Kiro’s Awakening
The Problem
Our organization is transitioning to AI-assisted workflows - specifically using Kiro (an agentic IDE) to connect teams to Jira, Figma, and structured document processing. But the gap between “Kiro is installed on your machine” and “I’m actually productive with this tool” was significant.
People were opening Kiro for the first time and hitting a wall:
- What is a workspace? Why do I need to open a folder?
- What are steering files and why do they matter
- How do I connect to Jira? What’s MCP? What’s a PAT?
- How do I install extensions?
- How do I actually use this for my real work?
Traditional documentation (Chalk pages, README files, how-to guides) existed, but it wasn’t sticking. People read the docs, closed the tab, and came back the next day with the same questions. The information was available; the learning wasn’t happening.
The Insight
The realization: people learn by doing, not by reading. And if you wrap the “doing” in a structure that feels like progression (levels, rewards, challenges), engagement goes up dramatically. Gamified learning isn’t new - but applying it to internal tooling onboarding is underutilized.
The question became: could something be built that someone picks up on Day 1 with zero prior experience and walks away actually productive?
The Solution: Kiro’s Awakening
A self-contained, gamified onboarding game that lives entirely inside Kiro. No seperate app. No external platform. No build step. You open the folder, read the quest, and do the work directly in the Kiro chat.
Design Principles
- Learn by doing - every quest requires actually performing a task, not just reading about it
- Progressive complexity - start with “what is a workspace?” and end with “run a full end-to-end workflow”
- Self-contained - zip the folder, sahre it, open it in Kiro, done
- Org-specific where it matters - MCPs, PAT naming conventions, and internal URLs
- Generic where it should be - base game works for any team; expansion packs add domain specificity
- Fun without being childish - Zelda-insired theming (dungeons, items, NPCs) keeps it engagin without undermining credibility
Structure
Base Game (universal - any team in the org):
| Module | Concept | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Level 0: The Awakening | First-time Kiro orientation (open folder, find chat, verify) | 5 min |
| Dungeon 1: Steering Scrolls | Persistant workspace rules and context | 15-20 min |
| Dungeon 2: Context Crystal | #File, #Folder, images, documents, live state | 15-20 min |
| Dungeon 3: MCP Bridges | Jira & Figma MCP setup (real internal process) | 30-45 min |
| Dungeon 4: Stories Forge | Document analysis and structured output generation | 20-30 min |
| Dungeon 5: Hooks Tower | Event-driven automation | 20-30 min |
| Final Boss | End-to-end workflow combing all skills | 30-45 min |
Expansion Packs
The base game applies to everyone. Team-specific domain knowledge only applies to one team. Separating these out means the base game stays clean and universal while teams can add their own depth.
Game Mechanics
- Dungeons = learning modules (one core concpet each)
- Quests = individual tasks within a module (5-8 per dungeon)
- Items = skills unlocked (Scroll of Standards, Crystal of Clarity, Bridge Key, etc.)
- Heart Containers = competency milestones (one per dungeon)
- Rupees = bonus points for optional challenges (bragging rights)
- NPC Hints = expandable help sections for when players get stuck
- Treasure Chests = self-verification checklists after each quest
- Final Boss = capstone challenge using all skills together
Tools Used
| Tool | Role |
|---|---|
| Kiro | Development environment - built the entire game through conversatinal AI collaboration |
| Kiro Steering Files | Sample steering files bundled with the game for players to discover |
| Kiro MCP (Jira) | Referenced in Dungeon 3 - teaches players to set up and use |
| Kiro MCP (Figma) | Referenced in Dungeon 3 - teaches Figma Power installation |
| Markdown | All content authored in plain markdown - no dependencies, no build tools |
The game itself was built entirely through Kiro in a single working session - iterating on structure, content, theming, and accuracy through conversational collaboration.
Key Decisions
Why Zelda theming? The structure of Zleda games maps perfectly to skill acquisition: explore an area -> find a tool -> use the tool to solve puzzles -> unlock new areas. That’s exactly how Kiro learning works. The theming makes it memorable without requiring anyone to know or care about Zelda.
Why self-contained? Distribution matters. If sharing the game requires “first intall X, then configure Y, then pull from Z” - you’ve already lost people. A single folder that works when opened in Kiro means zero-friction sharing.
Why MCP setup is required (not optional)? Jira and Figma MCPs aren’t nice-to-haves for our org - they’re the core value proposition. Making them optional would produce people who ‘completed the game’ but can’t actually do the work. These are real steps they’d have to do anyway.
Why expansion packs? Our org has multiple teams. The base game serves everyone. As mentioned previously, team-specific knowledge only applies to one team. Separating these means the base game stays clean and universal while teams can add their own depth.
Benefits
For new team members:
- Day 1 productivity path (not “read these 15 Chalk pages”)
- Hands-on confidence building (they’ve actually done the thing, not just read about it)
- Self-paced, no scheduling required (no “wait for the next training session”)
For the team:
- Consistent onboarding (everyone learns the same concepts in the same order)
- Reduced “how do I…” questions (the game already answered them)
- Measurable completion (progress tracker, rupee scores)
- Living document (update quests as tools/process change)
For the Org:
- Reusable framework (other teams can build expansion packs)
- Scalable (works for 1 person or 100)
- Low maintenance (markdown files, no infrastructure)
- Demonstrates AI-assisted workflow value by being build with AI-assisted workflows
What’s next
- Playtest with the immediate team and iterate based on friction points
- Spec-driven development dungeon for advanced users
Metrics to Watch
- Time to complete base game (target: 2-3 hours)
- Time from “installed Kiro” to “first real Jira query via MCP” (target: under 1 hour)
- Reduction in setup-related support questions
- Number of teammates who complete the full game + expansion
- Qualitative feedback on which dungeons were most/least valuable
Built in Kiro, for Kiro, using Kiro. June 2026.