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TECHNICAL_ANXIETY
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    Kiro Setup Documentation

    Kiro Setup Documentation

    Generated: December 7, 2025
    Updated: December 14, 2025
    Systems: Windows 11 Pro (WSL2) + macOS (Apple Silicon)
    User: jason.rinehart@live.com
    Workspace: ~/technicalanxiety.github.io

    System Specifications

    Primary Workstation (Personal)

    • OS: Windows 11 Pro (Build 26200)
    • CPU: AMD Ryzen (4-core ~3.3GHz)
    • RAM: 32GB (upgraded from 14GB)
    • Storage: NVMe SSD
    • Shell: WSL2 (Ubuntu) - Primary development environment
    • Network: WiFi (Realtek 8821CE)

    Secondary Workstation (Work)

    • OS: macOS Tahoe 26.2 (Apple Silicon)
    • CPU: Apple M4 (8-core)
    • RAM: 16GB
    • Storage: SSD
    • Shell: zsh (native macOS)

    Kiro Configuration

    User-Level Settings

    Location: ~/.kiro/settings/

    Currently empty - no user-level MCP configurations found.

    Workspace-Level Settings

    Location: .kiro/settings/

    MCP Servers (.kiro/settings/mcp.json)

    Platform-Specific Configurations:

    1. Filesystem Server
      • Command: npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem
      • Auto-approved: read_file, read_multiple_files, list_directory, search_files
      • Status: Enabled

      Windows (WSL2):

      "args": ["C:\\Users\\jason", "C:\\Users\\jason\\.kiro"]

      macOS:

      "args": ["/Users/jason.rinehart", "/Users/jason.rinehart/.kiro"]
    2. Microsoft Learn
      • URL: https://learn.microsoft.com/api/mcp
      • Auto-approved: search_documentation, get_article
      • Status: Enabled
      • Note: Platform-independent configuration

    Agent Hooks

    Location: .kiro/hooks/

    1. Check Image Optimization (check-image-optimization.json)

    • Trigger: On file save in img/**/*.{jpg,jpeg,png}
    • Action: Validates image optimization (size, dimensions, compression)
    • Status: Enabled

    2. Pre-Commit Checklist (pre-commit-checklist.json)

    • Trigger: Before commit
    • Action: Displays pre-publish checklist for blog posts
    • Status: Enabled

    3. Update Changelog (update-changelog.json)

    • Trigger: On file save in layouts, includes, sass, js, config files
    • Action: Prompts to update CHANGELOG.md
    • Status: Enabled

    4. Validate Post on Save (validate-post-on-save.json)

    • Trigger: On file save in _posts/**/*.md
    • Action: Validates front matter, images, attribution, reading time
    • Status: Enabled

    5. Weekly Planning Reminder (weekly-planning-reminder.json)

    • Trigger: Scheduled - Monday 9:00 AM
    • Action: Reminds to plan next blog post
    • Status: Enabled

    Steering Files

    Location: .kiro/steering/

    1. automated-checks.md - Automated validation rules
    2. azure-standards.md - Azure naming conventions, tagging, best practices
    3. blog-content-standards.md - Blog post guidelines and standards
    4. error-handling-logging.md - Error handling and logging practices
    5. git-workflow.md - Git workflow and commit standards
    6. jekyll-technical-guide.md - Jekyll-specific technical guidance
    7. security-practices.md - Security best practices and checklists
    8. testing-strategy.md - Testing approaches and standards

    Project Type

    Jekyll Static Site (Blog/Portfolio)

    • Ruby-based static site generator
    • Minimal resource requirements
    • Images stored in /img/ directory
    • Posts in _posts/ directory
    • Custom layouts, includes, and Sass styling

    Dual-Platform Usage

    Active Workstations

    Windows (Personal): WSL2 Ubuntu environment
    macOS (Work): Native zsh shell

    Platform-Specific Considerations

    File Paths

    • Windows: C:\Users\jason\.kiro\
    • macOS: /Users/jason.rinehart/.kiro/

    Git Configuration

    Ensure consistent git config across both systems:

    git config --global user.name "Jason Rinehart"
git config --global user.email "jason.rinehart@live.com"

    MCP Server Compatibility

    • npx commands: Work on both platforms (requires Node.js)
    • uvx commands: Work on both platforms (requires uv/Python)
    • File paths: Must be updated per platform in .kiro/settings/mcp.json

