Modes / Agents Sub-Tab Parity

Priority: P2

The legacy "Modes" sub-tab was a 1794-line component with comprehensive mode management. The new "Agents" sub-tab now covers core CRUD (create, edit, delete) after PR #7225 but is still missing several legacy features.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Mode/Agent CRUD

Feature	Legacy (Modes)	New (Agents)
View modes/agents list	List with name + slug	Interactive clickable list with name + description + "custom" badges
Select mode to configure	Popover/Command searchable combobox	Click-to-edit in agent list
Create new mode	Full dialog: name, slug, save location, role definition, description, when-to-use, tool groups, custom instructions	"Create New Mode" button with form: name (validated), description, system prompt
Delete custom mode	Confirmation dialog	Delete button with confirmation dialog
Rename custom mode	Inline text field with save/cancel	Not available — name is immutable after creation
Export mode	Export to file button	Not available
Import mode	Import dialog (project/global)	Not available (marketplace handles this)
Edit modes config (JSON)	Dropdown: "Edit Global Modes" / "Edit Project Modes"	Not available
Marketplace button	Opens mode marketplace	Not available

Per-Mode/Agent Settings

Setting	Legacy	New
API Configuration (provider profile)	<Select> dropdown of all API config profiles	Not applicable (CLI uses per-agent model instead of profiles)
Role Definition / System Prompt	<TextArea> (5 rows) + reset button for built-ins	Multiline auto-resizing textarea (edit view for custom; prompt override for built-in)
Description	<TextField> + reset button	Editable text field in edit view
When to Use	<TextArea> (4 rows) + reset button	Not available
Tools (tool groups)	Checkbox grid per group, file regex restrictions	Not applicable (CLI uses permission-based tool control)
Custom Instructions (per-mode)	<TextArea> (10 rows) + link to .kilocode/rules-{slug}/rules.md	Not available as separate field (merged into system prompt)
Temperature	Not in legacy Modes sub-tab (was in provider profile)	<TextField> per agent
Top P	Not in legacy Modes sub-tab	<TextField> per agent
Max Steps	Not in legacy Modes sub-tab	<TextField> per agent
Model Override	Not in legacy Modes sub-tab (was via API config)	<TextField> per agent

System Prompt Features

Feature	Legacy	New
Preview System Prompt	Button to view full rendered prompt in slide-out panel	Not available
Copy System Prompt	Clipboard button	Not available
Override System Prompt	Advanced disclosure with link to .kilocode/system-prompt-{slug}	Not available

Global Custom Instructions

Feature	Legacy	New
Global Custom Instructions field	<TextArea> (4 rows) inside Modes sub-tab	Not available in Agents sub-tab (Rules sub-tab has instruction file paths instead)
Link to global rules file	Link to .kilocode/rules/rules.md	Not available

Organization Features

Feature	Legacy	New
Share modes banner	KiloShareModesBanner component	Not available
Organization mode warning	Warning when mode has source === "organization"	Not available

CLI Agent Fields Not Exposed

These are CLI capabilities beyond what the legacy had:

CLI Field	Type	Description
agent[name].variant	string	Default thinking/reasoning variant (low/medium/high)
agent[name].permission	Permission	Per-agent tool permission overrides
agent[name].hidden	boolean	Hide agent from mode switcher
agent[name].disable	boolean	Fully disable agent
agent[name].mode	"subagent" / "primary" / "all"	Agent visibility context
agent[name].color	string	Agent identification color
agent[name].options	Record	Arbitrary key-value config

Remaining Work

Important (P2)

• When to Use field: Add a text area for orchestrator routing hints (if CLI supports it)
• System prompt preview: Add a button to view the full rendered system prompt — requires a CLI endpoint to return the assembled prompt for an agent
• Import/Export: Add import (from file) and export (to file) for agent/mode definitions
• Default variant per agent: Expose agent[name].variant for persistent thinking effort defaults
• Hidden/disable toggles: Add visibility controls for agents

Nice to Have (P3)

• Rename agent: Allow renaming custom agents (currently name is immutable after creation)
• Edit config JSON buttons: Quick links to open the raw config file for global/project agent config
• Marketplace integration: Button to open mode marketplace (covered by marketplace.md)
• Organization mode features: Share modes banner and org mode warning (depends on org feature implementation)
• Agent mode selector: Dropdown for subagent/primary/all
• Color picker: Visual agent identification
• Per-agent permissions: Collapsible permission override section per agent
• Copy system prompt: Clipboard button for the assembled prompt