Install

Three ways to install kRouter.

Pick NPM if you just want it to work. Pick Docker if you self-host. Pick Git if you want to hack on the code. All three are MIT-licensed, free, and self-hosted.

Recommended

Install via NPM

Requires Node.js 20+. Global install runs the tray app and dashboard locally.

Installbash

npm install -g @sifxprime/krouter

Run in backgroundbash

krouter -t

Upgrade laterbash

npm install -g @sifxprime/krouter@latest

Dashboard opens at http://localhost:20128/dashboard

Self-host

Install via Docker

Multi-platform linux/amd64 + linux/arm64. Published to Docker Hub and GitHub Container Registry.

Runbash

docker run -d \
  -p 20128:20128 \
  -v "$HOME/.krouter:/app/data" \
  -e DATA_DIR=/app/data \
  --name krouter \
  sifxprime/krouter:latest

Or from GHCRbash

docker pull ghcr.io/sifxprime/krouter:latest

Manage containerbash

docker logs -f krouter      # tail logs
docker stop krouter         # stop
docker start krouter        # start again
docker rm -f krouter        # remove

For development

Install via Git

Clone the repo if you want to modify the code or run the hot-reloading dev server. Requires Node.js 20+ and Git.

Clone & startbash

git clone https://github.com/sifxprime/krouter.git
cd krouter
npm install
npm run dev

Production buildbash

npm run build:deploy
npm run start

Cleanup

Uninstall

Three steps: stop the server, remove the package, then optionally remove the local data directory.

1. Stop the serverbash

# Right-click the tray icon → Quit
# or:
pkill -f krouter

2. Remove the packagebash

npm uninstall -g @sifxprime/krouter

3. Optional — remove local databash

rm -rf ~/.krouter

The ~/.krouter directory holds your OAuth refresh tokens, provider settings, request history, and the MITM root CA. Step 3 is irreversible — back it up first if you might reinstall.

Prerequisites

Tool	Minimum	Notes
Node.js	≥ 20 (22 recommended)	`node -v` to check. Windows: nodejs.org. macOS: `brew install node@22`.
Sudo / admin	Only for MITM mode	Pure router mode (chat completions only) needs no privileges. MITM intercept for Kiro / Antigravity / Cursor binds `:443` and edits `/etc/hosts`.

What happens next

On first run, kRouter creates ~/.krouter/ (SQLite DB, machine-id, MITM CA). It is per-user and fully reset by deleting that folder.

Dashboard → Providers → click any tile (free tier first: Kiro, OpenCode Free, Vertex).
Dashboard → API Keys → create one local key (e.g. sk-krouter-XXXX).
Point your IDE at http://localhost:20128/v1 with that key.

FAQ

Install questions

Which IDEs and tools work with kRouter?

Any OpenAI-compatible client: Claude Code, Cursor, Cline, Aider, Continue, Roo, Windsurf, Kiro, OpenCode, Kimi, Gemini CLI, and more. kRouter also intercepts IDE traffic via MITM mode for clients that hardcode their endpoint, and translates between OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Vertex, and Ollama request formats automatically.

Can I run kRouter on a server for my whole team?

Yes. Deploy kRouter on a $5/month VPS behind nginx or Tailscale and point every teammate's IDE at the shared endpoint so quota pools across the team. Headless providers like Kiro now support API-key (ksk_) auth, so you can connect them without a browser login on a server.

How do I install kRouter?

Run "npm install -g @sifxprime/krouter && krouter -t", then open the dashboard at http://localhost:20128/dashboard, connect a provider, and point your IDE at http://localhost:20128. Docker and source-build installs are also supported. It takes about 30 seconds.