kilocode/packages/kilo-docs/pages/customize/index.md

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Customize	Make Kilo Code work your way with custom modes, rules, instructions, and more

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{% callout type="generic" %} Kilo Code is highly customizable. Tailor its behavior to match your workflow, team standards, and project requirements with custom modes, rules, instructions, and more. {% /callout %}

Customization

Configure how Kilo Code behaves and responds:

• Custom Modes - Create specialized modes for different tasks (code review, documentation, testing, etc.)
• Custom Rules - Define rules that apply to specific file types or situations
• Custom Instructions - Add project-specific guidelines and context
• agents.md - Configure agent behavior at the project level
• Workflows - Automate multi-step processes
• Skills - Extend Kilo's capabilities with reusable skill definitions
• Prompt Engineering - Write effective prompts for better results

Context & Indexing

Help Kilo understand your codebase better:

• Codebase Indexing - Build a semantic index of your code for better context awareness
• Context Condensing - Summarize older context to stay within limits
• AGENTS.md - Store project context, decisions, and important information
• Large Projects - Best practices for working with monorepos and large codebases

Getting Started

New to customization? Here's where to start:

1. Start with Custom Instructions — Set up instructions in the Custom Instructions section to guide Kilo Code's behavior
2. Explore Custom Modes — Try the built-in modes first, then create your own
3. Enable Codebase Indexing — Help Kilo understand your project structure

Best Practices

• Keep custom instructions concise and actionable
• Use custom modes for repetitive tasks
• Combine rules with modes for powerful workflows

Next Steps

• Check out Code with AI to learn how to use Kilo effectively
• Explore Automate for CI/CD integration and advanced automation
• Learn about Collaboration features for teams