Kilo Code Brings AI Code Reviews Directly Into Your IDE

Introducing Local Code Reviews: One Click from Your IDE

TLDR: Kilo Code launched Review mode, bringing their AI code reviewer directly into VS Code. It analyzes code for security, performance, bugs, and style before you even commit — making reviews a continuous part of development rather than a gate you wait at.

Summary:

Kilo Code hit a significant milestone this week — their Code Reviewer topped Product Hunt as the number one Product of the Day, and they're celebrating by shipping something arguably more useful: Review mode directly in your editor.

The premise is straightforward but addresses a real workflow gap. Their existing GitHub integration analyzes pull requests after you push, posting structured inline comments. Review mode brings that same analysis engine earlier in the process — before you commit, before you push, before anyone else sees your code.

The use cases they highlight reveal thoughtful product thinking. You're an hour into implementing something and unsure if you're overcomplicating it. Run a review on your current state and get feedback while you can still easily change direction. Or you're working on spikes, experiments, or local projects without a remote — Review mode doesn't need a PR or even a commit. It works on whatever's in your editor.

There's also the psychological angle they're addressing. Sometimes you want a second opinion without broadcasting that you're unsure. Early drafts, unfamiliar territory, code you're still figuring out. Review mode keeps that between you and your IDE. That's a real friction point in development teams that rarely gets discussed.

What Review mode examines is comprehensive: security vulnerabilities, performance issues, bugs and logic errors, error handling gaps, style violations, test coverage, documentation, and maintainability. You get structured feedback with explanations rather than just a list of warnings. And critically, because you're still in your editor, acting on feedback is immediate.

For teams and architects, the interesting play here is the model flexibility. You pick the right model for the job: something fast and cheap for quick refactors, heavier reasoning for security-sensitive changes. They're also offering Review mode for free with MiniMax M2.1 or GLM 4.7 models for a limited time — worth experimenting with if you want to test the workflow.

The vision they're articulating is review as a continuous, frictionless part of development. Review mode catches issues while you're building, the GitHub integration catches issues as the PR evolves. Every piece of code gets looked at twice before it merges without adding manual steps to your process.

Key takeaways:

• Review mode brings AI code analysis into VS Code before you commit or push
• Catches security vulnerabilities, performance issues, bugs, style violations, and more
• Model selection lets you choose fast/cheap for refactors or heavy reasoning for security-sensitive changes
• Free usage available with MiniMax M2.1 and GLM 4.7 models for limited time
• Works alongside Code, Ask, Debug, Architect, and Orchestrator modes in the Kilo suite

Tradeoffs:

• Earlier feedback reduces PR friction but adds another step to the local development loop
• Model flexibility offers customization but requires developers to make informed choices about which model to use

Link: Introducing Local Code Reviews: One Click from Your IDE

This article was generated from a newsletter summary. The content reflects the source material's perspective and may not represent complete analysis of all aspects of the topic.