ClaudeKit CLI Guide

Install ClaudeKit, run claude, and leverage powerful AI skills from your terminal!

What is ClaudeKit CLI?

ClaudeKit CLI helps you set up ClaudeKit in your projects, then you use Claude Code to get AI assistance. Install ClaudeKit, run claude, and leverage powerful skills like UI/UX Pro Max — all from your terminal!

Quick Workflow

$ ck init # Set up ClaudeKit in your project

$ claude # Start Claude Code CLI

→ Then chat with AI to build beautiful UIs instantly! 🎨

Note: ClaudeKit CLI is a free tool that helps install kits. The Engineer Kit and Marketing Kit are paid products that you need to purchase separately. Get ClaudeKit (20% OFF)

What It Looks Like in Your Terminal

Here's exactly what you'll see when using ClaudeKit CLI

Terminal — bash — 80×24

➜ ~/projects claude

Starting Claude Code CLI...

Type your message (or /help for commands)

You: Using ui-ux-pro-max skill, create a yoga studio landing page

AI is thinking...

✓ Searching product domain: beauty/wellness

✓ Style guide: minimalist + elegant

✓ Typography: Playfair Display + Inter

✓ Color palette: soft pastels (#E8E5F2)

✓ Design Complete!

Created: yoga-studio-landing.html

- Calming lavender color palette

- Elegant Playfair Display typography

- Responsive mobile-first design

- WCAG AA accessible

Files created in current directory

➜ ~/projects ls -la

drwxr-xr-x 5 user staff 160 Dec 3 15:20 .

drwxr-xr-x 12 user staff 384 Dec 3 15:15 ..

-rw-r--r-- 1 user staff 8420 Dec 3 15:20 yoga-studio-landing.html

➜ ~/projects open yoga-studio-landing.html

Opening in default browser...

→ You're already in Claude Code CLI. Just keep chatting!

You:

Using ui-ux-pro-max skill, make the buttons more prominent with hover effects

AI:

I'll enhance the button styles with:

• Smooth hover transitions (200ms)

• Scale effect (hover:scale-105)

• Shadow elevation on hover

• Clear cursor-pointer indication

✓ Updated yoga-studio-landing.html

➜ ~/projects ▊

Setup Project

ck init

Initialize ClaudeKit in your project (one-time setup)

Start Claude Code

claude

Open interactive AI assistant - chat and iterate

Use Skills

Using ui-ux-pro-max skill...

Inside Claude, activate powerful design intelligence

Quick Start Guide

Get ClaudeKit CLI running in 3 easy steps

Install ClaudeKit CLI

Install the ClaudeKit CLI tool globally:

npm install -g claudekit-cli

# or with bun

bun add -g claudekit-cli

# Verify installation

ck --version

Initialize ClaudeKit in Your Project

Navigate to your project and set up ClaudeKit:

cd ~/projects/my-project

ck init

# Interactive mode - follow the prompts

# This creates .claude/ directory with ClaudeKit files

💡 Choose Your Setup:

When running ck init, you'll see two options:

Global (Recommended): Installs for your user account. Works everywhere.
Local: Installs just for this specific project folder.

Choosing "Global" is usually easiest!

⚙️ Smart Authentication (CK CLI v3.16.0+):

ClaudeKit uses multi-tier authentication to download kits from private repository. It checks in order:

1. Environment Variables - GITHUB_TOKEN or GH_TOKEN (best for CI/CD)
2. GitHub CLI - If gh is logged in (recommended for local)
3. OS Keychain - Token saved from previous login
4. Interactive Prompt - Guides you to create and save token

gh auth login # Recommended: Login with GitHub CLI first

💡 Git Clone Mode: Use ck init --use-git to use your native git credentials instead.

Start Claude Code & Create!

Launch Claude Code CLI and chat with AI:

claude

# Starts interactive Claude Code CLI

Starting Claude Code CLI...

You: Using ui-ux-pro-max skill, create a landing page for my coffee shop

That's it! AI will search design databases and create beautiful code for you.

Best Practice: Daily Routine

💡 Pro Tip: Run these commands before starting your work to ensure you always have the latest intelligent capabilities.

1 Update CLI Tool

$ ck update

$ ck update --beta --yes

Ensures your claudekit-cli has the latest features and bug fixes.

💡 Pro tip: Run ck update --beta --yes to update both CLI and Kit to latest beta with auto-install dependencies.

2 Update Engineer Kit

$ ck init --kit engineer

Or via global flag:

$ ck init -g --kit engineer

Fully automated (non-interactive):

$ ck init -g --kit engineer --yes --install-skills

Install latest beta release:

$ ck init -g --kit engineer --yes --install-skills --beta

Updates the engineer kit to fetch the latest AI prompts and capabilities.

3 Update Marketing Kit

$ ck init --kit marketing

Or via global flag:

$ ck init -g --kit marketing

Fully automated (non-interactive):

$ ck init -g --kit marketing --yes --install-skills

Install latest beta release:

$ ck init -g --kit marketing --yes --install-skills --beta

Updates the marketing kit for content creation, copywriting, and brand assets.

CLI Quick Reference

All 18 ClaudeKit CLI commands at a glance — flags, subcommands, and quick examples.

