How to Get 4,000 Free Kiro AI Coding Credits

Want to try Kiro's AI coding setup without paying for credits? Kiro is handing out 4,000 credits to people who join its Kiroween 2026 hackathon, and the source puts that at roughly $160 of value.

Signing up costs nothing, no card is required, and the credits unlock Claude, GPT and other supported models inside Kiro. The catch is the clock: requests close December 1 at 12 PM PT, and anything you redeem is gone by December 31, 2026.

Tutorial

1. Create a free account at https://kiro.dev. No credit card is required to sign up.
2. Copy your Kiro user ID from your account. If you are on AWS, the AWS account ID is what you use instead.
3. Register for Kiroween 2026 at https://kiroween.devpost.com/. Hackathon registration is free.
4. Open the Resources tab on the hackathon page. That is where the credit request form lives.
5. Request your 4,000 credits before December 1 at 12 PM PT. That cutoff is for the request, and it falls before the other deadlines.
6. Wait for a redemption code if you are approved. The source says it generally arrives within 48 business hours, so do not expect it instantly.
7. Redeem your code by December 4. The same date is the hackathon submission deadline, so do not leave it late.
8. Use the credits before December 31, 2026. Redeemed credits expire on that date and are not permanent.

Wrapping Up

You now have a clear path to 4,000 credits, worth about $160, without spending anything. Keep the limits in mind: it is one credit grant per eligible participant, regional and age restrictions apply, and you must be registered for the hackathon to request anything. If you also want a shot at the $100,000+ prize pool, only eligible new projects can compete, so read the official hackathon rules before you start building.