Install and first run

KnightCode is distributed via npm and runs on Node.js (>=18). It includes pre-built platform binaries that are installed automatically as optional dependencies.

Installation

Install KnightCode globally using npm:

npm install -g @knightcodeai/cli

Alternatively, you can run it without global installation using npx:

npx @knightcodeai/cli

If you prefer using Bun:

bun install -g @knightcodeai/cli

First Run & Setup

To start a session, navigate to any repository folder in your terminal and launch the client:

knightcode

On your very first run, KnightCode will guide you through an interactive onboarding wizard:

1. Enter your OpenRouter API key: The key is checked against OpenRouter. A key that OpenRouter rejects is refused so you can retry, but the check is advisory — if OpenRouter can't be reached (e.g. you're offline, or it returns a network/server error), the wizard warns and continues with the key you entered. The key is stored in a local credentials file — ~/.knightcode/credentials.json by default, or under $KNIGHTCODE_HOME if you've set that variable. On macOS and Linux the file is written with owner-only (0600) permissions; on Windows it follows the default filesystem permissions.
2. Pick a default model: Choose from a curated shortlist spanning free to frontier models (you can change it later with /models).
3. Configure web search (optional): Enable web search by selecting a provider — Brave Search or Tavily — and entering its API key, or skip this step and add it later.

You can re-run this setup dialog at any time inside the app by executing the /setup command.

Build from Source

Prerequisites: Node.js (>=20), and Bun (used as package manager).

# Clone the repository and install dependencies
bun install

# Build the CLI package
bun run build:cli

# Link the package locally
bun run link:cli

Now you can start a local development build with hot-reloads:

bun run dev:cli