.
• apm compile -t kilo → AGENTS.md (root and distributed); apm compile -g → ~/.config/kilo/AGENTS.md.
• apm install -t kilo → .kilo/agents/*.md, .kilo/commands/*.md, and skills via .agents/skills/.
• apm install --mcp <name> -t kilo → writes to .kilo/kilo.jsonc (bootstrapped if absent).
• apm targets --json lists kilo.
• Manual verification: kilo CLI picks up skills, subagents, commands, and MCP servers.

[github-actions]

Triage Panel Verdict

Thank you for the detailed feature request, @fm-knopfler!

Decision: ACCEPT

This is a well-scoped, implementable feature that fits cleanly into APM's portability mission. The primitive mapping, path layout, detection signal, and test plan are all provided -- this is ready for implementation without a design review.

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Panel findings

DevX UX Expert

• Slug kilo is short, unambiguous, and consistent with existing slugs (kiro, codex, opencode).
• Detection signal .kilo/ is correctly distinguished from .kiro/ (no collision).
• Full primitive mapping is provided with global + project scopes -- no gaps.
• The test plan mirrors opencode / kiro test structure; a developer can implement this by pattern-matching against existing target integrators.
• UX verdict: Clear and actionable.

Supply Chain Security Expert

• No new remote fetch surface is introduced.
• Skills reuse the shared .agents/skills/ path (already trusted); no new skill-discovery vector.
• Agent/command files deploy to .kilo/ (project-scoped) or ~/.config/kilo/ (user-scoped) -- same access model as existing targets.
• MCP config writes to .kilo/kilo.jsonc, following the same bootstrap-if-absent pattern as other targets.
• Security verdict: No concerns.

APM CEO

• Kilo Code is a real, growing AI coding tool. Supporting it is consistent with APM's thesis: every AI coding tool should be a first-class APM target.
• Scope is bounded -- this is an incremental addition, not an architectural change.
• The implementation blueprint maps directly onto existing integrators (opencode, kiro).
• Strategic verdict: ACCEPT. Include in next minor release.

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Label rationale

Dimension	Decision	Reason
type/feature	New target integrator	Adds a new compile/install target
theme/portability	Core portability surface	New agent tool target = portability
area/cli	apm compile / apm install / apm targets	All three CLI surfaces are touched
priority/low	Nice-to-have	No blocking dependency; 0 current reactions; clean bounded scope

Suggested next action

An implementer can follow the kiro integrator as a template:

1. Add kilo to apm.yml targets: validation and the apm targets catalog.
2. Implement the KiloIntegrator class mirroring KiroIntegrator with the path mappings above.
3. Wire detection signal: presence of .kilo/ directory.
4. Add apm compile -t kilo and apm install -t kilo tests mirroring opencode / kiro test files.
5. Update apm targets --json output and docs.

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Triage status: agentic proposal pending human ratification.
Silence is approval. Maintainers can:

• Override any label or milestone above by editing it directly --
  human edits are authoritative and will not be reverted on
  subsequent runs.
• Re-trigger triage by applying the status/needs-triage label, or
  by removing status/triaged to enroll the issue in the next
  daily sweep.

Posted by the Triage Panel workflow. See .apm/skills/apm-triage-panel for the panel skill.

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