Kortex Code is an AI coding agent for your local terminal. It can inspect a repository, edit files, run commands, use browser/terminal helpers, and keep durable local sessions while you choose the model and the permission level.

ktx
ktx exec "fix the failing test in ./pkg"
ktx exec --output-format stream-json < turns.jsonl

Why Kortex Code

• Use the model you want. Bring OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Groq, OpenRouter, DeepSeek, Mistral, xAI, Qwen, Kimi, GitHub Models, Ollama, LM Studio, or any OpenAI-/Anthropic-compatible endpoint.
• Stay in control. File writes, shell commands, network access, and out-of-workspace writes go through Kortex Code's permission and sandbox policy.
• Works in the terminal. The TUI has model/provider pickers, image input, slash commands, live plan/tool rendering, scrollback, themes, and resume/fork support.
• Works without the TUI. ktx exec is scriptable, supports text/JSON/ stream-JSON I/O, isolated worktrees, spec-first runs, and meaningful exit codes for CI.
• Keeps context local. Sessions are stored on disk, searchable, resumable, and never uploaded as telemetry by Kortex Code.
• Extensible when you need it. Use MCP servers, skills, plugins, hooks, and specialist subagents from the same CLI.

Install

npm

npm install -g kortex-code
ktx

The npm package installs a small wrapper plus the matching Kortex Code binary for your platform from GitHub Releases. It supports Linux, macOS, and Windows on x64 and arm64.

Install scripts

Linux/macOS:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/omarciopaullino/kortex-code/main/scripts/install.sh | bash

Windows PowerShell:

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/omarciopaullino/kortex-code/main/scripts/install.ps1 | iex

From source

Source builds require Go 1.25+.

git clone https://github.com/omarciopaullino/kortex-code.git
cd kortex-code
go run ./cmd/ktx

Release installers and the npm wrapper require published GitHub Release assets. If you are testing before the first public release, build from source:

go build -o ktx ./cmd/ktx

On Linux, build the sandbox helper too if you want native sandboxing:

go build -o ktx-linux-sandbox ./cmd/zero-linux-sandbox
go build -o ktx-seccomp ./cmd/zero-seccomp   # optional compatibility wrapper

Put ktx and ktx-linux-sandbox in the same directory on PATH (~/.local/bin is a good default). macOS does not need an extra helper binary. Windows source builds can use the main ktx.exe as their sandbox helper; release archives still ship standalone Windows helper executables.

More install details: docs/INSTALL.md.

First Run

Start the TUI:

ktx

The setup wizard helps you pick a provider and model. You can also configure providers from the command line:

ktx setup
ktx providers list
ktx models list
ktx doctor

For API providers, set the matching environment variable before setup or enter the key in the wizard:

export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=...
export GEMINI_API_KEY=...

For local models, run Ollama or LM Studio and then use ktx setup or ktx providers detect.

Daily Use

Interactive TUI

ktx

Useful controls:

| Control | Action | |---|---| | Enter | send the prompt | | / | open slash-command suggestions | | Shift+Tab | cycle permission mode | | Ctrl+B | show/hide the sidebar | | Ctrl+C | cancel or exit |

Common slash commands:

| Command | Purpose | |---|---| | /model, /provider | switch the active model/provider | | /spec, /plan | draft and review a plan before building | | /image | attach an image for vision-capable models | | /resume, /rewind | continue or roll back local sessions | | /compact, /context | manage context usage | | /permissions, /tools | inspect available tools and policy | | /add-dir | allow an extra write directory for this session | | /theme, /doctor, /config | adjust appearance and inspect setup |

Headless exec

ktx exec "explain internal/agent/loop.go"
ktx exec --model claude-sonnet-4.5 "refactor the config loader"
ktx exec --use-spec "add rate limiting to the API client"
ktx exec --worktree "try the migration in an isolated worktree"
ktx exec --resume
ktx exec --fork <session-id> "try the other approach"

Programmatic use:

ktx exec --input-format stream-json --output-format stream-json < turns.jsonl

The stream-JSON contract is documented in docs/STREAM_JSON_PROTOCOL.md.

Safety Model

Kortex Code is designed to make side effects visible.

• Workspace reads are allowed by default.
• File writes are limited to the workspace unless you grant another directory.
• Shell commands, network access, destructive commands, and elevated actions are permission-gated.
• --add-dir <path> and /add-dir <path> grant additional write roots without giving the agent the whole filesystem.
• Unsafe/autonomous modes are explicit opt-ins.
• Secrets are redacted from tool output and logs where Kortex Code controls the surface.

Example:

ktx --add-dir ../docs-site
ktx exec --add-dir ../shared "update both repos"

Sandbox behavior can be inspected with:

ktx sandbox policy
ktx sandbox grants list

Web And Local Control

Kortex Code includes local file/search/edit/shell tools, web_fetch for public URLs, and MCP support for additional tools.

For local dev servers, use shell commands such as curl through exec_command so the normal sandbox and permission policy applies. Long-running commands stay attached to a background terminal session and can be listed or stopped from the TUI.

The npm package also includes browser and terminal helper packages used by local browser/terminal tools. Source builds can use the same helpers when they are on PATH or configured in Kortex Code's local-control settings.

Common Commands

ktx                  interactive TUI
ktx exec             one-shot or scripted agent run
ktx setup            first-run provider setup
ktx auth             OAuth/login helpers for supported providers
ktx models           model registry and capabilities
ktx providers        provider profiles and detection
ktx doctor           setup, key, and connectivity checks
ktx context          context-budget report
ktx repo-map         deterministic repository map
ktx repo-info        local repository summary
ktx search | find    search local session history
ktx sessions         inspect, resume, fork, and rewind sessions
ktx spec             manage spec-mode drafts
ktx specialist       manage specialist subagents
ktx skills           manage markdown instruction skills
ktx plugins          manage plugins
ktx hooks            manage lifecycle hooks
ktx mcp              manage MCP servers and tools
ktx serve --mcp      expose Kortex Code tools over MCP stdio
ktx sandbox          inspect sandbox policy and grants
ktx worktrees        prepare isolated git worktrees
ktx verify           detect and run local verification checks
ktx changes          inspect and commit local git changes
ktx usage            token usage and estimated cost
ktx cron             scheduled agent jobs
ktx update           check for newer releases

Appearance And Accessibility

| Control | Effect | |---|---| | NO_COLOR=<anything> | disables color output | | KTX_THEME=<name> | selects the startup theme (auto, dark, light, or a color theme like dracula, nord, gruvbox, tokyo-night, catppuccin, one-dark, solarized-dark, rose-pine, everforest, solarized-light) | | --theme <name> | selects the TUI theme from the CLI (same names) | | /theme | opens the theme picker inside the TUI (live preview; /theme <name> switches directly) | | KTX_NO_FADE=1 | disables streaming fade animation |

Meaning does not rely on color alone; diffs, permissions, and statuses also use text or glyph markers.

Development

go test ./...
go run ./cmd/zero-release build
go run ./cmd/zero-release smoke
go run ./cmd/zero-perf-bench

Cross-compile examples:

go run ./cmd/zero-release build --goos linux --goarch amd64
go run ./cmd/zero-release build --goos windows --goarch amd64 --output dist/ktx.exe

Documentation

• Install
• Update flow
• Stream-JSON protocol
• Specialists
• GitHub Action
• Benchmarks
• Performance
• Agent evals

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. Read CONTRIBUTING.md, run the relevant tests, and open a focused pull request.

Security reports should follow SECURITY.md.

License

Kortex Code is released under the MIT License.