An experiment in building a two-panel Kubernetes TUI entirely with AI. Inspired by Midnight Commander, powered by Go 1.24, Bubble Tea v2, and controller-runtime informers.

⚠️ Vibe-coded warning: this project is 100 % AI-authored. No human has reviewed the code, so expect sharp edges, missing affordances, and sudden regressions. See TODO.md for the evolving plan.

• Kubectl-compatible startup intents: kc get ... and kc logs ... parse familiar CLI syntax and launch directly into the matching folders, multi-selecting objects and opening manifest/log viewers when requested (docs/designs/cli-intents.md).
• Hierarchy-first navigation: contexts → namespaces → resource groups → object folders → virtual subfolders (pod containers, ConfigMap/Secret keys, etc.). Every row is keyed by full group/version/resource.
• Child object hierarchies: drill from parents into their children (e.g., Deployments → ReplicaSets → Pods, Services → EndpointSlices) via per-object child folders so related resources stay discoverable in the tree.
• Live data via informers: controller-runtime caches back all folders; add/update/delete events keep selections and scroll offsets stable.
• Two synchronized panels: each panel can render lists or manifest viewers, supports multi-selection, per-panel options (columns/order/modes), and an integrated function-key bar. A 2-line terminal lives underneath for quick kubectl work.
• Rich viewers: YAML/text viewer with syntax highlighting, wrap toggle, search (F7), and next-match (F3). Logs viewer streams kubectl logs with follow mode, search, and End-to-follow shortcuts.
• Container internals: each pod container exposes /logs plus a /root browser so you can inspect container filesystems from kc. When images lack shell tooling, kc can spin up a debug helper automatically.
• Local exports: any resource that supports F3 viewing (YAML, logs, ConfigMap/Secret data, pod filesystem files, etc.) can be saved locally via F5 with an inline directory+path picker.
• Config + persistence: ~/.kc/config.yaml controls viewer theme, panel widths, table modes, discovery TTL, mouse preferences, and more. Runtime changes (theme, table mode, etc.) persist back to disk.

go run ./cmd/kc

Prefer a compiled binary?

go build -o kc ./cmd/kc
./kc

brew tap sttts/homebrew-kc
# macOS (notarized GUI build)
brew install --cask sttts/homebrew-kc/kc

# Linux / CLI-only formula
brew install sttts/homebrew-kc/kc

Binaries are published by the maintainers via GitHub Releases and the Homebrew tap. Push a v* tag to trigger the Goreleaser workflow, which builds/signed binaries, publishes the GitHub Release, notarizes the macOS artifacts, and refreshes the Homebrew tap. See docs/RELEASING.md for the Apple signing credentials required for CI.

Kubernetes Commander accepts a subset of kubectl syntax so you can jump straight to the desired view:

• kc get pods – focuses the Pods list for the current/flagged namespace.
• kc get deploy myapp -o yaml – highlights myapp, opens the manifest viewer in the opposite panel.
• kc get pods/nginx pods/api svc/frontend – multi-selects rows across resources.
• kc logs payments-0 -c worker --follow – drills down to the pod → container → logs row and opens the streaming viewer.

All commands honor -n/--namespace; when omitted, kc uses the kubeconfig’s default.

Function keys are also reachable via Esc+<digit> (e.g., Esc+3 for F3). Unimplemented slots (F6) are hidden/disabled until their workflows land.

You can define custom shell commands in ~/.kc/config.yaml and execute them via the F9 menu. Commands run in a terminal panel and can use templates to reference the selected item. By default, kc ships with Top Nodes (global) and Top Pods (namespace-scoped) until you define your own commands.

commands:
  - name: "Top Pods"
    command: "kubectl top pods -n {{.Namespace}}"
    type: "namespace" # Sticky for the current namespace
    watchInterval: 5s
    showFor:
      resources: ["pods"]

  - name: "Top Nodes"
    command: "kubectl top nodes"
    type: "global" # Independent of selection
    watchInterval: 5s

  - name: "Shell ($SHELL)"
    command: "$SHELL"
    type: "global"
    interactive: true
    onExit: "restore" # Return to previous panel mode when the shell exits

  - name: "Describe Resource"
    command: "kubectl describe {{.Resource}} {{.Name}} -n {{.Namespace}}"
    type: "selector" # Reruns when selection changes
    location: "panel"
    onExit: "keep-open"

• selector: Triggered by selection, reruns on change. Good for describe, get -o yaml, etc.
• sticky: Starts with current selection but keeps running.
• namespace: Sticky for the current namespace, restarts on namespace change.
• global: Independent of selection. Good for cluster-wide commands like top nodes.

Available variables: {{.Name}}, {{.Namespace}}, {{.Kind}}, {{.Group}}, {{.Version}}, {{.Resource}}.

~/.kc/config.yaml stores all user preferences. Key sections:

• viewer.theme, viewer.mode – chroma theme and wrap mode for YAML/text/log viewers.
• panel.table.mode, panel.scrolling.horizontal.step – object-table rendering and panning behavior.
• resources.showNonEmptyOnly, resources.order, resources.favorites – resource-group listing controls (leave favorites empty to follow discovery's all category).
• objects.order, objects.columns – server-side Table ordering and wide/normal column display.
• kubernetes.discovery.refresh, kubernetes.clusters.ttl – discovery invalidation and cluster pool TTLs.
• input.mouse.doubleClickTimeout – double-click threshold for Enter events.

Run kc once to materialize defaults or inspect config-default.yaml.

Copy/paste into ~/.kc/config.yaml to start customizing:

viewer:
  theme: dracula
  mode: scroll

panel:
  scrolling:
    horizontal:
      step: 4
  width:
    leftPercent: 50
    rightPercent: 50

input:
  mouse:
    doubleClickTimeout: 300ms

kubernetes:
  clusters:
    ttl: 2m
  discovery:
    refresh: 30s

resources:
  # Default behavior: hide resources with zero objects
  showNonEmptyOnly: true
  # How often to re-peek hidden resources for changes when showNonEmptyOnly is true
  peekInterval: 10s
  # Default ordering: alphabetic by resource plural
  order: alpha
  # Favorites are used when order=favorites; leave empty to use discovery's "all" category.
  favorites: []

objects:
  # Object list ordering: name | -name | creation | -creation
  order: name
  # Columns mode for server-side Tables:
  # - normal: show priority 0 columns (kubectl default)
  # - wide: show all server-provided columns (like `kubectl get -o wide`)
  columns: normal

This repo is intentionally vibe-coded. If you want to peek behind the curtain—or help civilize it—see CONTRIBUTING.md and AGENTS.md for expectations, logging conventions, and build/test commands.