Kilo CLI — Installation & Usage Guide

Terminal-based AI coding agent with access to 500+ models. Plan, write, debug, and refactor code without leaving your terminal.

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Prerequisites

• Node.js v18.0 or later
• npm

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Installation

# Install globally (recommended)
npm install -g @kilocode/cli

# Or run without installing
npx @kilocode/cli

# Verify
kilo --version

Older CPUs (no AVX support): Download the -baseline binary from GitHub Releases for your platform instead.

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First-Time Setup

kilo        # launch TUI
/connect    # add your API key interactively

Or configure manually at ~/.config/kilo/config.json:

{
  "$schema": "https://app.kilo.ai/config.json",
  "provider": {
    "anthropic": {
      "apiKey": "YOUR_API_KEY"
    }
  }
}

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Basic Usage

kilo                              # launch interactive TUI
kilo run "fix the login bug"      # one-shot prompt
kilo --help                       # show all options

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Key CLI Commands

Command	Description
kilo	Launch interactive TUI
kilo run [message]	Run a prompt non-interactively
kilo upgrade	Update to latest version
kilo uninstall	Remove Kilo
kilo models	List available models
kilo stats	Show token usage & costs
kilo auth	Manage providers & credentials
kilo session	Manage sessions
kilo export	Export session as JSON
kilo pr <number>	Checkout a GitHub PR and run Kilo

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Slash Commands (inside TUI)

Command	Description
/connect	Add a provider / API key
/models	Switch AI model
/agents	Switch agent mode
/new	Start a new session
/sessions	Resume a previous session
/compact	Summarize the session
/undo / /redo	Undo or redo a message
/export	Export transcript
/themes	Switch UI theme
/exit	Quit

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Agent Modes

Switch with /agents inside the TUI:

Mode	Purpose
Architect	Plan features before coding
Ask	Ask questions about your codebase
Debug	Trace and fix bugs
Orchestrator	Run parallel multi-agent tasks
Custom	Define your own agent

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Update & Uninstall

kilo upgrade                    # update
npm uninstall -g @kilocode/cli  # uninstall

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Links

• Docs: https://kilo.ai/docs/code-with-ai/platforms/cli
• GitHub: https://github.com/Kilo-Org/kilocode
• npm: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@kilocode/cli

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