POWER TOOL

CCS - Claude Code Switch

Need to switch between work/personal accounts or use cheaper models like Gemini/GLM? CCS is a powerful wrapper for Claude Code that saves you money and streamlines your workflow.

Warning: Google Account Bans

Google is actively banning accounts that use Antigravity/Gemini OAuth with third-party tools (OpenCode, CLIProxy-based tools like CCS/ProxyPal, AntigravityManager, etc.). This may violate Google's ToS and result in permanent loss of Google services. Consider using GLM or Kimi as safer alternatives.

Save ~80% costs Multi-account Fast delegation

View CCS Guide

Advanced: settings.json configuration

Customize Claude Code globally or locally by creating a settings.json file (e.g., ~/.claude/settings.json).

Global Settings

~/.claude/settings.json

Applies everywhere across all projects

Local Settings

.claude/settings.json

Overwrites global settings for this specific project

Always include the "$schema" reference to enable auto-completion and validation in your editor:

{
  "$schema": "https://claudekit.cc/schemas/ck-config.schema.json",
  "statusline": "full",
  "gemini": {
    "model": "gemini-3-flash-preview"
  }
}

Migration Note: If you previously used includeCoAuthoredBy, it has been replaced by the attribution configuration:

"includeCoAuthoredBy": true

"attribution": { "commit": "", "pr": "" }

Session State Persistence

Claude Code now auto-saves your session state across restarts. The state is stored in .claude/session-state/ directory.

Namespace Changes

Core skills have been moved to the ck: namespace for better organization.

Instead of /debug or /plan, you should now use /ck:debug and /ck:plan.

.ck.json Configuration

All available settings for your .ck.json configuration file.

File Location

Project-level (overrides global, recommended):

.claude/.ck.json (project)

Global (applies to all projects):

~/.claude/.ck.json

Default .ck.json Configuration

{
  "codingLevel": -1,
  "statusline": "full",
  "privacyBlock": true,
  "docs": {
    "maxLoc": 800
  },
  "plan": {
    "namingFormat": "{date}-{slug}",
    "dateFormat": "YYMMDD",
    "validation": {
      "mode": "prompt",
      "questions": "3-8"
    }
  },
  "locale": {
    "responseLanguage": null
  },
  "project": {
    "type": "auto",
    "packageManager": "auto"
  },
  "gemini": {
    "model": "gemini-3-flash-preview"
  },
  "skills": {
    "research": {
      "useGemini": true
    }
  }
}

Setting	Default	Description
codingLevel	-1 (auto)	Experience level for tailored output (-1=auto, 0-5)
statusline	"full" (Beta) / "minimal" (Stable)	Status bar display mode ("minimal" or "full")
privacyBlock	true	Block access to .env and sensitive files
docs.maxLoc	800	Max lines of code for doc generation
plan.namingFormat	"{date}-{slug}"	Plan directory naming pattern
plan.dateFormat	"YYMMDD"	Date format in plan names
plan.validation.mode	"prompt"	Plan validation mode
plan.validation.questions	"3-8"	Number of validation questions
locale.responseLanguage	null	Response language (null = English)
project.type	"auto"	Project type detection
project.packageManager	"auto"	Package manager detection
gemini.model	"gemini-3-flash-preview"	Default Gemini model for research
skills.research.useGemini	true	Use Gemini for research tasks

Pro Tips for CLI Power Users

Use Quotes for Multi-word Requests

Always wrap your requests in double quotes: "your request here"

Reference Files with @

Use @filename to tell AI which files to modify

Configure Statusline & Gemini Model

statusline: one of "full" (default, all features), "compact" (2-3 lines), "minimal" (single line), "none" (disabled)
gemini.model: defaults to gemini-3-flash-preview
Automatically creates .claude/session-state/ for session persistence

Configure in .ck.json.

Common questions

FAQ

Is claudekit-cli free to use?

Yes — claudekit-cli is fully free and open-source under the MIT license (mrgoonie/claudekit-cli). Anyone can install, use, and contribute. No license key required just to run the CLI.

How is the free CLI different from the paid Engineer Kit (EK) and Marketing Kit (MK)?

claudekit-cli is just the runtime — it installs, updates, and manages kits inside Claude Code.

Engineer Kit (EK) is the paid skill library for developers: /ck:plan, /ck:cook, /ck:test, /ck:code-review, /ck:ship, /ck:debug, /ck:security...

Marketing Kit (MK) is a separate paid library for marketers / designers / content creators: /ckm:design, /ckm:copywriting, /ckm:play, /ckm:elevenlabs, ad campaigns...

Short version: CLI = framework, EK/MK = the skill content that gives ClaudeKit its real power.

Do I have to buy EK or MK to use claudekit-cli?

No, not required. You can install claudekit-cli and run ck init, ck doctor, ck config, ck skills... without owning any kit — handy for managing Claude Code itself or third-party skills. But to unlock the full workflow (/ck:plan → /ck:cook → /ck:test → /ck:ship for engineering, or /ckm:design → /ckm:play for marketing), buy the kit that matches your work. Buy one or the other independently — no need to bundle.