Know what kxen actually is before you install it

• Getting Started
• Workspace
• Models & Provider
• Agent & Tasks
• Bots

The problem you're actually solving#

A plain chat interface can generate code, but it struggles to manage the real work of a project over time: the working directory, long-running tasks, tool calls, model accounts, risk approval, and recovery state. kxen puts that operational responsibility into a desktop app:

• Workspace gives you a project boundary.
• Session keeps your conversation and execution history.
• Goal and Workflow manage long-running tasks.
• Bot turns repeated work into an independent revision, permission set, Routine, and recoverable Run.
• Provider and model routing manage your inference resources.
• Safety and Approval constrain what tools are allowed to execute.
• Knowledge Library captures reusable project and personal knowledge.

Who kxen is for#

kxen is built for developers who want an agent working directly inside a real codebase — code comprehension, feature implementation, debugging, refactoring, review, verification, and collaboration across multiple independent tasks.

Explicit product boundaries#

Outside the kxen headless server, kxen doesn't currently ship any other CLI, TUI, public HTTP API, cloud sync, or plugin marketplace. Bot-to-Bot only connects Bots inside the same local kxen instance — it isn't a multi-human chat, and it doesn't expose a shared cloud computer or an external A2A endpoint.

What has shipped in the developer preview#

• Workspace and Session management.
• A Composer that accepts text, files, images, commands, knowledge, and voice.
• 44 built-in Provider entries, multi-account support, live model catalogs, and role-based routing.
• In-app OAuth login for 13 providers, covering authorization-code and device-code flows with automatic refresh.
• Coding Plan entries for Zhipu, Bailian, Stepfun, Doubao, Qianfan, and Tencent, plus gateway entries for Vercel AI Gateway, Hugging Face, and Ollama Cloud.
• Goal, Workflow, Subagent, Agent Teams, the Kanban pipeline, and background tasks.
• Independent Bots, each with its own interactive self-builder, Routines, BotRun Recovery, and Bot-to-Bot collaboration through Direct conversations and 2-to-6-member Groups.
• File tools, Shell, LSP, MCP, Browser, Search, and Schedule.
• Rules, References, Skills, Commands, Notes, Memory, and History.
• Safety, Approval, Checkpoint, Rewind, and Worktree.
• Desktop installers for macOS, Windows, and Linux with a built-in auto-update channel.
• The kxen headless server and system-tray browser access.

What isn't open yet#

• Cloud sync, shared cloud computers, and hosted execution.
• A plugin marketplace or Bot Marketplace.
• Multi-human chat, a public Agent Card, or an external A2A endpoint.
• A stable API for third parties.

"Shipped" means the capability already exists on the product's main path today. "Not open" means you can't treat it as deliverable right now. Provider and model availability always follows the account status and model catalog inside the app itself — Browser automation, Remote MCP, and automatic knowledge consolidation stay off by default and aren't out-of-the-box capabilities. Developer preview isn't the same as general availability; see platform availability below for install eligibility.

Where you can run it today#

kxen is currently a developer preview with publicly published installers.

Desktop platforms#

Find every platform's installer on GitHub Releases — the stable asset names always resolve to the latest version.

• macOS: open the DMG and drag Kxen.app into Applications. The installer is Developer ID signed and Apple notarized, so you don't need to bypass Gatekeeper. Requires macOS 14 or later.
• Windows: run the NSIS installer. It isn't Authenticode-signed yet, so choose "More info -> Run anyway" if SmartScreen warns you.
• Linux: mark the AppImage executable and run it directly, or install the deb through your package manager.

Every desktop install medium except deb goes through the built-in auto-update channel; deb users download new versions from this page. Every release ships SHA256SUMS and an updater signature file you can use to verify what you downloaded.

Web Mode#

The desktop app and your browser are two equal clients of the same embedded service. The system tray's "Browser access" toggle lets you use every feature straight from your local browser.

The kxen headless server targets machines without a display — tar.gz or zip packages ship for all six platforms, and the macOS package carries the same Developer ID signature and Apple notarization as the desktop app. It prints an access URL with a token on startup; open it in any browser to start working. For remote access, terminate TLS through tailscale. Full usage and the security model live in Web Mode.

What not to assume#

Platform code, build configuration, or experimental implementations you find in the repository don't mean a capability is already available. A provider appearing in the registry doesn't mean your account already has access to that model either.

Once you've installed kxen, continue to system requirements.