Quick Start

Get up and running with Kiwi Code in under 2 minutes. There are two ways to use Kiwi Code — pick the one that fits your workflow.

Primary: Kiwi TUI

The TUI (Terminal User Interface) is the recommended way to use Kiwi Code. It gives you a full-screen chat experience with the AI, complete with file attachments, slash commands, and real-time streaming.

1. Install

pip install kiwi-ai

pipx install kiwi-ai

uv pip install kiwi-ai

2. Launch the TUI

kiwi

You'll be prompted to log in on first launch. Enter your email and password — after that, you're in.

The full-screen terminal interface shows:

• Chat area — your conversation with the AI
• Input bar — type messages, slash commands, or @ to attach files
• Status bar — current action, run ID, and processing status

3. Send Your First Message

Type a message and press Enter. For example:

Explain the architecture of this repository

The AI will respond in the chat area. Status indicators like "Thinking" or "Analyzing" will appear while the AI processes your request.

Alternative: Standalone Runtime + Web Dashboard

If you prefer a browser-based experience, you can run the runtime as a standalone process and chat with the AI through the web dashboard. This is also useful when you want the AI to work on your local machine while you interact from a different device or browser.

How It Works

  +-- Your Terminal --------+     +-- Browser -----------------+
  |                          |     |                            |
  |  kiwi-runtime connect    |     |  kiwicode.ai               |
  |  (WebSocket to backend)  |<===>|  /autocode/new             |
  |                          |     |                            |
  |  AI executes commands    |     |  You type messages here    |
  |  on your machine         |     |                            |
  +--------------------------+     +----------------------------+

1. You start kiwi-runtime in your terminal — it connects to the backend and waits
2. You open the web dashboard in your browser and start a new conversation
3. You ask the AI to connect to your CLI runtime
4. The AI binds to your runtime and can now execute commands on your machine

Step by Step

1. Install

Same as above — install kiwi-ai via pip, pipx, or uv.

2. Start the Runtime

Open your terminal and run:

kiwi-runtime connect --scope full

You'll see output like:

> Connected as user@example.com
> Agent ID: abc123-def456

  Ready | Mode: unrestricted | Ctrl+C to disconnect
  ──────────────────────────────────────────────────

The runtime is now waiting for the AI to connect. Keep this terminal open.

3. Open the Web Dashboard

Go to https://kiwicode.ai/autocode/new in your browser.

4. Start Chatting

In the chat, ask the AI to connect to your runtime:

Connect to my CLI runtime and list the files in my current directory

The AI will detect your running runtime, bind to it, and start executing commands on your machine.

5. Ask the AI to Do Anything

Once connected, you can ask the AI to:

• Read and analyze your codebase
• Write or modify files
• Run tests and fix failures
• Execute shell commands
• Search through your project
• And anything else you'd do in the TUI

Stopping

Press Ctrl+C in the terminal where kiwi-runtime is running to disconnect.

Terminal Mode (Scripting)

For quick one-off queries without the full TUI:

kiwi --terminal "What does git status do?"

Pipe input from other commands:

echo "Summarize the latest changes" | kiwi --terminal --run-id <RUN_ID>

Get JSON output for scripts:

kiwi --terminal --json --action-id <ACTION_ID> "Hello"

Which Should I Use?

Next Steps