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Moving from Amazon Q Developer to Kiro

What changes for Q Developer CLI and IDE plugin users, how Q Developer Pro seats map to Kiro tiers, and which transformation jobs to finish. Both plugins and paid subscriptions end on April 30, 2027; settle the move before then.

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In this piece
2 products

Test every script that calls q on Kiro CLI now, and move Q Developer IDE plugin users and Pro seats to Kiro before April 30, 2027, when AWS ends support for both. Kiro CLI replaced Q Developer CLI in November 2025. This guide covers the CLI, IDE plugin users, subscriptions, data terms and open transformation jobs, from Kiro's migration guides and AWS's Q Developer pages.

When you need this

  • Your engineers use the Q Developer plugin in VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, Visual Studio, or Eclipse.
  • Scripts or automation call the q or q chat commands.
  • You pay for Q Developer Pro and want to know whether to move users to Kiro tiers.
  • Security approved Q Developer and needs to know what changes with Kiro.

Evaluation criteria

  1. The CLI

    What happened to Q Developer CLI?

    Look forTest scripts against Kiro CLI, released as the Q Developer CLI update on November 17, 2025. Auto-update moved users on November 24, 2025. The q and q chat commands remain, and Kiro reads Amazon Q rules and configuration. New features ship only in Kiro CLI. Review its license change from Apache 2.0 to the AWS Intellectual Property License.

  2. IDE plugin users

    Where does each IDE group go?

    Look forMove VS Code users to Kiro IDE and import their profile, extensions, and settings. Connect JetBrains AI Assistant to Kiro CLI over ACP. For Visual Studio and Eclipse, choose Kiro IDE or run Kiro CLI beside the existing editor. Neither has a native Kiro plugin.

  3. Subscriptions

    How long do Q Developer Pro seats keep working?

    Look forSchedule subscription changes before April 30, 2027. Until then, Q Developer Pro works in Kiro IDE and CLI with inference-call limits and no overages. AWS closed new subscriptions on May 15, 2026, but existing subscriptions can add users. Newer models such as Opus 4.7 require Kiro. Admins can upgrade users or groups to Kiro tiers for credits and overages, and AWS states an upgraded user cannot return to Q Developer Pro. Kiro Web requires a Kiro profile.

  4. Data and terms

    Do the protections the team approved carry over?

    Look forKeep Q Developer Pro users on their Pro credentials to preserve the exclusion from content use. Kiro enterprise users receive the same protection, and paid Kiro subscribers retain AWS output indemnity. Personal GitHub or Google sign-ins fall under individual terms.

  5. What Kiro adds

    What will engineers need to learn?

    Look forTrain Q Developer users on specs and steering first. Kiro replaces Amazon Q rules with steering and adds hooks, custom subagents and skills, powers, terminal allow and deny lists, and IDE specs.

  6. Transformation jobs and the Amazon Q services that stay

    What else ends on April 30, 2027, and what keeps running?

    Look forFinish Java upgrades and .NET porting in the paid Q IDE plugins before April 30, 2027. For later jobs, AWS directs Java work to AWS Transform custom and .NET work to AWS Transform full-stack Windows modernization. Keep Amazon Q in the AWS console, documentation site, mobile app, Slack, and Microsoft Teams. Those services continue.

Questions to ask vendors

  1. Which of our scripts call q or q chat, and have we tested them on Kiro CLI?
  2. Which engineers use Visual Studio or Eclipse, and will each move to Kiro IDE or run Kiro CLI beside their editor?
  3. When do we move Q Developer Pro users to Kiro tiers, knowing the move is one way?
  4. Do engineers sign in with the same Identity Center credentials, so data terms carry over?
  5. Does the Kiro CLI license change matter to our legal team?
  6. Which Java upgrade or .NET porting jobs are still open, and when will each finish?

Red flags

  • Waiting for April 30, 2027 to plan the move for IDE plugin users and Pro seats.
  • Engineers signing in to Kiro with personal accounts when they should use the organization's identity source.
  • Upgrading every Q Developer Pro user to a Kiro tier before checking their usage.
  • Assuming Visual Studio or Eclipse users get a Kiro plugin.
  • Java upgrade or .NET porting jobs still open in the Q plugins as April 30, 2027 approaches.

Products in this piece

Sources

Official documentation
9
  1. Kiro docs: Upgrading from Amazon Q Developer CLIOfficial documentationkiro.dev
  2. Kiro docs: Migrating from Amazon Q DeveloperOfficial documentationkiro.dev
  3. AWS: Amazon Q Developer, end of support notice for IDE pluginsOfficial documentationaws.amazon.com
  4. AWS DevOps Blog: Amazon Q Developer end-of-support announcement (Apr 30, 2026)Official documentationaws.amazon.com
  5. AWS: Amazon Q Developer FAQs, Kiro sectionOfficial documentationaws.amazon.com
  6. Kiro docs: ACP integrationsOfficial documentationkiro.dev
  7. Kiro FAQsOfficial documentationkiro.dev
  8. Kiro docs: Data protectionOfficial documentationkiro.dev
  9. Kiro docs: Kiro Web with AWS Identity CenterOfficial documentationkiro.dev

Keep reading

  1. Buyer guideAmazon Q Developer Workflow Playbook: Rules, Approvals, and Reviewed ChangesHow teams still on Q Developer brief it with project rules, limit agentic chat to approved tools and read-only AWS roles, and review its changes and findings before merge.
  2. Buyer guideAmazon Q Developer Data, Region, and Indemnity ChecklistWhich tier trains on your content, where each feature stores it, how to opt an organization out, and what the AWS Service Terms indemnity covers.
  3. Buyer guideKiro Workflow PlaybookSteering, spec sizing, permissions, and review practice for engineers moving multi-file work to Kiro's IDE, CLI, or cloud sessions.
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