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Istar VS Code Setup

Release License: MIT Issues PRs Welcome

Complete, privacy-conscious VS Code configuration for AI-assisted development.
Kilo Code + GitHub Copilot Chat (BYOK) + the Istar Code agent (deterministic, model-agnostic kernel).
OpenRouter free-tier model routing, per-agent fallback chains, MCP servers, 6 example skills, and setup scripts.

Table of Contents

Overview

Component Location Audience
Istar Code agent kernel (v5.0.0) system/istar-code.md All agent users
Agent definitions (Kilo / Copilot) agents/, .github/copilot/agents/ Kilo & Copilot users
Agent design docs (commands, evolution, memory) agent/ Contributors / maintainers
Kilo Code configs (CLI + extension + project) configs/ Kilo Code users
VS Code + Copilot Chat configs vscode/, .vscode/ Copilot Chat users
Example skills skills/ Kilo Code users
Setup, install & utility scripts scripts/ Everyone
Guides & research docs/ Everyone
Reference files & format standards examples/ Everyone
Agent persistent-memory templates memory/ Kilo Code users
Project documentation (stack, conventions) project/ Maintainers
Post-task reflection hook hooks/ Kilo Code users

Repository Layout

Istar-vscode-setup/
├── agents/                 # Agent definitions for Kilo Code
│   ├── istar-code.md           Universal coding agent (definition, v3.0.0)
│   ├── istar-kilocode-agent.md Project maintainer agent (v1.0.0)
│   └── README.md
├── agent/                  # Agent design & meta docs (NOT runtime agents)
│   ├── bootstrap.md            Onboarding / init workflow
│   ├── evolution.md            Skill lifecycle & self-improvement
│   ├── internal-commands.md    35-command internal command system
│   ├── self-evaluation.md      Reflection & weakness tracking
│   └── kilo-integration.md     Kilo config integration notes
├── system/
│   └── istar-code.md       # Istar Code v5.0.0 deterministic kernel (source of truth)
├── configs/                # Reference Kilo Code configs
│   ├── cli-kilo.jsonc          Global CLI config (MCP, permissions, instructions)
│   ├── extension-config.json   VS Code extension config (models, fallbacks)
│   ├── project-kilo.json        Per-project config template
│   └── README.md
├── vscode/                 # VS Code + Copilot Chat configuration
│   ├── settings.json           Copilot Chat settings + agent registration
│   ├── chatLanguageModels.json Custom endpoint providers
│   └── recommended-extensions.json
├── skills/                 # 6 example Kilo Code skills + README
├── scripts/                # PowerShell scripts
│   ├── setup/                  Installation & configuration
│   ├── tools/                  Developer utilities
│   └── README.md
├── docs/                   # Guides, research, skills catalog
│   ├── reference/skills-catalog.md
│   └── README.md
├── examples/               # Reference files (format standards, MCP reference)
├── memory/                 # Persistent-memory templates (6+ files)
├── project/                # Project documentation (repo-profile, stack, conventions, commands)
├── hooks/                  # post-task reflection hook
├── .github/copilot/agents/ # Standard Copilot Chat agent location (auto-discovered)
├── .vscode/                # Workspace settings & extension recommendations (tracked)
├── .kilo/                  # Project Kilo Code config (kilo.json, kilo.jsonc)
├── assets/                 # Logo and images
├── CHANGELOG.md
├── CONTRIBUTING.md
├── SECURITY.md
├── CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
├── LICENSE
└── README.md

Quick Start

One-command setup

.\scripts\setup\install-all.ps1

Installs recommended VS Code extensions, Kilo Code configs, the Istar Code agent, skills, and Copilot Chat BYOK. Review the script before running, as it copies files into your user profile.

Note: install-all.ps1 relies on the individual scripts in scripts/setup/. If it fails, run the relevant script directly (see Scripts).

Manual: Kilo Code

# 1. Copy the global CLI config
Copy-Item ".\configs\cli-kilo.jsonc" "$env:USERPROFILE\.config\kilo\kilo.jsonc" -Force

# 2. Copy the extension config (EDIT the user path in instructions.file_path first)
Copy-Item ".\configs\extension-config.json" "$env:USERPROFILE\.kilocode\config.json" -Force

# 3. Copy the agent
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path "$env:USERPROFILE\.config\kilo\agents" -Force | Out-Null
Copy-Item ".\agents\istar-code.md" "$env:USERPROFILE\.config\kilo\agents\istar-code.md" -Force

# 4. Install skills
.\scripts\setup\install-skills.ps1

# 5. Reload VS Code (Ctrl+Shift+P -> Developer: Reload Window)

See configs/README.md for the full customization guide (models, fallback chains, MCP servers, permissions).

