kandev/docs/run-as-a-service.md

Run Kandev as a Service

Install Kandev as an OS-managed service (systemd on Linux, launchd on macOS) so it auto-starts and stays running. User-mode services installed by kandev service install can self-update from the System → Updates page. Non-service installs and --system services still update manually: npm i -g kandev@latest or brew upgrade kandev, then re-run kandev service install.

This guide assumes you've already installed kandev via Homebrew or npm and that kandev works when run interactively.

Windows: not yet supported. See open issues mentioning Windows for SCM support progress, or open a new one if there isn't one yet.

Quick Start

# Laptop / single-user — runs as you, starts when you log in:
kandev service install

# Linux VPS / shared box — runs at boot, no login required:
sudo kandev service install --system

After install, kandev is reachable at http://localhost:38429 (or --port <N> if you passed it).

User Mode vs --system Mode

	User mode (default)	--system mode
Install requires sudo	No	Yes
Unit location (Linux)	~/.config/systemd/user/kandev.service	/etc/systemd/system/kandev.service
Unit location (macOS)	~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.kdlbs.kandev.plist	/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.kdlbs.kandev.plist
Daemon runs as	You	$SUDO_USER if invoked via sudo, else the current user
Auto-starts on reboot	Linux: only after sudo loginctl enable-linger $USER (run once). macOS: only at next login.	Always, regardless of login state
Survives logout / SSH disconnect	Linux: yes, after linger. macOS: no (use --system instead).	Yes
Default KANDEV_HOME_DIR	~/.kandev	/var/lib/kandev
Logs	journalctl --user-unit kandev (Linux) · ~/.kandev/logs/service.err (macOS)	sudo journalctl -u kandev (Linux) · /var/lib/kandev/logs/service.err (macOS)
Best for	Laptop, workstation	Headless Linux VPS, Mac mini server, shared box

30-second rule of thumb: VPS → --system. Laptop → default.

Linux user-mode with loginctl enable-linger is functionally equivalent to system mode for a single-user VPS, but the linger one-liner itself requires sudo — so you're not avoiding sudo, just deferring it. For a VPS, --system is one less thing to remember after a reboot.

Commands

kandev service install [--system] [--port <port>] [--home-dir <path>] [--no-boot-start]
kandev service uninstall [--system]
kandev service start|stop|restart|status [--system]
kandev service logs [-f] [--system]
kandev service config [--system]

Command	What it does
install	Writes the unit file, reloads the service manager, enables auto-start, and starts the service. Then polls /health for up to 30s and dumps logs if it doesn't come up.
uninstall	Stops the service, disables auto-start, removes the unit file.
start / stop / restart	Control the running service without touching the unit file.
status	Print the OS service-manager view (systemd / launchctl).
logs [-f]	Dump the last 200 lines, or stream if -f. journalctl on Linux; tail on macOS log files.
config	Print the resolved paths, env vars, and whether the service is currently installed / active. Useful for diagnosis — read-only, no privileges needed.

Flags

• --system — system-level install. Requires sudo. See the comparison above.
• --port <N> — bake KANDEV_SERVER_PORT=<N> into the unit. Defaults to 38429.
• --home-dir <PATH> — bake KANDEV_HOME_DIR=<PATH> into the unit. Defaults to ~/.kandev (user mode) or /var/lib/kandev (--system).
• --no-boot-start — Linux user-mode only. Skip the loginctl enable-linger hint at the end of install.
• -f, --follow — only for logs. Stream rather than dump.

After an Upgrade

If Kandev is running as a user-mode service installed by kandev service install, open Settings → System → Updates and use Apply update when it appears. The button is shown only when the backend can prove it is running from a kandev-managed service unit/plist with valid service metadata.

Both npm and Homebrew install kandev under a versioned directory (e.g. node_modules/kandev/0.49.0/, Cellar/kandev/0.49.0/). Manual upgrades replace those paths, so the unit file must be refreshed afterward.

Manual fix: re-run install. It's idempotent.

npm i -g kandev@latest          # or: brew upgrade kandev
kandev service install          # rewrites the unit with the new paths

If you launch kandev interactively after an upgrade, it will detect a stale unit and print a one-line reminder. You can also check with kandev service config — the cli entry: and node path: lines tell you the paths that would be baked in by the next install.

