@kernova/core

The Kernova Runtime Engine — the kernel that powers AI agent applications.

Most developers should use @kernova/framework or @kernova/sdk instead. This package is for advanced use cases where you need full control over the runtime.

Installation

npm install @kernova/core @kernova/types

What It Does

@kernova/core is the full runtime engine. It handles:

• Intent processing — Submit structured goals, get results with evidence
• Agent orchestration — Register agents, score capabilities, route intents
• Memory — Five-layer persistent storage with full-text + semantic search
• Events — Every action tracked in SQLite, queryable, streamable
• Tools & Plugins — Register functions agents can call autonomously
• Workflows — Multi-step execution with human approval and compensation
• Identity — API keys, sessions, roles, permissions, organizations
• Budgets — Token limits, rate limiting, cost caps
• Models — 20+ providers, auto-detected, with fallback chains
• Streaming — Token-by-token response streaming
• Multi-agent — Delegation, ask, broadcast between agents
• Studio — Web dashboard for inspection

Quick Start

import { KernovaKernel, defineAgent } from '@kernova/core';

// Create the runtime
const kernel = new KernovaKernel({
  environment: 'development',
  debug: true,
});

// Define an agent
const assistant = defineAgent({
  name: 'assistant',
  description: 'A helpful assistant',
  capabilities: [{ id: 'general', name: 'General', description: 'General help', confidence: 0.9 }],
  tools: [],
  instructions: 'You are helpful and concise.',
});

// Register and start
kernel.agentRegistry.register(assistant.definition, assistant.executor);
await kernel.start();

// Submit an intent
const result = await kernel.submit({ goal: 'What is 2+2?', intentType: 'query' });
console.log(result.result?.summary);

// Stop
await kernel.stop();

Environment Variables

Set at least one model provider key:

export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...        # or
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-... # or
export DEEPSEEK_API_KEY=sk-...      # or any of 20+ providers

Key APIs

| API | Description | |-----|-------------| | KernovaKernel | The runtime kernel — start, submit, stop | | defineAgent() | Define agents with instructions and optional custom logic | | kernel.events | Event bus — subscribe, query, stream | | kernel.memoryEngine | Memory — store, query, decay | | kernel.plugins | Plugin registry — tools, middleware | | kernel.workflows | Workflow engine — define, execute, approve | | kernel.identity | Identity — users, keys, sessions, permissions | | kernel.budget | Budget — limits, tracking, enforcement | | kernel.models | Model router — complete, stream, embed | | kernel.gateway | Agent Gateway API server | | kernel.scheduler | Cron job scheduler | | kernel.taskQueue | Priority task queue with retries | | kernel.channels | Inbound/outbound messaging adapters | | kernel.triggers | Event-driven proactive triggers | | DevServer | Development server with hot-reload |

For a Simpler API

Use @kernova/sdk for less boilerplate:

import { Kernova } from '@kernova/sdk';
const app = await Kernova.create();
app.agent('assistant', { instructions: 'You are helpful.' });
const { answer } = await app.ask('Hello!');
await app.close();

Or use @kernova/framework for a full-stack app:

npx create-kernova-app my-app

Documentation

Full docs at kernova.dev