Klaat Code

AI coding assistant CLI with smart model routing — built for developers who live in the terminal.

npm install -g klaatai
klaatai

What is Klaat Code?

Klaat Code is a terminal-native AI coding assistant — similar to Claude Code or OpenCode — but with smart model routing that automatically picks the right AI model for each request, saving cost without sacrificing quality.

It runs entirely in your terminal with a full TUI (no Electron, no browser required), supports MCP servers, vim keybindings, skills, hooks, and everything else you'd expect from a professional AI coding tool.

Install

npm (requires Node ≥ 18 or Bun ≥ 1)

npm install -g klaatai

macOS permission error? If you see EACCES: permission denied, either prefix with sudo:

sudo npm install -g klaatai

Or fix npm's global prefix once so you never need sudo again:

mkdir -p ~/.npm-global
npm config set prefix ~/.npm-global
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.npm-global/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc
npm install -g klaatai

macOS (Apple Silicon) — standalone binary, no runtime needed

curl -fsSL https://github.com/klaatai/klaatai-cli/releases/latest/download/klaatai-macos-arm64 \
  -o /usr/local/bin/klaatai && chmod +x /usr/local/bin/klaatai

macOS (Intel)

curl -fsSL https://github.com/klaatai/klaatai-cli/releases/latest/download/klaatai-macos-x64 \
  -o /usr/local/bin/klaatai && chmod +x /usr/local/bin/klaatai

Linux (x64)

curl -fsSL https://github.com/klaatai/klaatai-cli/releases/latest/download/klaatai-linux-x64 \
  -o /usr/local/bin/klaatai && chmod +x /usr/local/bin/klaatai

Quick Start

# Open current directory
klaatai

# Open a specific project
klaatai ~/projects/my-app
klaatai /path/to/project

# Headless / CI mode
klaatai run "Fix all TypeScript errors"
klaatai run "Write tests for auth.ts" < auth.ts

# Authenticate
klaatai login
klaatai whoami

Features

Smart Model Routing

Klaat Code automatically routes each request to the most cost-effective model that can handle it. You get heavy model quality at nano model prices for simple tasks. The sidebar shows real-time tier distribution and estimated savings.

/model heavy    # force a specific tier
/model          # restore smart routing
/why            # explain the last routing decision

Full TUI — No Browser Required

• Streaming responses with live token display
• Collapsible tool output (click to expand)
• Mouse support — click, scroll, drag to select + auto-copy
• Vim keybindings (/vimmode on)
• 7 themes: dark, light, dracula, nord, ayu, catppuccin, gruvbox
• Split sidebar: usage, context window, MCP servers, routing analytics

Built-in Tools

| Tool | Description | |---|---| | read_file | Read files with line numbers, offset/limit | | write_file | Write files, creates parent dirs automatically | | edit_file | Surgical string replacement | | glob | File pattern matching | | grep | Regex search across files | | run_command | Execute shell commands | | web_fetch | Fetch and read web pages | | web_search | Search the web | | todo_write/read | Persistent task management | | delegate_task | Sub-agent delegation for complex tasks |

MCP (Model Context Protocol)

Full stdio MCP client — connect any MCP server in seconds.

# Configure in .klaatai/mcp.json
/mcp          # manage servers in TUI

7 built-in presets: filesystem, GitHub, Postgres, Puppeteer, Brave Search, Fetch, and more.

Git Integration

/diff           # show git diff
/review         # AI code review of current changes
/commit         # AI-generated commit message + confirm
/undo           # undo last AI file changes
/checkpoint     # snapshot project state
/rollback       # restore a checkpoint

Skills — Reusable Prompt Templates

Save prompts as .md files and invoke them by name.

/skill list              # list all skills
/skill fix-types         # invoke a skill
/skill new fix-types     # create a new skill in $EDITOR

Skills live in .klaatai/skills/ (project) or ~/.klaatai/skills/ (global).

Hooks — Lifecycle Automation

Run shell commands before/after tool calls and messages.

