Kiro-cli wont load since version 1.23.0 giving error error: Failed to open database: malformed JSON

[rrm777]

Checks

• I have searched github.com/aws/amazon-q-developer-cli/issues and there are no duplicates of my issue
• I have run q doctor in the affected terminal session
• I have run q restart and replicated the issue again

Operating system

macOS 26.2.0 (25C56)

Expected behaviour

Kiro-cli starts

Actual behaviour

Since updating to version 1.23.0(also in 1.23.1) I am getting the error error: Failed to open database: malformed JSON when attempting to start kiro-cli with kiro-cli chat. Rolling back to the 1.22.0 version resolves the issue.

Steps to reproduce

I am not sure what changed. I have been running Kiro-cli/q for 8 some months on this laptop and after this update it was just broken. I have tired to reinstall, wipe out configs and databases for kiro-cli with no success. The only way I can get it to work again is rolling back to the 1.22.0 version.

Environment

<This will be visible to anyone. Do not include personal or sensitive information>

[q-details]
version = "1.23.1"
hash = "faddc2c7ee17078025a62a8dfad6543a4154d2fa"
date = "2025-12-23T20:47:25.898591Z (18d ago)"
variant = "full"

[system-info]
os = "macOS 26.2.0 (25C56)"
chip = "Apple M3 Max"
total-cores = 14
memory = "36.00 GB"

[environment]
cwd = "/Users/USER/Desktop/reneetest"
cli-path = "/Users/USER/Desktop/reneetest"
os = "Mac"
shell-path = "/bin/zsh"
shell-version = "5.9"
terminal = "macOS"
install-method = "unknown"

[env-vars]
PATH = "/Users/USER/.nvm/versions/node/v22.21.1/bin:/opt/homebrew/bin:/opt/homebrew/sbin:/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.13/bin:/usr/local/bin:/System/Cryptexes/App/usr/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/var/run/com.apple.security.cryptexd/codex.system/bootstrap/usr/local/bin:/var/run/com.apple.security.cryptexd/codex.system/bootstrap/usr/bin:/var/run/com.apple.security.cryptexd/codex.system/bootstrap/usr/appleinternal/bin:/opt/pmk/env/global/bin:/Library/Apple/usr/bin:/Applications/VMware Fusion.app/Contents/Public:/usr/local/share/dotnet:~/.dotnet/tools:/Users/USER/.cargo/bin:/Users/USER/.local/bin"
QTERM_SESSION_ID = "839069b00132437b98c212c6bfb0db03"
Q_SET_PARENT_CHECK = "1"
Q_TERM = "1.23.1"
SHELL = "/bin/zsh"
TERM = "xterm-256color"
__CFBundleIdentifier = "com.apple.Terminal"