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Kilo Code + Gonka AI — AI-Agent in VS Code

Kilo Code is an open-source AI agent extension for VS Code that autonomously writes and edits code, runs terminal commands, and reads and fixes dozens of files at once. The project combines the strengths of Cline and Roo Code and is evolving as a unified agent platform: in addition to the IDE extension, there are options for JetBrains and CLI. The key feature is modes (agents): Code (writes code), Plan (also known as Architect — plans architecture without edits), Debug (finds the causes of errors), and Ask (answers project-related questions). You can also create your own modes.

The problem is the same as with any agent — token consumption. Kilo Code sends file context, command output, and step history to the model; a single task can easily consume 10-100M tokens. At Anthropic prices ($3-15 per 1M), this amounts to $30-1500 per session — impractical for everyday use.

JoinGonka Gateway reduces the cost hundreds and thousands of times: the same session costs $0.01-1.00. Since Kilo Code is open-source and supports any OpenAI-compatible endpoint (as well as Anthropic-format with a custom base URL), connecting our gateway is a matter of a single setting. This transforms Kilo Code from an expensive demonstration into an everyday tool.

Step 1: Install Kilo Code and Get Your Key

Install Kilo Code: In VS Code, open Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X), search for "Kilo Code" and click Install. After installation, the Kilo Code icon will appear in the sidebar. The extension is also available on Open VSX for builds without the Marketplace.

JoinGonka API key: If you don't have an account yet — register at gate.joingonka.ai/register, get 10M free tokens and create a key with the jg- prefix in Dashboard → API Keys. The same key works for both OpenAI-format (/v1) and Anthropic-format (/v1/messages) — the balance is shared.

Step 2: Configure Kilo Code (OpenAI Compatible)

Open the Kilo Code panel and go to the provider settings via the gear icon.

Method A — OpenAI Compatible (recommended). In the modern version of the extension, open Settings (gear icon) → Providers tab → Custom provider button at the bottom and fill in the dialog:

  • Provider ID: any identifier, e.g., joingonka.
  • Display name: e.g., JoinGonka Gonka.
  • Base URL: https://gate.joingonka.ai/v1
  • API key: jg-your-key
  • Models: add Qwen/Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507-FP8. Kilo automatically pulls the list of models from the /v1/models endpoint — you can select a model from the list instead of entering it manually.

Click Submit — the models will appear in the picker. In the old interface (VSCode Legacy), the path is shorter: API ProviderOpenAI Compatible, then the Base URL, API Key, and Model fields with the same values.

Method B — Anthropic-format. Our gateway also responds to the Anthropic API. Select API ProviderAnthropic, paste the key jg-your-key, check "Use custom base URL" and specify https://gate.joingonka.ai (without /v1 — Kilo will add /v1/messages itself).

Models and their output limits (all three are available right now):

ModelContextMax. output
Qwen/Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507-FP8 (default)128K8192
moonshotai/Kimi-K2.6128K3072
MiniMaxAI/MiniMax-M2.7128K4096

In the custom provider dialog, for each model you can set Max Output Tokens and Context Window — set the values from the table for the selected model.

Verification: In the Kilo Code chat in Code mode, type "Create a hello.py file with a hello world function." The agent should offer a diff for approval and create the file. By default, Kilo Code requests confirmation before each action — this can be relaxed by allowing auto-execution for trusted operations.

Comparison of Agentic Session Costs

Kilo Code is an agentic tool: it doesn't just respond, but performs tasks entirely — reads files, writes code, runs tests, fixes bugs. Each step is an API call, and tokens accumulate quickly. Let's compare the cost of typical sessions via Anthropic Claude and via our gateway to the Gonka network:

TaskTokensAnthropic ClaudeJoinGonka Gonka
Simple bug fix~5M$15 — $75$0.005
New feature (2–3 files)~20M$60 — $300$0.02
Module refactoring~50M$150 — $750$0.05
Full development session (4h)~100M$300 — $1,500$0.10

Through JoinGonka Gateway, input costs ~$0.0005 per 1M tokens, output is about three times more expensive — this is hundreds and thousands of times cheaper than Anthropic and OpenAI. Kilo Code becomes an everyday tool: you can run it for every ticket, every bug, and every feature, without worrying about the bill. At Anthropic prices, every run has to be carefully considered.

Model parameters: The default Qwen3-235B has a 128K token context window and a maximum response length of 8192 tokens. Kilo Code can request more, but the gateway will limit the output to the model's upper limit (Qwen — 8192, Kimi K2.6 — 3072, MiniMax-M2.7 — 4096). For long generations, the agent breaks the work into steps.

Modes and tool calling

The strong point of Kilo Code is its modes (called modes in the old extension, agents in the new one), which can be switched via a dropdown, the /agents command, or the hotkey Ctrl+.:

  • Plan / Architect — discuss and design solutions without touching files. Convenient to run via the cheap Qwen3-235B: planning consumes a lot of context, and on our gateway, it costs pennies.
  • Code — default mode: writes and edits code, applies diffs, runs commands.
  • Debug — purposefully searches for the cause of a bug using logs and stack traces.
  • Ask — answers questions about the codebase without making changes.

A separate Orchestrator mode in recent versions is considered deprecated: agents with full access to tools can now launch subagents themselves, without a dedicated orchestrator. User-defined modes for your scenarios are also supported.

Tool calling: Our gateway passes through native OpenAI function calling and Anthropic tool_use, and the selected models (Qwen3-235B, Kimi K2.6, MiniMax-M2.7) support tool invocation. This means that Kilo Code's agentic loop — file reading, editing, command execution, codebase indexing — works reliably on our models, without brittle parsing of text responses.

Kilo Code + Gonka = an open-source AI agent for VS Code with Plan/Code/Debug modes for pennies. A development session costs about $0.10 instead of $300-1500 with Anthropic, and 10M free tokens are enough for dozens of tasks.

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