    Platform Switching Workflow

    When Moving Between Workstations

    1. Commit and push current work: 
      git add .
git commit -m "Work in progress"
git push
    2. Pull latest on new workstation: 
      git pull origin master
    3. Verify MCP configuration matches platform:
      • Check .kiro/settings/mcp.json file paths
      • Reconnect MCP servers if needed from Kiro MCP panel
    4. Test environment:
      • Verify Jekyll serves correctly: bundle exec jekyll serve
      • Check image optimization tools
      • Confirm hooks are working

    Platform-Specific Setup Commands

    macOS (First Time Setup):

    # Install Homebrew if needed
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

# Install dependencies
brew install node ruby git
gem install bundler jekyll

# Clone and setup
git clone git@github.com-personal:technicalanxiety/technicalanxiety.github.io.git
cd technicalanxiety.github.io
bundle install

# Update MCP configuration for macOS paths
# Edit .kiro/settings/mcp.json to use /Users/jason.rinehart paths

    Windows (WSL2 Setup):

    # Install Node.js
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_lts.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

# Install Ruby and Jekyll
sudo apt update
sudo apt install ruby-full build-essential zlib1g-dev
gem install bundler jekyll

# Clone and setup
git clone git@github.com-personal:technicalanxiety/technicalanxiety.github.io.git
cd technicalanxiety.github.io
bundle install

# MCP configuration uses C:\Users\jason paths

    Backup Strategy

    What to Backup

    1. User-level settings: ~/.kiro/settings/
    2. Workspace settings: .kiro/settings/
    3. Agent hooks: .kiro/hooks/
    4. Steering files: .kiro/steering/

    What NOT to Backup

    • Kiro application files (reinstall on new system)
    • Indexed codebase data (regenerates automatically)
    • Chat history (optional, not critical)
    • Temporary files

    Restoration Process

    On New System

    1. Install Kiro (platform-specific installer)

    2. Restore user-level settings:

      mkdir -p ~/.kiro/settings
cp backup/user-settings/* ~/.kiro/settings/

    3. Clone repositories (workspace settings come with them):

      git clone <repo-url>
cd <repo>
# .kiro/ folder is already there
    4. Update MCP configurations for new platform:
      • Edit .kiro/settings/mcp.json
      • Update file paths for filesystem server
      • Verify command availability (npx, uvx, etc.)
    5. Test MCP servers:
      • Reconnect servers from Kiro MCP panel
      • Verify tools are working
    6. Verify hooks and steering:
      • Check hooks are enabled
      • Confirm steering files are loaded

    Dependencies

    Required Software (Both Platforms)

    • Node.js - For npx and filesystem MCP server
    • Git - Version control
    • Ruby - For Jekyll (project-specific)
    • Bundler - Ruby dependency management (project-specific)

    Platform-Specific Installation

    Windows (WSL2):

    • Node.js via NodeSource repository
    • Ruby via apt package manager
    • Git via apt package manager

    macOS:

    • Node.js via Homebrew
    • Ruby via Homebrew (or system Ruby)
    • Git via Homebrew or Xcode Command Line Tools

    Optional Software

    • Python/uv - For Python-based MCP servers (if added)
    • Docker - For containerized development (if needed)

    Security Notes

    File System Access

    • Windows: MCP filesystem server has access to C:\Users\jason and .kiro directories
    • macOS: MCP filesystem server has access to /Users/jason.rinehart and .kiro directories
    • Auto-approved tools are read-only operations only
    • No secrets stored in Kiro configuration files
    • Steering files contain best practices, no sensitive data

    Cross-Platform Considerations

    • Git SSH keys should be configured on both systems
    • Consistent user identity across platforms
    • No sensitive data in committed configuration files

    Performance Optimization Applied

    • 32GB RAM upgrade (from 14GB)
    • NVMe SSD for OS and development
    • WSL2 for better Linux tooling performance
    • Minimal background processes

    Contact & Support

    Changelog

    • 2025-12-07: Initial documentation created
    • 2025-12-07: RAM upgraded to 32GB (Windows workstation)
    • 2025-12-14: Updated for dual-platform usage (Windows + macOS)
    • 2025-12-14: Added platform switching workflow and setup instructions