KLI - Kubernetes CLI Interface

KLI is an interactive terminal interface for Kubernetes built on fzf. Navigate your cluster, inspect resources, stream logs, exec into containers and monitor live metrics — all from a keyboard-driven UI.

  _  ___      _____
 | |/ / |    |_   _|
 | ' /| |      | |
 | . \| |___  _| |_
 |_|\_\_____||_____|

Prerequisites

Required

• kubectl — Kubernetes CLI
• fzf — Fuzzy finder (>= 0.36 required for live refresh)
• curl — Used for live data refresh (built-in on macOS)

Optional

• jq — Node resource requests / limits breakdown
• Metrics Server — Required for kli top and kli nodes

Installation

Homebrew (Recommended)

brew tap DRINGOT/tap
brew install DRINGOT/tap/kli

Quick Install

git clone https://github.com/DRINGOT/kli.git
cd kli
./install.sh

Shell Completion

echo 'source /usr/local/bin/kli-completion' >> ~/.zshrc
# or for bash:
echo 'source /usr/local/bin/kli-completion' >> ~/.bashrc

Manual Installation

sudo cp kli kli-ctx kli-ns kli-engine kli-ui \
        kli-top kli-node kli-find kli-completion VERSION \
        /usr/local/bin/
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/kli{,-ctx,-ns,-engine,-top,-node,-find}

Usage

Interactive Mode

kli

Opens the home menu. Use ctrl+h at any time to display the help page.

Direct Commands

kli ctx              # Switch cluster context
kli ns               # Switch active namespace
kli top              # Live pod CPU/MEM usage (all namespaces)
kli nodes            # Cluster node resource overview
kli find             # Search resources across all namespaces
kli find deployments # Search a specific resource type directly

Options

kli [options] [command]

OPTIONS:
  -n, --namespace <ns>   Set initial namespace
  --explorer             Jump directly to resource explorer
  --pod <name>           Jump to action menu for a specific pod
  --resource <type>      Pre-select resource type (use with --instance)
  --instance <name>      Pre-select resource instance
  -h, --help             Show help
  -v, --version          Show version

Features

Home Menu

Central hub with live preview describing each module. Press ctrl+h for full help.

HOME
 ├── COMMAND EXPLORER   →  namespace → action → resource → instance
 ├── FINDER             →  resource type picker → all-namespaces search
 ├── SWITCH CONTEXT     →  browse & switch kubectl contexts
 ├── SWITCH NAMESPACE   →  change active namespace
 ├── TOP NODES          →  cluster node resource overview
 └── TOP RESOURCES      →  live pod CPU/MEM ranking

Command Explorer

Full kubectl workflow in a guided fzf interface:

Action	Description
get	List and filter resources
describe	Full details, events & conditions
logs	Stream container logs
exec	Open a shell inside a container
port-forward	Forward a local port to a pod / service
edit	Edit resource YAML in your editor
top	Live CPU & Memory metrics
delete	Delete a resource (with confirmation)
scale	Adjust replica count
rollout	Manage deployment rollouts (restart, status, history, undo)
events	Recent namespace events
explain	API documentation

Top Resources (kli top)

Live pod CPU/MEM ranking across all namespaces. Auto-refreshes every 15s with a countdown spinner.

Key	Action
tab / ctrl+t	Toggle sort CPU ↔ MEM
enter	Jump to pod action menu
ctrl+n	Switch to node view

Top Nodes (kli nodes)

Cluster-level node dashboard with ASCII CPU/RAM bars showing used vs. allocatable. Drill into pods per node. Auto-refreshes every 15s.

Key	Action
enter	View pods on selected node
ctrl+p	Switch to pod top view

Finder (kli find)

Cross-namespace resource search with an interactive resource type picker.

Key	Action
enter	Jump to action menu for selected resource
esc	Change resource type

Smart Colorization

Color	Status
Green	Running, Active, Ready, Succeeded, Bound
Yellow	Pending, ContainerCreating, Terminating
Red	Failed, Error, CrashLoopBackOff, OOMKilled, ImagePullBackOff

Global Keyboard Shortcuts

Key	Action
esc	Return to previous screen
ctrl+c	Quit kli
ctrl+h	Open help page (from home menu)

Architecture

File	Role
kli	Main entry point, home menu, explorer flow
kli-ctx	Context switcher
kli-ns	Namespace switcher
kli-engine	kubectl action engine with preview & colorization
kli-ui	Shared UI library (colors, symbols, fzf options, logo)
kli-top	Live pod resource usage dashboard
kli-node	Cluster node resource overview
kli-find	Cross-namespace resource finder
kli-completion	Shell completion (bash / zsh)
VERSION	Current version string

Troubleshooting

Metrics not available

kubectl apply -f https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/metrics-server/releases/latest/download/components.yaml

Cluster unreachable

kubectl cluster-info
kubectl config current-context
kli ctx   # switch context interactively

fzf too old (live refresh not working)

brew upgrade fzf   # macOS

License

GNU General Public License v3.0 — see LICENSE.

Author

Donovan Ringot — @DRINGOT