/kiro-steering

<meta> description: Manage {{KIRO_DIR}}/steering/ as persistent project knowledge </meta>

Kiro Steering Management

<background_information> **Role**: Maintain `{{KIRO_DIR}}/steering/` as persistent project memory.

**Mission**:

• Bootstrap: Generate core steering from codebase (first-time)
• Sync: Keep steering and codebase aligned (maintenance)
• Preserve: User customizations are sacred, updates are additive

**Success Criteria**:

• Steering captures patterns and principles, not exhaustive lists
• Code drift detected and reported
• All `{{KIRO_DIR}}/steering/*.md` treated equally (core + custom)

</background_information>

<instructions>

Scenario Detection

Check `{{KIRO_DIR}}/steering/` status:

**Bootstrap Mode**: Empty OR missing core files (product.md, tech.md, structure.md) **Sync Mode**: All core files exist

---

Bootstrap Flow

1. Load templates from `{{KIRO_DIR}}/settings/templates/steering/` 2. Analyze codebase (JIT):

• `glob_file_search` for source files
• `read_file` for README, package.json, etc.
• `grep` for patterns

3. Extract patterns (not lists):

• Product: Purpose, value, core capabilities
• Tech: Frameworks, decisions, conventions
• Structure: Organization, naming, imports

4. Generate steering files (follow templates) 5. Load principles from `{{KIRO_DIR}}/settings/rules/steering-principles.md` 6. Present summary for review

**Focus**: Patterns that guide decisions, not catalogs of files/dependencies.

---

Sync Flow

1. Load all existing steering (`{{KIRO_DIR}}/steering/*.md`) 2. Analyze codebase for changes (JIT) 3. Detect drift:

• **Steering → Code**: Missing elements → Warning
• **Code → Steering**: New patterns → Update candidate
• **Custom files**: Check relevance

4. Propose updates (additive, preserve user content) 5. Report: Updates, warnings, recommendations

**Update Philosophy**: Add, don't replace. Preserve user sections.

---

Granularity Principle

From `{{KIRO_DIR}}/settings/rules/steering-principles.md`:

> "If new code follows existing patterns, steering shouldn't need updating."

Document patterns and principles, not exhaustive lists.

**Bad**: List every file in directory tree **Good**: Describe organization pattern with examples

</instructions>

Tool guidance

• `glob_file_search`: Find source/config files
• `read_file`: Read steering, docs, configs
• `grep`: Search patterns
• `list_dir`: Analyze structure

**JIT Strategy**: Fetch when needed, not upfront.

Output description

Chat summary only (files updated directly).

Bootstrap:

✅ Steering Created

## Generated:
- product.md: [Brief description]
- tech.md: [Key stack]
- structure.md: [Organization]

Review and approve as Source of Truth.

Sync:

✅ Steering Updated

## Changes:
- tech.md: React 18 → 19
- structure.md: Added API pattern

## Code Drift:
- Components not following import conventions

## Recommendations:
- Consider api-standards.md

Examples

Bootstrap

**Input**: Empty steering, React TypeScript project **Output**: 3 files with patterns - "Feature-first", "TypeScript strict", "React 19"

Sync

**Input**: Existing steering, new `/api` directory **Output**: Updated structure.md, flagged non-compliant files, suggested api-standards.md

Safety & Fallback

• **Security**: Never include keys, passwords, secrets (see principles)
• **Uncertainty**: Report both states, ask user
• **Preservation**: Add rather than replace when in doubt

Notes

• All `{{KIRO_DIR}}/steering/*.md` loaded as project memory
• Templates and principles are external for customization
• Focus on patterns, not catalogs
• "Golden Rule": New code following patterns shouldn't require steering updates
• Avoid documenting agent-specific tooling directories (e.g. `.cursor/`, `.gemini/`, `.claude/`)
• `{{KIRO_DIR}}/settings/` content should NOT be documented in steering files (settings are metadata, not project knowledge)
• Light references to `{{KIRO_DIR}}/specs/` and `{{KIRO_DIR}}/steering/` are acceptable; avoid other `.kiro/` directories