Getting started

Install kcode, sign in, and run a first session.

Install

kcode runs on Apple silicon Macs with macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later. There is no Intel build.

  1. Get the DMG from Download.
  2. Open it and drag kcode to Applications.
  3. Open kcode. It is notarized, so macOS opens it like any other app.

Sign in

On first launch kcode shows a short code and a link to kcode.sh. Open the link—it already includes the code—enter your email, and click the sign-in link we send you. The page shows the Mac that is asking; approve it and go back to the app.

The 14-day trial starts when you approve your first Mac. No card is needed. An account can have two active Macs; the account guide covers swapping one out.

Provider keys

kcode uses your own keys. Set them with kcode auth, or put them in the environment before you launch. A key for any supported provider is enough to start; /model lists the models of every provider you have a key for.

A first session

Mission Control opens on an empty grid. Press ⌘N, pick a project folder, and type what you want done. A few things worth knowing on day one:

  • / at the start of the input opens the command menu. /help lists everything.
  • ⌘M goes back to the grid from a session; ⌘1 to ⌘9 jump to a tile.
  • ⌘P is the command palette, ⌘, the settings page, Ctrl-B the shortcut cheatsheet.
  • /permissions plan puts a session in read-only mode when you want it to look before it touches anything.
  • Esc stops the running turn.

Configuration

Settings live in ~/.kcode/config.toml, with a per-project overlay in <project>/.kcode/config.toml. Every control on the settings page is one of those keys. kcode config defaults prints the whole surface with defaults, and the settings reference explains each key.

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