Manual: Copilot Chat BYOK

.\scripts\setup\byok-master.ps1

Registers the Istar Code agent (@istar-code) in GitHub Copilot Chat and configures custom endpoint providers. Full guide: docs/copilot-chat-integration.md.

The Istar Code Agent

The Istar Code agent is a deterministic, model-agnostic coding agent. The authoritative definition is the v5.0.0 kernel in system/istar-code.md, which defines:

  • Instruction hierarchy (safety > repo conventions > user > skills > defaults)
  • Deterministic execution cycle — INSPECT > PLAN > EXECUTE > VERIFY > REFLECT with phase gates
  • Task classification & routing (T1–T6) with a decision table
  • Context budgeting (50–60% task / 20–25% loaded / 10–15% memory) with auto-compression
  • Verification hierarchy (V1–V6) with a minimum bar
  • Structured memory system (6 files, max 50 lines, write gates)
  • Skill lifecycle (Candidate → Proposed → Active → Deprecated → Archived)
  • Safety rules (archive over delete, stop after 2 failures, ask before destructive actions)

The agent runs in two contexts:

Context Definition How to use
Kilo Code agents/istar-code.md Copy to ~/.config/kilo/agents/
Copilot Chat .github/copilot/agents/istar-code.md Type @istar-code in chat

Agent design docs (command system, evolution, memory maintenance, self-evaluation) live in agent/.

Configuration

Reference configs are in configs/:

File Destination Purpose
cli-kilo.jsonc ~/.config/kilo/kilo.jsonc Global CLI config (MCP, permissions, instructions)
extension-config.json ~/.kilocode/config.json Extension config (models, per-agent fallback chains)
project-kilo.json <project>/.kilo/kilo.json Per-project template

Before using, replace <USER_HOME> placeholders with your own path and add your API key through the UI (never commit secrets). See configs/README.md.

Skills

The repo ships 6 example skills for Kilo Code. The full catalog of 150+ available skills is at docs/reference/skills-catalog.md.

Skill File Purpose
istar-code-format istar-code-format.md Enforces custom code-format standards
git-commit-helper git-commit-helper.md Conventional Commits message generator
powershell-best-practices powershell-best-practices.md PowerShell style enforcer
token-optimizer token-optimizer.md Token-efficiency patterns
memory-maintenance memory-maintenance.md Durable memory detection & compression
skill-creation skill-creation.md Skill lifecycle from candidate to archived

Install:

.\scripts\setup\install-skills.ps1 -Pack "all"

See skills/README.md for authoring and installation details.

Scripts

See scripts/README.md for the full reference.

Setup (scripts/setup/)

Script Purpose
install-all.ps1 Master installer (runs the scripts below)
install-extensions.ps1 Install recommended VS Code extensions
install-skills.ps1 Install Kilo Code skills by name or pack
byok-master.ps1 Automated Copilot Chat BYOK setup
backup-kilo-configs.ps1 Timestamped backup of current configs
restore-kilo-configs.ps1 Restore configs from backup
validate-kilo-configs.ps1 Validate JSON/YAML config syntax

Tools (scripts/tools/)

Script Purpose
test-keys.ps1 Test API keys for all providers
show-models.ps1 Show available OpenRouter models
clean-chats.ps1 Clean corrupt Copilot Chat state
debug-tools.ps1 Debug provider tool calling
find-object-form-instructions.ps1 Find broken instructions objects
modify_state.py Modify VS Code extension state

Documentation

File Contents
docs/README.md Documentation index
docs/kilo-code-vscode-openrouter-ultimate-guide.md Complete Kilo Code + OpenRouter guide
docs/copilot-chat-integration.md Istar Code + Copilot Chat integration
docs/openrouter-free-models-2026.md Free model catalog
docs/kilo-code-openrouter-free-tier-definitive-config.md Definitive free-tier config
docs/reference/skills-catalog.md 150+ available skills
CHANGELOG.md Version history
CONTRIBUTING.md Contribution guidelines

Contributing

PRs and issues are welcome. Please read CONTRIBUTING.md first. Use Conventional Commits, keep documentation free of emojis, and never commit secrets.

Security

Found a vulnerability? Do not open a public issue. See SECURITY.md for private disclosure via GitHub Security Advisories.

License

MIT © Istar Code Team.

About

My VSCode custom setup for best performance and efficency. BYOK Github Copilot Chat and Kilo code. Custom Agent.

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ai custom vscode ia ai-agent githubcopilot byok aiagent kilocode githubcopilotchat

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Releases 4

Istar VS Code Setup v4.0.0 Latest
Jul 12, 2026
+ 3 releases

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