Prerequisites
- Kilo Code VS Code extension or CLI
- An Auriko API key — your key starts with
ak_live_(production) orak_test_(testing)
Install Kilo Code
Open Extensions in VS Code (Cmd+Shift+X on macOS, Ctrl+Shift+X on Windows/Linux), search “Kilo Code”, and install.
Install the CLI
Install the CLI
Install via npm:Or via Homebrew (macOS):Confirm the installation:
Set your API key
Export your API key in your shell:~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc, then either run source ~/.zshrc (or source ~/.bashrc) or open a new terminal.
Sanity-check the key
Confirm the key works before installing anything else:200. If you get 401, the key is missing, mistyped, or revoked.
Add Auriko as a provider
VS Code
- Open Kilo Code settings (gear icon in the Kilo Code panel).
- Go to the Providers tab.
- Click Custom provider.
- Fill in:
- Provider ID:
auriko - Display name:
Auriko - Base URL:
https://api.auriko.ai/v1 - API key: your
ak_live_...key
- Provider ID:
- Models auto-populate. Select a model.
- Click Submit.
CLI
No registration step is needed —kilo run resolves any auriko/<model> ID from your API key. Skip to Verify.
If auriko/* models aren't found (CLI fallback)
If auriko/* models aren't found (CLI fallback)
If This overrides Kilo’s provider registry with a local definition.
kilo run --model auriko/<id> returns “model not found” (rare; usually means Kilo’s registry cache didn’t refresh), define the provider locally in a kilo.json at your project root:Verify
VS Code: Start a chat in the Kilo Code panel and send a message. You should see a response from the model you selected. CLI:setup-ok.
First run only: Kilo performs a one-time SQLite migration (
Performing one time database migration, may take a few minutes...). The first call can take up to a minute. Subsequent calls return in seconds.Set default model
To avoid passing--model on every run, create a kilo.json at your project root:
~/.config/kilo/kilo.json for a global default instead. A project-root config takes precedence.
VS Code users set their default model in the model picker (top of the Kilo Code panel).
Use different models
Pass any registered model with the--model flag:
| Model | Author | Context |
|---|---|---|
claude-sonnet-4-6 | Anthropic | 1M |
claude-opus-4-6 | Anthropic | 1M |
claude-opus-4-7 | Anthropic | 1M |
deepseek-v4-flash | DeepSeek | 1M |
deepseek-v4-pro | DeepSeek | 1M |
gemini-2.5-flash | 1M | |
gemini-2.5-pro | 1M | |
gemini-3.1-pro-preview | 1M | |
glm-5.1 | Z.AI | 200K |
grok-4.3 | xAI | 1M |
kimi-k2.5 | Moonshot | 262K |
kimi-k2.6 | Moonshot | 262K |
minimax-m2-7 | MiniMax | 205K |
minimax-m2-7-highspeed | MiniMax | 205K |
qwen-3.6-plus | Alibaba | 1M |
Known model quirks on Kilo
gemini-2.5-flashon tool-call prompts: returns an empty response (no tool invocation, no text). Usegemini-2.5-proorgemini-3.1-pro-previewfor tool-calling workflows on the Gemini family.gemini-2.5-proon arithmetic: can produce wrong answers when asked for an exact number without showing work. Prompt it to use a tool or show its reasoning for math-critical tasks.
Add unregistered models (advanced)
If you need a model that isn’t in the 15 above andauriko/<id> doesn’t resolve, define it locally in kilo.json:
Control routing
Configure routing in the Auriko dashboard. See routing options for details.Uninstall
VS Code: Remove the Auriko custom provider from Settings > Providers. Uninstall the Kilo Code extension. CLI: RemoveAURIKO_API_KEY from your shell profile (~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc). If you created a kilo.json, remove the auriko-related lines or delete the file.
Troubleshoot
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
Error: API key is invalid. or Error: Model not found: auriko/<model>. | AURIKO_API_KEY missing in this shell, or revoked | Run echo $AURIKO_API_KEY. If empty, export it. If set, verify at https://api.auriko.ai/v1/me (expect HTTP 200) |
| No models in custom provider dialog (VS Code) | Base URL wrong or API unreachable | Use exactly https://api.auriko.ai/v1. Enter the API key first — auto-detection requires both |
| Model not found (404) | Wrong model ID format | VS Code: bare IDs (claude-sonnet-4-6). CLI: auriko/ prefix (auriko/claude-sonnet-4-6) |
auriko/* models not resolved (CLI) | Provider registry cache hasn’t refreshed | Add a provider block to kilo.json (see “If auriko/* models aren’t found”) |
kilo.json model field is ignored | Sibling opencode.json overrides it (Kilo reads both since it’s an opencode fork), or ~/.config/kilo/kilo.json is loaded after the project file | Check ./kilo.json, ./opencode.json (if present), and ~/.config/kilo/kilo.json — keep them in sync or remove the ones you don’t use |
Performing one time database migration... on first run | Kilo’s one-time SQLite migration | Wait — typically completes in under a minute. Only happens on the very first call |
kilo run returns exit code 0 even when output starts with Error: | Kilo CLI doesn’t propagate failures via exit code | For CI: grep stdout/stderr for ^Error:, or check for a non-empty text event in --format json output. Don’t rely on $? |
gemini-2.5-flash returns nothing on a tool-using prompt | Known Kilo host-side integration quirk | Use gemini-2.5-pro or gemini-3.1-pro-preview for tool calls |