2.4.1-beta.1) — updated automatically on every beta release.Switch to stable →CLI commands
ak kit install
Install a kit into the current project or adapter user directory
ak kit install loads a kit (such as engineer or marketing) and emits its agents, skills, and commands through one or more target adapters. By default it writes runtime-native project content; --switch-to-plugin selects a Claude Code project plugin instead, and --build-only writes the output without installing it.
When to use it: Run it once ak licenses confirms access to a paid kit and you want the kit's agents, skills, and commands available locally for adapters like Claude Code and Codex. Use --target to choose adapters, --skills / --exclude-skills to control which skills install, and --global to install into the adapter user directory rather than the current project.
Project-native mode merges AgentKit-owned resources into ./.claude and stores lifecycle metadata under ./.agentkit, preserving unknown and user-modified files. --force authorizes a tracked overwrite after taking a snapshot.
Usage
ak kit install <kit-name> [flags]Examples
ak kit init engineer --yes --no-interactive # remote registry is the release default
ak kit init engineer --local --kits-dir kits/ --yes # dev/CI explicit source
ak kit init engineer --target claude-code # entitled project-native Claude Code install
ak kit init engineer --remote --target claude-code --switch-to-plugin # entitled Claude Code project plugin
ak kit init engineer --remote --target codex # authenticated Codex project install
ak kit init engineer --remote --target codex --global # install under ~/.codex
ak kit install engineer --skills ak-cook,ak-plan --yes # install selected skills
ak kit install engineer --exclude-skills ak-video --yes # exclude selected skills
ak kit init engineer --remote --switch-to-plugin --yes --json --no-interactive # scripted project install
ak kit init engineer --local --kits-dir kits/ --global --yes --no-interactive # native install from explicit source
ak kit init engineer --local --kits-dir kits/ --target claude-code --yes # project-native install from explicit source
ak kit init engineer --kits-dir kits/ --build-only --out /tmp/out --json # local development buildFlags
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
--build-only | Build plugin to a local directory instead of installing |
--channel string | Remote registry channel (beta requires explicit opt-in) (default "stable") |
--exclude-skills string | Comma-separated skill names to skip while installing the rest of the kit |
--force | Overwrite existing output directory |
-g, --global | Install into the adapter user directory instead of the current project |
-h, --help | help for install |
--json | Emit machine-readable JSON (implies --no-interactive) |
--kits-dir string | Explicit local kits directory for --local or local build development |
--local | Install from an explicit --kits-dir or AGENTKIT_KITS_DIR source instead of the remote registry (dev/CI) |
--no-backup | Skip the pre-install snapshot + ClaudeKit takeover on a global install (power users only — leaves CK content active) |
--no-interactive | Disable interactive prompts (CI-safe) |
--out string | Output root directory (requires --build-only) |
-q, --quiet | Suppress non-error output on stderr |
--registry-url string | AgentKit registry base URL (default: $AGENTKIT_REGISTRY_URL, then dev/staging https://staging.agentkit.best or release https://agentkit.best) |
--remote | Install from the authenticated remote registry (default; explicit use will be deprecated soon) (default true) |
--select-skills | Interactively choose kit skills before install |
--skills string | Comma-separated skill names to install from the kit |
--switch-to-plugin | Explicitly select Claude Code project plugin mode (and replace native mode when present) |
--target string | Emitter target ID or comma-separated IDs (e.g. claude-code,codex) (default "claude-code") |
-V, --verbose | Extra diagnostic output on stderr (loses to --quiet) |
--version string | Remote kit version (defaults to channel latest) |
-y, --yes | Assume yes for all prompts |
Output modes
| Mode | Behavior |
|---|---|
pretty | default on TTY (colors, ASCII markers) |
plain | auto when stdout piped or --no-interactive |
json | --json (single-object envelope, NDJSON-safe) |
Exit codes
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
0 | success |
1 | runtime error |
2 | invalid flags |
3 | user-cancel (SIGINT, prompt-cancel) |
5 | kit not found in --kits-dir |
6 | target directory exists without --force |
Related commands
ak kit— Kit management commands