Image: Kiro / Amazon Kiro CLI v2.6.0: Export Transcripts, Set Effort at Launch, Keep Preferences Between Sessions
Kiro's June 5 CLI update adds /transcript save for exporting chats as markdown, plaintext, or JSON, an --effort flag to set reasoning depth when you start a session, and persistent model and effort preferences that carry over automatically.
Kiro shipped CLI version 2.6.0 on June 5. The full changelog covers several updates from the past week, but v2.6.0 is the substantive release.
Transcript Export
The new /transcript save command exports your full conversation to a file. You can choose markdown, plaintext, or JSON. Format switching is inline — you pick the format from within the command rather than configuring it separately.
This is practical for a few reasons. If you’re using Kiro to work through a complex problem, the transcript captures the full reasoning chain, not just the final output. You can export it, store it, and reference it later without relying on Kiro’s session history. For teams, it’s also a straightforward way to share what an agent session actually did.
Terminal Window Titles
The new /title command labels the terminal window for the current session. If you’re running multiple Kiro sessions in parallel — which the tool supports — auto-generated session names based on the first message get unwieldy fast. This lets you label each window with something meaningful.
There’s also a display toggle in /settings display if you want to control when titles show up.
Set Effort at Launch
The --effort flag is new on the kiro-cli chat command. It accepts five levels: low, medium, high, xhigh, and max. The flag sets the reasoning depth for the session from the start, instead of requiring you to run /effort once you’re inside the chat.
The practical use: if you know a task needs maximum reasoning before you start, you set it in the command. If you’re doing something lightweight, you set low and skip the overhead.
kiro-cli chat --effort highPersistent Preferences
Model and effort selections now persist between sessions automatically. Previously, your /model and /effort choices lasted for the current session but reset the next time you opened the CLI. Now they carry over.
It’s a small change but one of those settings you notice immediately when it’s gone. Having to reset your model preference at the start of every session is friction that shouldn’t exist for a tool you use daily.
Other Kiro Updates This Week
A June 2 web update let users start a Kiro Web session without connecting a GitHub repo first. Previously, repo connection was required up front. The update also added the ability to switch to Autonomous mode mid-session during a Vibe session, rather than only at the start.
Claude Opus 4.8 became available in Kiro on May 29, with a 1M context window and a 2.2x credit multiplier. The model adds self-verification and more consistent follow-through on longer tasks.
Kiro is available at kiro.dev. The free tier includes 50 credits; paid plans start at $20/month.