---
name: kiro-steering
description: Manage {{KIRO_DIR}}/steering/ as persistent project knowledge
metadata:
  shared-rules: "steering-principles.md"
---


# 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):

#### Parallel Research

The following research areas are independent and can be executed in parallel:
1. **Product analysis**: README, package.json, documentation files for purpose, value, core capabilities
2. **Tech analysis**: Config files, dependencies, frameworks for technology patterns and decisions
3. **Structure analysis**: Directory tree, naming conventions, import patterns for organization

If multi-agent is enabled, spawn sub-agents for each area above. Otherwise execute sequentially.

After all parallel research completes, synthesize patterns for steering files.

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 `rules/steering-principles.md` from this skill's directory
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 `rules/steering-principles.md` (in this skill's directory):

> "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**: Find source/config files
- **Read**: Read steering, docs, configs
- **Grep**: Search patterns
- **Bash** with `ls`: 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