Kilo CLI

Kilo CLI is the terminal-based AI coding agent from Kilo Code, providing agentic coding capabilities directly in your terminal with multi-model support, MCP integration, and customizable agent workflows.

Prerequisites

• An Apertis API Key (obtain from Apertis Dashboard)

Installation

curl -fsSL https://kilo.ai/install | bash

Configuration

Create or edit the configuration file at ~/.config/opencode/opencode.json:

{
  "$schema": "https://kilo.ai/config.json",
  "model": "apertis/claude-sonnet-4-6",
  "small_model": "apertis/claude-haiku-4-5",
  "theme": "catppuccin",
  "autoupdate": true,
  "share": "manual",
  "snapshot": true,
  "logLevel": "INFO",
  "provider": {
    "apertis": {
      "options": {
        "apiKey": "your_apertis_api_key",
        "baseURL": "https://api.apertis.ai/v1"
      },
      "models": {
        "claude-opus-4-6-thinking": {
          "id": "claude-opus-4-6-thinking",
          "name": "Claude Opus 4.6 Thinking (via Apertis)"
        },
        "claude-opus-4-6": {
          "id": "claude-opus-4-6",
          "name": "Claude Opus 4.6 (via Apertis)"
        },
        "claude-sonnet-4-6": {
          "id": "claude-sonnet-4-6",
          "name": "Claude Sonnet 4.6 (via Apertis)"
        },
        "claude-haiku-4-5": {
          "id": "claude-haiku-4-5",
          "name": "Claude Haiku 4.5 (via Apertis)"
        },
        "gemini-3.1-pro-preview": {
          "id": "gemini-3.1-pro-preview",
          "name": "Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview (via Apertis)"
        }
      }
    }
  },
  "agent": {
    "build": {
      "model": "apertis/claude-sonnet-4-6",
      "temperature": 0.7,
      "maxSteps": 50,
      "permission": {
        "edit": "allow",
        "bash": {
          "npm": "allow",
          "git": "allow",
          "go": "allow",
          "make": "allow",
          "*": "ask"
        },
        "webfetch": "allow"
      }
    },
    "plan": {
      "model": "apertis/claude-opus-4-6-thinking",
      "permission": {
        "edit": "deny",
        "bash": "ask"
      }
    }
  },
  "mcp": {
    "context7": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": ["npx", "-y", "@upstash/context7-mcp@latest"],
      "enabled": true
    }
  },
  "instructions": ["./AGENTS.md", "./CLAUDE.md"],
  "keybinds": {
    "leader": "ctrl+k",
    "session_new": "ctrl+n",
    "agent_cycle": "tab"
  },
  "lsp": {
    "typescript": {
      "command": ["typescript-language-server", "--stdio"],
      "extensions": [".ts", ".tsx", ".js", ".jsx"]
    }
  }
}

Replace your_apertis_api_key with your actual API key from Apertis Dashboard.

Configuration Fields

Field	Description
model	Default model for general use. Format: apertis/<model-id>.
small_model	Lightweight model for quick tasks. Format: apertis/<model-id>.
provider.apertis.options.apiKey	Your API key from Apertis Dashboard.
provider.apertis.options.baseURL	Apertis API endpoint. Typically no change needed.
provider.apertis.models	Available models to register. Add or remove as needed.
agent.build	Agent config for implementation tasks (model, permissions, max steps).
agent.plan	Agent config for planning tasks (typically a thinking model).
mcp	MCP server integrations (e.g., Context7, Supabase, Cloudflare).
instructions	Instruction files to load (e.g., AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md).
keybinds	Custom keyboard shortcuts.
lsp	Language server configurations for code intelligence.

Available Model IDs

Model ID	Description
claude-opus-4-6-thinking	Claude Opus 4.6 with extended thinking
claude-opus-4-6	Claude Opus 4.6 — most capable
claude-sonnet-4-6	Claude Sonnet 4.6 — balanced speed and capability
claude-haiku-4-5	Claude Haiku 4.5 — fastest
gemini-3.1-pro-preview	Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview

For the full list of available models, check the Model List.

Agent Modes

Kilo CLI supports multiple agent modes with different model and permission configurations:

Agent	Purpose	Recommended Model
build	Implementation, coding, file editing	apertis/claude-sonnet-4-6
plan	Architecture planning, read-only analysis	apertis/claude-opus-4-6-thinking

MCP Server Examples

Add MCP servers to extend Kilo CLI's capabilities:

{
  "mcp": {
    "supabase": {
      "type": "remote",
      "url": "https://mcp.supabase.com/mcp?project_ref=your_project_ref"
    },
    "cloudflare-observability": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": ["npx", "mcp-remote", "https://observability.mcp.cloudflare.com/mcp"],
      "enabled": true
    },
    "context7": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": ["npx", "-y", "@upstash/context7-mcp@latest"],
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}

Launch

kilo

Keybinds

Keybind	Action
ctrl+k	Leader key
ctrl+n	New session
tab	Cycle between agents

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

• Verify your API key at Apertis Dashboard
• Ensure baseURL in config is https://api.apertis.ai/v1
• Check your network connection and firewall settings

Config Not Loading

• Verify the config file is at ~/.config/opencode/opencode.json
• Validate JSON syntax (no trailing commas, correct quotes)
• Restart Kilo CLI after config changes

Related Resources

• Model List
• API Keys Management
• Kilo Code Extension - VS Code extension version
• OpenCode - Alternative terminal AI coding tool
• Claude Code - Anthropic's terminal AI coding tool