first run

git repository requirement

kas must be run from within a git repository. on startup, the main entry point checks for a git root and exits with an error if none is found:

kas must be run from within a git repository

this applies both to the interactive tui (kas) and most subcommands. the project-local config directory is anchored to the repository root, but task state is still coordinated through the global shared task store.

project config directory

kasmos separates repo-local runtime directories from the global task store.

repo-local — created automatically under <repo-root> on first run or after kas setup:

path	purpose
.kasmos/config.toml	agent and phase configuration
.kasmos/signals/	compatibility signal sentinel directory
.kasmos/cache/	runtime cache
.worktrees/	git worktrees created for each agent instance

global task store — shared across all projects on this machine:

path	purpose
~/.config/kasmos/taskstore.db	sqlite task store (plans, signals, task state)

the resolved db path can be overridden via database_url in .kasmos/config.toml to point at a remote store. use kas debug to print the resolved config and db paths for the current repository.

launching the tui

from inside your git repository, run:

kas

on first launch you will see the general help overlay. press any key to dismiss it.

tui layout

the interface is divided into three main areas:

• sidebar — topics and plan groups, toggled with ctrl+s
• instance list — active agent sessions for the selected plan
• preview pane — live agent output; tabs switch between the agent view, info, diff, and git history

keybindings reference

sessions

key	action
↵ / o	attach to tmux session fullscreen
s	spawn agent
i	interactive mode (type in pane)
ctrl+space	exit fullscreen or interactive mode
ctrl+enter	submit + exit interactive mode
k	kill tmux session (keeps instance)
K	stop session (branch preserved)
r	resume paused session
c	checkout branch (pause + copy branch name)
P	create pull request
T	browse orphaned tmux sessions
1 / 2	filter: all / active only
3	cycle sort mode

plans

key	action
n	new plan
space	toggle plan, topic, or history
↵ / o	select (context menu or run stage)
v / p	preview selected plan
b	open plan browser

navigation

key	action
t	focus instance list
tab / shift+tab	cycle tabs (info ↔ agent)
!	interactive + shell mode
# / g	info tab
↑ / ↓	navigate within focused pane
← / →	move between panes
ctrl+s	toggle sidebar visibility
L	toggle audit log pane
/	search plans and instances
?	show help overlay
q	quit

execution modes

when you spawn an agent (s), kasmos creates an isolated git worktree and starts the agent in one of two execution modes:

• tmux — session is attachable (↵/o); use interactive mode (i) to type directly into the agent pane. best for exploratory work.
• sdk — agent is driven via its app-server JSON-RPC protocol; output is streamed to the preview pane and logs. available for claude and codex only; other programs fall back to tmux silently. best for automated wave work.

the execution mode is set per agent role in config.toml via the execution_mode field. see setup wizard for configuration details.

first task

once the tui is running:

1. press n to create a new plan
2. enter a name and description
3. press ↵ to open the plan context menu
4. select an action to start the planning or implementing phase

if you haven't run kas setup yet, do that first — see setup wizard.