Kilo Code for VS Code has been rebuilt around the same portable OpenCode server core used by the company’s CLI, and it’s now available as a pre-release. The shift is less about polishing UI and more about unifying how Kilo runs across surfaces—so the extension isn’t dragging editor-specific machinery into places it doesn’t belong.
Why the extension was rebuilt
Kilo’s earlier VS Code extension reached a large audience, but the underlying architecture leaned on VS Code internals even when running outside VS Code, including in other environments like JetBrains. With the CLI rebuilt on OpenCode—an MIT-licensed, open-source foundation—Kilo used the opportunity to pull the editor extension onto the same engine.
The stated goal: a single, portable core shared between terminal and editor, instead of separate stacks that diverge over time.
Parallelism comes to the foreground: tools and subagents
The pre-release leans heavily into parallel execution. At the tool level, Kilo can make parallel tool calls, running reads, searches, and terminal commands concurrently rather than serially.
On top of that, it adds parallel subagents for splitting bigger tasks: for example, separate agents focused on implementation, testing, and documentation, coordinated by an orchestrator that delegates and then condenses results back into a parent thread. Subagents can also be customized, which frames delegation as something teams can shape rather than accept as a fixed workflow.
The Agent Manager gets a shared foundation (and better review mechanics)
Kilo’s Agent Manager remains the control center, but it now runs on the same portable core as the rest of the system. That enables features called out as native to the rebuilt stack, including git worktrees, parallel sessions, and inline code review.
Inline review is built around diffs (unified or split view) with a more PR-like flow: line-level comments can be added directly in the diff UI and then sent back to chat as structured context (including file path and line number).
Parallel agents with git worktrees
For running multiple agents without stepping on changes, the Agent Manager can create git worktrees—separate copies of a repo where independent agents can work in parallel. Results can then be merged, committed, or turned into a PR using familiar Git workflows. The extension also supports running multiple agents on the same worktree for read-heavy patterns (for example, one agent editing while another reviews or investigates).
Multi-model comparisons
Another workflow-oriented addition: launching the same prompt across different models and comparing results side by side, with examples that include Claude Opus and GPT-5.3.
Sessions that move between CLI and editor
Because the VS Code extension and CLI share the portable core, Kilo also emphasizes cross-platform sessions: starting work in the CLI (including over SSH) and continuing in VS Code, with the ability to share session context through Slack.
Pre-release notes: what’s there, what isn’t
Installation is straightforward—find “Kilo Code” in the extensions panel or install it from the VS Code Marketplace, then switch to the pre-release channel. One notable limitation remains: provider configuration isn’t currently available in the extension UI. Provider setup can be done via the Kilo CLI (settings carry over to the extension), and Kilo says native provider setup is a priority on the path to GA.
For side-by-side testing, the pre-release can be installed in VS Code Insiders as a separate instance.
What Kilo says is coming next
Kilo’s roadmap for moving from pre-release to general availability names three themes:
- Smoother migration of provider settings, API keys, and configurations like Memory Bank
- An open-source bug bounty, offering $100 in Kilo Credits for merged PRs that fix pre-release bugs
- A broader production release after feedback and stabilization