System services (kandev service install --system) do not expose UI self-update. Update them from a privileged shell, then re-run sudo kandev service install --system.

Linux Boot-Start (loginctl enable-linger)

Linux user services normally run only while you're logged in. To keep kandev running across reboots without an active SSH session, run once:

sudo loginctl enable-linger $USER

After this, your user's systemd instance is started at boot by systemd-logind, and your enabled user units (including kandev) start with it. To disable later:

sudo loginctl disable-linger $USER

If you'd rather not deal with linger and you're already comfortable with sudo, install with --system instead — it sidesteps the issue entirely.

What's Inside the Unit File

The unit hard-codes absolute paths so it works in the empty PATH that systemd/launchd give a fresh service. A typical Linux user unit looks like:

# managed by kandev — regenerated by `kandev service install`
[Unit]
Description=Kandev autonomous agent platform
Documentation=https://github.com/kdlbs/kandev
After=network-online.target
Wants=network-online.target

[Service]
Type=simple
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/node /usr/local/lib/node_modules/kandev/bin/cli.js --headless
Environment=KANDEV_HOME_DIR=/home/alice/.kandev
Environment=KANDEV_LOG_LEVEL=info
Environment=PATH=%h/.local/bin:%h/.bun/bin:%h/.opencode/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/opt/homebrew/bin:/home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/bin
Environment=KANDEV_RUNNING_AS_SERVICE=true
Environment=KANDEV_SERVICE_MODE=user
Environment=KANDEV_SERVICE_MANAGER=systemd
Environment=KANDEV_INSTALL_KIND=npm
Environment=KANDEV_SERVICE_METADATA=/home/alice/.kandev/service/install.json
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=5s
KillMode=mixed
TimeoutStopSec=30s

[Install]
WantedBy=default.target

The --headless flag tells the CLI not to open a browser (you'll connect to it remotely or via localhost). The KANDEV_SERVICE_* variables and <home>/service/install.json metadata let the backend verify that UI self-update is safe before it shows the Apply button.

Troubleshooting

systemctl: command not found / launchctl: command not found

Kandev's service support requires either systemd (most Linux distros) or launchd (macOS). It does not currently support OpenRC, SysV init, or Windows SCM. You can still run kandev as a daemonized process with nohup / screen / tmux, or wrap it in your init system of choice using the launcher info from kandev service config.

"service did not become healthy within 30s"

The install succeeded (unit file written, service told to start) but kandev's HTTP /health endpoint never responded. install dumps the last 50 lines of logs when this happens — common causes:

• Port already in use → pass --port <other>.
• Cold-disk + slow first launch → re-run kandev service install; the second start is usually fast enough.
• Missing dependency on the unit's PATH (e.g. git, docker) → install the missing tool and kandev service restart.

The unit warns about a "file that doesn't look like a kandev-managed file"

kandev service install refuses to silently clobber files it didn't write. If you (or another tool) had previously put something at ~/.config/systemd/user/kandev.service or the equivalent on macOS, install will:

1. Copy the existing file to <path>.bak
2. Write the kandev unit in its place
3. Print a WARNING line so you notice

Inspect the .bak if you're not sure what was there.

Service runs as root when you wanted it to run as your user

This happens with --system if SUDO_USER isn't set (e.g. you logged in as root directly rather than sudo'ing). Either run install via sudo from your normal user, or hand-edit the User= (Linux) / UserName= (macOS) directive in the unit file.

After upgrading, the service silently keeps running the old version

The OS service manager keeps running whatever ExecStart it has — it doesn't know about npm/brew upgrades. For managed user services, use Apply update on the Updates page. Otherwise, always re-run kandev service install after an upgrade so the unit picks up the new paths, then kandev service restart to pick up new code.

Updating: TL;DR

# Option A: managed user service
# Use Settings -> System -> Updates -> Apply update

# Option B: manual / system service
# 1. Update the binary
npm i -g kandev@latest          # or: brew upgrade kandev

# 2. Refresh the unit file (rewrites paths to point at the new version)
kandev service install          # add --system if that's what you used originally

# 3. (install does this automatically) Verify it came back up
kandev service status

Uninstalling

kandev service uninstall          # or: sudo kandev service uninstall --system

This stops the service, removes its unit/plist, and reloads the service manager. Data in ~/.kandev (or /var/lib/kandev) is left intact — delete it manually if you want a clean slate.