#ku

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ku is short for KUbernetes. It is also the Norwegian word for cow.

A fast, keyboard-driven Kubernetes TUI. Browse any resource, read and edit objects, follow logs, port-forward Services, and open a shell in a pod, without leaving the terminal.

Looking for a mouse-driven Kubernetes UI? Try Lens or Headlamp.

Inspired by k9s, Lens, and lazygit.

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/48756c6b-00ae-470d-8fb5-3f93ecbd46df

#Install

Install the latest release with the installer:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bjarneo/ku/main/install.sh | sh

Or with Go:

go install github.com/bjarneo/ku@latest

Or from a clone:

make install   # builds and installs to ~/.local/bin, /usr/local/bin, or your last $PATH dir
go build -o ku .

Building from source requires Go 1.26.3+. Running ku requires a reachable cluster.

#Quick start

ku                       # current context, remembered namespace
ku -n kube-system        # start in a namespace
ku --resource deploy     # start on a resource type
ku --theme tokyonight    # switch theme
ku --edit                # start in edit mode (default is read-only)
ku --dev                 # developer view, app resources only
ku --as system:admin     # act as another identity
ku upgrade               # replace the current binary with the latest release

Press ? for help, Ctrl+K for the command palette, and Shift+E to toggle edit mode.

#Modes

ku starts read-only. Every mutating or live access action is off: edit, delete, rollout restart, scale, CronJob trigger, cordon, drain, shell into pods or nodes, and Service port-forward. Read, describe, YAML, logs, and the kubectl command preview still work. For all you fat-fingers out there, your cluster is safe.

To make changes, press Shift+E or open the command palette (Ctrl+K) and pick "Enter edit mode", then confirm the prompt. The header chip flips from a green ● READ-ONLY to a red ● EDIT, and the mutating keys come back. Press Shift+E again or pick "Return to read-only" to switch back. Pass --edit to start in edit mode instead.

--dev switches to a developer view that hides cluster admin resources (nodes, persistent volumes, storage classes, namespaces, events) and disables node operations. CRD discovery is off too. Use it when you only manage your own app. It composes with edit mode.

ku                       # read-only, full nav
ku --edit                # edit mode, full nav
ku --dev                 # read-only, developer view
ku --dev --edit          # edit mode, developer view

Disabled keys are dropped from the footer hints and the command palette, and ? summarizes the active mode.

#Impersonation

--as, --as-group and --as-uid work like their kubectl counterparts. Every call in the session acts as that identity, which is the way to reach objects your own kubeconfig user may not touch.

ku --edit --as system:admin
ku --edit --as system:admin --as-group system:masters

--as-group is repeatable. Groups and a uid need a user, so --as-group on its own is rejected before the session starts.

The header shows an as chip while impersonation is active. Impersonation is per-invocation: it is never written to state.json, so the next launch is back to your own identity. It also does not relax the read-only default, so writes still need --edit or Shift+E.

#Configuration

ku reads an optional config file from ~/.config/ku/config.yaml for sidebar customization and plugin shortcuts, and stores session state in ~/.config/ku/state.json.

#Add custom resources (CRDs) to the sidebar

The sidebar lists common built-in resources by default. CRDs are not shown until you add them. Seed the config, then edit the sidebar: list:

ku config init     # write ~/.config/ku/config.yaml with the defaults
ku config path     # print the config file location

Add an item under any section (or a new one). The resource field accepts a plural, singular, kind, short name, or group-qualified key. Use the group-qualified form (<plural>.<group>) to avoid ambiguity:

sidebar:
  - section: CRDs
    items:
      - { label: ScaledObjects, resource: scaledobjects.keda.sh }
      - { label: Certificates, resource: certificates.cert-manager.io }
      - { label: HPAs, resource: horizontalpodautoscalers }

Restart ku to apply the change. Resources your cluster does not expose are dropped, and empty sections are hidden.

#Plugins

Bind a key to an external command. The command gets the selected row as $NAMESPACE, $NAME, $RESOURCE, $CONTEXT and $CLUSTER, both expanded in args and exported to its environment:

plugins:
  - key: ctrl+o
    desc: open dashboard
    scopes: [pods, deployments]
    command: open
    args: ["https://dashboard.example.com/$CLUSTER/$NAMESPACE/$RESOURCE/$NAME"]
    background: true

Without background: true the command runs in the embedded terminal. Plugins show in the footer, the palette and ? for the resources they are scoped to.

See Configuration for the full reference.

#Highlights

A cockpit overview on launch: cluster health, node CPU and memory gauges, pod and deployment status, and recent warnings.
Server-rendered tables for any resource, the same columns as kubectl get, including CRDs.
lazygit-style layout: a left resource nav, Tab between panes, and a status bar that always shows the keys that work right now.
Config summaries, raw YAML, logs, Service port-forward, edit-in-editor, shell into pods or nodes, delete, scale, restart, and CronJob trigger, all inside the TUI.
ANSI colors that match your terminal in light or dark mode, with Tokyo Night as a fallback (--theme tokyonight).
A customizable sidebar menu via an optional config file (ku config init): add CRDs like HPAs, KEDA ScaledObjects, or OpenTelemetry collectors.
Plugins: bind a key to any external command with the selected row's namespace, name, resource, context and cluster, detached or in the embedded terminal.
C shows the equivalent kubectl command, and O opens upstream Kubernetes docs for known resources.
Remembers your last context and namespace.

#Docs

Full index: docs/.

#License

MIT

#Created by

x.com/iamdothash