// .klaatai/hooks.json
{
  "after_message":  ["afplay /System/Library/Sounds/Glass.aiff"],
  "before_tool":    ["echo \"$KLAATAI_TOOL_NAME\" >> ~/.klaatai/tool.log"],
  "after_tool":     ["notify-send \"$KLAATAI_TOOL_NAME done\""]
}

Available events: before_message · after_message · before_tool · after_tool

Slash Commands

| Command | Description | |---|---| | /help | Show all commands | | /model <tier> | Force routing tier: nano / fast / code / reason / heavy | | /why | Explain last routing decision | | /diff [file] | Show git diff | | /review [ref] | AI code review | | /commit | AI-generated git commit message | | /test [args] | Run test suite (auto-detects Bun/Vitest/Jest/pytest/Go/Cargo) | | /skill <name> | Invoke a saved prompt skill | | /hooks | List configured lifecycle hooks | | /init | Detect tech stack and generate project rules | | /compact | Summarise context to free up the context window | | /checkpoint [label] | Snapshot project state | | /rollback [id] | Restore a checkpoint | | /undo | Revert last AI file changes | | /share | Export session to markdown | | /theme <name> | Switch theme | | /vimmode on\|off | Toggle vim keybindings | | /mcp | Manage MCP servers | | /sessions | List saved sessions | | /resume <id> | Resume a previous session | | /doctor | Diagnose auth, API, MCP, and project health | | /clear | Clear chat | | /cost | Show session cost |

Keyboard Shortcuts

| Shortcut | Action | |---|---| | ctrl+p | Command palette | | ctrl+y | Copy last AI response to clipboard | | ctrl+d | Quit | | ctrl+c | Cancel streaming / quit | | ctrl+x ctrl+e | Open $EDITOR to compose message | | esc | Cancel streaming | | @ | Insert file reference (fuzzy picker) | | !cmd | Run shell command and inject output | | Mouse drag | Select and auto-copy to clipboard |

Vim Mode (/vimmode on)

| Key | Action | |---|---| | esc | NORMAL mode | | i / a / A / I | INSERT mode | | h / l | Move cursor | | j / k | Scroll chat | | w / b / e | Word motion | | 0 / $ | Line start / end | | dd | Clear input | | D | Kill to end of line | | gg / G | Scroll to top / bottom | | ctrl+u / ctrl+d | Half-page scroll |

Configuration

Config is stored in ~/.klaatai/config.json.

{
  "baseUrl": "https://api.klaatai.com",
  "routingDisplay": "minimal",
  "theme": "dark",
  "vimMode": false
}

| Key | Values | Description | |---|---|---| | routingDisplay | off / minimal / full | Chat header detail level | | theme | dark / light / dracula / nord / ayu / catppuccin / gruvbox | UI theme | | vimMode | true / false | Vim keybindings |

Project Rules

Create .klaatai/rules.md in your project root — it's injected as a system message every session. Use /init to auto-generate one based on your tech stack.

Permissions

Fine-grained tool permissions in ~/.klaatai/permissions.json:

{
  "allow": ["read_file:*", "glob:*"],
  "deny":  ["run_command:rm -rf*"],
  "trusted_tools": ["read_file", "glob", "grep"]
}

Headless / CI Mode

# Single prompt, streams to stdout
klaatai run "Summarise CHANGELOG.md"

# Pipe input
echo "Explain this function" | klaatai run -

# With options
klaatai run "Fix type errors" --model fast --system "You are a TypeScript expert"

# In CI — no TUI, just output
klaatai run "Check for security issues in auth.ts" < auth.ts

API Server Mode

klaatai serve --port 8080

Exposes a REST API at http://localhost:8080 for IDE extensions and integrations:

• GET /v1/health — health check
• GET /v1/info — session info
• POST /v1/chat — chat with SSE streaming

Directory Structure

~/.klaatai/
  credentials.json    # API key + auth
  config.json         # user preferences
  permissions.json    # tool permission rules
  mcp.json            # global MCP servers
  hooks.json          # global lifecycle hooks
  sessions/           # saved session transcripts
  skills/             # global prompt skills (.md files)
  plugins/            # custom tool plugins (.js files)
  todos.json          # persistent todo list

.klaatai/             # project-level (in your repo)
  rules.md            # project rules (injected as system message)
  mcp.json            # project MCP servers
  hooks.json          # project lifecycle hooks
  skills/             # project prompt skills

License

MIT © KlaatAI