Skip to content

Istar VS Code Setup v4.0.0

Latest
Latest

Choose a tag to compare

View all tags
@Israleche Israleche released this 12 Jul 08:59
v4.0.0
e14645d

Changelog

All notable changes to this guide will be documented in this file.

The format is based on Keep a Changelog,
and this project adheres to Semantic Versioning.

[4.0.0] -- 2026-07-12

Added

  • Istar Code v5.0.0 Kernel (system/istar-code.md) -- Deterministic, model-agnostic autonomous coding agent with:

    • Instruction hierarchy (5 levels, safety > repo conventions > user > skills > defaults)
    • Deterministic execution cycle: INSPECT > PLAN > EXECUTE > VERIFY > REFLECT with phase gates
    • Task classification & routing (6 classes: T1-T6) with decision table
    • Tool selection hierarchy with mandatory batching rules
    • Context budgeting (50-60% task / 20-25% loaded / 10-15% memory / 5-10% system) with auto-compression
    • Verification hierarchy (V1-V6) with minimum V3 enforcement
    • Structured memory system (6 files, max 50 lines, 4 write gates)
    • Skill system with lifecycle: Candidate > Proposed > Active > Deprecated > Archived
    • Safety rules (archive over delete, 2-failure stop, ask before destructive)

  • Agent Internal Commands (agent/internal-commands.md) -- 35-command system:

    • Bootstrap: /init, /status, /scan
    • Debug: /debug, /debugcomplete, /fix
    • Quality: /test, /review, /config
    • Intelligence: /skills, /mcp, /plan, /sync, /learn
    • Evolution: /upgrade, /addcommand
    • Git: /gitstatus, /diff, /commit, /commitall, /commitfix, /branch
    • Release: /prepare-release, /release, /releasepatch, /releaseminor, /releasemajor, /changelog
    • History: /history, /rollback
    • GitHub: /pr, /reviewpr, /githubsync, /gitclean
    • Version: /version
    • Auto-evolution triggers (6 detection patterns)

  • New Skills:

    • memory-maintenance -- Detection, verification, compression, archiving for durable memory
    • skill-creation -- Full lifecycle from candidate to archived with validation gates

  • Hooks System:

    • hooks/post-task.md -- 7-question reflection with 3 gates (stable/useful/concise)

  • Project Documentation (project/):

    • repo-profile.md -- Repository overview, structure, conventions, configs
    • stack.md -- Complete tech stack, MCP servers, tools, env vars, integration points
    • conventions.md -- Coding patterns for PS, TS, JSON, MD, Git, Istar Pack, agent behavior
    • commands.md -- All commands for agent, scripts, MCP, git, skills, memory, validation

  • Memory System Updates:

    • memory/project_istar-vscode-setup.md -- Project-specific profile with evidence refs
    • Updated conventions.md, decisions_log.md, failures_log.md, skill_usage_stats.md, user_preferences.md

  • Project Config (.kilo/kilo.json) -- Project-specific Kilo Code configuration

Changed

  • Kernel upgraded from v3.0.0 (8-layer) to v5.0.0 (16-section deterministic kernel)
  • Agent architecture redefined with explicit phase gates, tool hierarchy, context budgeting
  • Skills upgraded with lifecycle management and auto-verification
  • Memory now uses 4 write gates (stable, useful, concise, evidenced)

Fixed

  • Extension config file_path now points to local examples/Code-Format-Standards.md
  • Added .kilo/kilo.json project config (was template only)

[3.0.0] -- 2026-07-06

Added

  • Master install script -- scripts/setup/install-all.ps1 installs everything in one command.
  • Extension installer -- scripts/setup/install-extensions.ps1 installs recommended VS Code extensions by category.
  • Recommended extensions -- vscode/recommended-extensions.json with 5 categories and 25+ curated extensions.
  • Workspace extension recommendations -- .vscode/extensions.json with 15 recommended extensions.
  • Skills catalog -- docs/reference/skills-catalog.md listing 150+ available Kilo Code skills organized by domain.
  • Documentation index -- docs/README.md with table of contents linking all documentation.
  • Agent definition in standard location -- .github/copilot/agents/istar-code.md for VS Code auto-discovery.

Changed

  • Scripts reorganized -- Scripts split into scripts/setup/ (installation) and scripts/tools/ (utilities).
  • Docs reorganized -- Superseded BYOK research moved to docs/archive/. New docs/reference/ for reference docs.
  • README rewritten -- Mirrors new folder structure, adds quick-start table, updates all paths.
  • vscode/copilot/agents/ -- Cleaner agent documentation location alongside .github/copilot/agents/.

Removed

  • Superseded docs from root docs/: architecture.md, complete-report.md, bugs-found.md, links.md (moved to docs/archive/).
  • Outdated scripts/README.md (replaced with new version).
  • Redundant files from root scripts folder.

[1.0.0] -- 2026-07-05

Added

  • Initial release of the Ultimate Guide to VS Code + Kilo Code + OpenRouter.
  • Full 19-section guide covering architecture, configs, models, providers, agents, permissions, MCP, Skills, and troubleshooting.
  • Reference config files:
    • configs/cli-kilo.jsonc -- global CLI config
    • configs/extension-config.json -- VS Code extension config
    • configs/project-kilo.json -- per-project template
  • 3 example Skills:
    • skills/istar-code-format.md -- code format standards enforcer
    • skills/git-commit-helper.md -- Conventional Commits generator
    • skills/powershell-best-practices.md -- PowerShell style enforcer
  • PowerShell utility scripts:
    • scripts/backup-kilo-configs.ps1 -- timestamped backup
    • scripts/validate-kilo-configs.ps1 -- JSON syntax validation
    • scripts/find-object-form-instructions.ps1 -- find broken instructions blocks
    • scripts/install-skills.ps1 -- copy example Skills to ~/.kilo/skills/
    • scripts/restore-kilo-configs.ps1 -- restore from backup
  • Example rules file: examples/Code-Format-Standards.md
  • MCP servers reference: examples/mcp-servers-reference.jsonc
  • MIT License
  • Contributing guidelines (CONTRIBUTING.md)

Documented Discoveries

  • The two-config architecture (CLI vs extension) and why mixing them breaks everything.
  • The instructions schema trap: array form (string[]) in CLI, object form ({ file_path }) in extension.
  • Per-project configs use the CLI schema, not the extension schema.
  • doom_loop: Deny is mandatory to prevent infinite agent loops.
  • Indexing is temporarily unavailable as of the April 2026 Kilo Code rebuild.
  • Orchestrator mode is deprecated; Code, Plan, and Debug agents now delegate automatically.
  • continue_loop_on_deny experimental flag makes Ask permission tolerable.
  • The Skill Manager requires source repository configuration for remote Skills.
  • UI shows Not set for all models when the CLI config is invalid (symptom, not cause).

Versioning Policy

  • Major (1.x.x -> 2.x.x): Breaking changes to config schemas or scripts
  • Minor (1.0.x -> 1.1.x): New sections, new Skills, new scripts (non-breaking)
  • Patch (1.0.0 -> 1.0.1): Fixes, clarifications, typo corrections
Assets 2
Loading