kandev/docs/cli.md

Kandev CLI

Architecture

flowchart TB
    subgraph CLI["npx kandev"]
        run["run"]
        dev["dev"]
        start["start"]
    end

    run --> gh["GitHub Release"]
    dev --> makedev["make dev"]
    start --> binary["Binary + next start"]

    gh --> supervisor
    makedev --> supervisor
    binary --> supervisor

    subgraph supervisor["Process Supervisor"]
        direction LR
        s1["Manages backend + web processes"]
        s2["Handles graceful shutdown"]
        s3["Forwards signals"]
    end

Overview

The Kandev CLI (kandev) is the primary way to run the Kandev application. It handles downloading release bundles, managing processes, and providing a unified interface for both end users and developers.

Installation

No installation required. Use npx:

npx kandev

Or install globally:

npm install -g kandev

Quick Start

# Run the latest release (recommended for users)
npx kandev

# Opens the app at http://localhost:3000 (or next available port)

Commands

kandev / kandev run

Downloads and runs the latest release bundle from GitHub. This is the default command and recommended for end users.

npx kandev
npx kandev run
npx kandev run --version v0.1.0

What happens:

1. Checks for CLI updates (prompts if newer version available)
2. Downloads the platform-specific release bundle from GitHub
3. Extracts to ~/.kandev/bin/<version>/<platform>/
4. Starts the backend server
5. Waits for backend health check
6. Starts the web app
7. Prints URLs when ready

kandev dev

Runs the application in development mode with hot-reloading. Requires a local repository checkout.

# From the repo root or any subdirectory
npx kandev dev

What happens:

1. Locates the repo root (looks for apps/backend and apps/web)
2. Runs make dev for the backend (Go with hot-reload)
3. Runs pnpm dev for the web app (Next.js dev server)
4. Both processes run with hot-reloading enabled

kandev start

Runs the application using local production builds. Requires running make build first.

# Build first
make build

# Then start
npx kandev start

What happens:

1. Locates the repo root
2. Runs the compiled backend binary (apps/backend/bin/kandev)
3. Runs pnpm start for the web app (Next.js production server)
4. Both run in production mode without hot-reloading

Options

Option	Description	Example
--version <tag>	Use a specific release version	--version v0.1.0
--backend-port <port>	Override backend port	--backend-port 8080
--web-port <port>	Override web port	--web-port 3000
--help, -h	Show help	--help

Examples

# Use specific release
npx kandev --version v0.1.0

# Custom ports
npx kandev --backend-port 18080 --web-port 13000

# Dev mode with custom ports
npx kandev dev --backend-port 8080 --web-port 3000

Port Selection

By default, the CLI automatically finds available ports:

Service	Default Port	Fallback
Backend	8080	Auto-selects from 10000-60000
Web	3000	Auto-selects from 10000-60000
AgentCtl	8081	Auto-selects from 10000-60000
MCP Server	8082	Auto-selects from 10000-60000

If the default port is in use, the CLI finds the next available port automatically.

Environment Variables

Variable	Description
KANDEV_GITHUB_OWNER	Override GitHub repo owner for releases
KANDEV_GITHUB_REPO	Override GitHub repo name for releases
KANDEV_GITHUB_TOKEN	GitHub token for API rate limits
KANDEV_NO_UPDATE_PROMPT=1	Disable CLI update prompts
KANDEV_HEALTH_TIMEOUT_MS	Override health check timeout (ms)

Makefile Integration

The repo includes a Makefile that wraps the CLI for common operations:

# Install deps, build, and start in production mode
make start

# Run in development mode
make dev

# Build everything
make build

See make help for all available commands.

Comparison: run vs dev vs start

Feature	run	dev	start
Source	GitHub releases	Local repo	Local build
Hot-reload	No	Yes	No
Requires repo	No	Yes	Yes
Requires build	No	No	Yes
Use case	End users	Development	Testing production

Troubleshooting

Port Already in Use

The CLI automatically finds available ports. If you need a specific port:

npx kandev --backend-port 8080 --web-port 3000

Backend Takes Too Long to Start

Increase the health check timeout:

KANDEV_HEALTH_TIMEOUT_MS=60000 npx kandev

GitHub Rate Limits

If you hit GitHub API rate limits, provide a token:

KANDEV_GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_xxx npx kandev

Dev Mode: "Unable to locate repo root"

Run from within the kandev repository:

cd /path/to/kandev
npx kandev dev

Start Mode: "Backend binary not found"

Build the project first:

make build
npx kandev start

Data Storage

Path	Contents
~/.kandev/bin/	Downloaded release bundles
~/.kandev/data/	SQLite database and app data