# Use Kiro’s specification-first approach on one clear feature

Review requirements, steering context and tasks before judging the generated implementation.

[HTML](https://lukejbyrne.com/library/guides/abejjw1isag/)
Content language: en
Author: Luke Byrne
Video published: 2025-07-18
Guide published: 2026-11-02

[Watch the video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBEjjw1iSag)
Video language: English

## Separate the release story from the development method

Luke’s July 2025 explanation presents Kiro as an Amazon AI development environment built on VS Code and using Claude 4. It compares specification-driven work with loosely prompted coding and discusses industry investment. These are the release details and arguments at that date, not current availability, pricing or a verified claim that other IDEs were replaced.

1. Choose one feature with a clear user and outcome. Write the behaviour it should support, the inputs it receives and the conditions that should count as a successful result.
2. Keep relevant project conventions and constraints in the steering context. Separate facts about the existing app from proposed changes so the generated plan does not silently redefine the product.

## Review the requirements before accepting the task breakdown

The recorded demo starts at 2:34, requirements and specifications at 3:33 and task controls at 4:34. The practical value of a specification is that it can be examined before the implementation spreads across files. A detailed plan is still a proposal until its assumptions fit the actual project.

1. Read the generated requirements and compare them with the feature brief. Resolve missing states, unclear terms and decisions that affect the user before moving to implementation.
2. Trace each proposed task back to a requirement and define its completion check. Keep unrelated refactors or optional features separate from the smallest useful change.

## Check the code against the agreed specification

The Claude 4 integration discussion appears at 6:01, followed by wider industry context. The useful engineering question is whether the resulting code implements the agreed behaviour and leaves an understandable record of the decisions. Model branding and an organised task list do not establish that on their own.

1. Review the changed files and run the representative user task or relevant checks. Include an edge case stated in the specification and compare the result with the expected behaviour.
2. Record any requirement that remains incomplete and revise the appropriate task rather than declaring success from the plan’s appearance. Keep the reviewed specification with the working revision so a later change can use the same reference.

## The takeaway

Use the specification as a shared testable agreement. Steering context and task structure are useful when they lead to code that can be checked against that agreement.

## Workflow resources

- [ailuke.short.gy](https://ailuke.short.gy/aBEjjw1iSag1)
- [ailuke.short.gy](https://ailuke.short.gy/aBEjjw1iSag2)
- [datacamp.pxf.io](https://datacamp.pxf.io/yqr3jb)
- [newsletter.lukejbyrne.com](https://newsletter.lukejbyrne.com)
- [linkedin.com](https://linkedin.com/in/lukejbyrne)
- [x.com](https://x.com/thelukejbyrne)

## Chapters

- [0:00 – What Is Amazon's Kiro IDE?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBEjjw1iSag&t=0s)
- [0:25 – From Vibe Coding to Spec Coding](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBEjjw1iSag&t=25s)
- [1:36 – Why Spec-Driven Dev Matters](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBEjjw1iSag&t=96s)
- [2:34 – Live Demo: Kiro in Action](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBEjjw1iSag&t=154s)
- [3:33 – Building with Requirements & Specs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBEjjw1iSag&t=213s)
- [4:34 – Task Breakdown & Control Features](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBEjjw1iSag&t=274s)
- [6:01 – Claude 4 Integration with Kiro](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBEjjw1iSag&t=361s)
- [7:07 – Windsurf, Claude & Industry Shifts](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBEjjw1iSag&t=427s)

## Sources and limitations

Prepared 2 November 2026 from the published video description and chapters. The actions are editorial follow-along guidance. The full video was not independently watched or transcribed and no new product test was run. Setup, availability and offers may have changed since the recording. The supplied description contains no exact install commands, configuration file or copyable feature specification; no such payload is inferred here.

[Original video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBEjjw1iSag)