Memory

---
id: P-3JGE7aaB
type: project
title: cli-route-fix-prompt-vs-skill-conflict-ide-cli-share-skill
created_at: 2026-06-24T16:11:42Z
write_source: user-explicit
trust: high
source_file: user-explicit
source_line: 1
source_sha1: 621fb094fd755d3cd4e6f5aee4b53660c472f8d0e4c29a9fcfd9a17d723a8c22
related: [THE-FIX-use-cmk-remember-cli-not-mk-remember-mcp-in-kiro-cli, CONFIRMED-kiro-bugs-5873-5662-custom-agents-dont-get-mcp-too]
---

THE USER'S QUESTION exposed a real conflict in the CLI-route fix (2026-06-24): kiro-cli and Kiro IDE are SEPARATE surfaces (IDE: .kiro/hooks/ + .kiro/skills/ + .kiro/settings/mcp.json in PROJECT; kiro-cli: ~/.kiro/agents/cmk.json in HOME — the IDE does NOT read the agent config, confirmed). So my agent-PROMPT change (use cmk remember CLI) is correctly kiro-cli-ONLY. BUT a conflict remains: in kiro-cli, the agent has BOTH (a) my prompt saying 'use cmk remember CLI' AND (b) access to the .kiro/skills/memory-write skill saying 'prefer the MCP tools'. They contradict — the agent might follow the skill back to the broken MCP path. THE TENSION: the SAME .kiro/skills/memory-write is read by BOTH the IDE (where MCP WORKS — proven Session 1) and kiro-cli (where MCP is broken, #5873). So I can't just flip the skill to 'prefer CLI' for all of .kiro/ — that would wrongly steer the IDE away from its working MCP. RESOLUTION OPTIONS: (1) the agent PROMPT is enough — it's the active agent's system prompt, likely OVERRIDES/outranks the skill's preference; just make the prompt EMPHATIC ('do NOT use MCP memory tools, they will not persist in this environment; ALWAYS use cmk remember'). Test if the prompt wins. (2) Kiro-translate the skill DIFFERENTLY — but IDE+cli share the same .kiro/skills/ project files, so can't differ by file. UNLESS the skill is made AGENT-AWARE in its text ('if you are running in kiro-cli / if MCP tools are unavailable, use cmk remember'). (3) Accept the prompt as primary + the skill as fallback — the skill already HAS a CLI fallback ('when the MCP server isn't connected'); the issue is the server LOOKS connected. Could reword the skill's fallback trigger to 'when an MCP save does not confirm a real write / in kiro-cli'. RECOMMEND option 1 first (emphatic prompt, test if it wins over the skill) — simplest; if the agent still picks MCP, do option 3 (reword the shared skill's fallback to be agent-aware). NEED LIVE TEST: does the emphatic prompt make kiro-cli use cmk remember despite the skill saying prefer-MCP?

**Why:** The user asked how IDE vs cli are distinguished — surfacing that my CLI-route prompt (kiro-cli-only, correct) conflicts with the shared .kiro/skills/memory-write skill which says 'prefer MCP'. The same skill is read by the IDE (MCP works) and kiro-cli (MCP broken), so it can't simply be flipped. Must resolve whether the agent prompt outranks the skill, or make the skill agent-aware.

**How to apply:** RESOLVE: (1) FIRST make the kiro-cli agent prompt EMPHATIC ('do NOT use MCP memory tools — they will NOT persist here; ALWAYS save with cmk remember') and LIVE-TEST whether the prompt wins over the skill's prefer-MCP. The system prompt usually outranks a skill. (2) If the agent still picks MCP, make the SHARED .kiro/skills/memory-write skill AGENT-AWARE in its text: its existing 'Fallback: cmk CLI when the MCP server isn't connected' should add 'OR when running under kiro-cli / when an MCP save does not return a confirmed write — in kiro-cli the MCP tools silently no-op (Kiro #5873), so use the CLI'. This keeps the IDE on MCP (its MCP works + confirms) while steering kiro-cli to CLI. Both IDE+cli read the same skill file but the agent-aware text routes each correctly. Test-first + live-verify in BOTH kiro-cli (uses CLI) and confirm IDE still uses MCP (Session-1 behavior unchanged). Relates the CLI-route fix (P-GJ6NK9QE), #5873, kiro-skills.mjs, the memory-write skill's existing fallback.