Kiro .kiro/steering/

DESIGN.md + Kiro

Configuration reference: Copy DESIGN.md to steering

Prerequisites

  • Kiro installed and configured
  • A project with an initialized Git repository
  • A DESIGN.md file — grab one from the library or generate with the design-md skill

Setup

1. Create the steering directory

Kiro uses .kiro/steering/ for persistent context files. Create the structure:

my-project/
├── .kiro/
│   └── steering/
│       └── DESIGN.md
├── src/
└── ...

2. Copy DESIGN.md into steering

Copy your DESIGN.md into the steering directory:

mkdir -p .kiro/steering
cp DESIGN.md .kiro/steering/DESIGN.md

Kiro automatically includes every file inside .kiro/steering/ in each interaction’s context. No manual reference needed. The agent reads it on its own.

3. Verify the setup

Ask Kiro to generate a component:

Create a product card following the visual rules from steering

Kiro should apply the colors, typography, and spacing from your DESIGN.md automatically.

4. Keep it synchronized

If you edit the DESIGN.md at the project root, remember to update the copy in steering:

cp DESIGN.md .kiro/steering/DESIGN.md

Alternative: keep only the steering version and create a symlink at the root if other agents also need to read it.

Troubleshooting

  • Kiro doesn’t apply the rules — check that the file is at .kiro/steering/DESIGN.md (not .kiro/DESIGN.md or at the root). Kiro only auto-loads files inside steering/.
  • Rules partially applied — your DESIGN.md might be too large for the context window. Prioritize the most important sections (Colors, Typography, Components, Do’s and Don’ts) at the top of the file.
  • Conflict with other steering files — if other steering files contain conflicting instructions, Kiro can get confused. Keep DESIGN.md as the single source of truth for visual rules.
  • Stale version — if you edited the root DESIGN.md but forgot to copy it to steering, Kiro uses the old version. Automate this with a sync script.

Useful combinations

  • DESIGN.md + Kiro specs — Kiro has a specs system (requirements, design, tasks). Use DESIGN.md in steering for persistent visual rules and specs for feature-specific work. They complement each other.
  • Multiple steering files — beyond DESIGN.md, add other context files: AGENTS.md for code conventions, API.md for API patterns. Kiro loads them all automatically.
  • Steering + hooks — combine DESIGN.md with Kiro hooks to automatically validate that generated components follow the design system. A postToolUse hook can review generated code against DESIGN.md rules.

Next steps

Useful links