Init And Dev

Install The CLI

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install kizakicorp/tap/kizaki

# macOS or Linux (direct installer)
curl -fsSL https://get.kizaki.ai/install.sh | sh

The public installer places the standalone kizaki binary on disk. The first kizaki init, kizaki dev, kizaki compile, or editor sync flow bootstraps the matching managed runtime automatically.

kizaki init

Scaffolds a new Kizaki application. Writes the initial .inspire schema, installs the TypeScript SDK, configures the build surface, and initializes a git repository by default.

kizaki init my-app
cd my-app
kizaki dev

Options

Flag	Description
`--template <name>`	Starter template. `saas` (default): React Router, auth, payments. `api`: API-only, no frontend. `blank`: minimal schema.
`--force`	Overwrite an existing directory.
`--git`	Initialize git. Defaults to `true`. Pass `--no-git` to skip.
`--vscode`	Install the VS Code extension for Inspire syntax highlighting.

Templates

kizaki init my-app --template saas
kizaki init my-service --template api
kizaki init scratch --template blank

saas — React Router frontend, authentication, payment scaffolding, sample schema
api — no frontend; @expose functions and HTTP routes only
blank — single empty .inspire file

Scaffolded Directory

schema/main.inspire — root schema file (entities, policies, routes, features)
src/functions.ts — starter @expose server functions
app/ — frontend application (saas template only)
.kizaki/ — local config, build cache, seed file
migrations/0001_initial/ — committed baseline migration history

Everything in .kizaki/build/ is generated. Do not commit it.

kizaki dev

Starts the full local development stack: embedded PostgreSQL, Inspire compiler, database engine, function runtime, app server, frontend dev server (when present), and file watchers for hot-reload.

On the first public run, the CLI bootstraps the matching managed runtime under ~/.kizaki/toolchains/<cli-version>/<platform>/ and switches the stable ~/.kizaki/toolchain symlink. That runtime includes the compiler, app server, Bun, and embedded Postgres binaries. Subsequent starts reuse the installed runtime and existing database state.

Options

Flag	Description
`--reset-db`	Wipe and reinitialize the local database from committed migrations.
`--stripe-live`	Use live Stripe test-mode keys instead of local payment simulation.
`-V` / `--verbose`	Show detailed startup output.

Hot-Reload

Saving a .inspire file reruns the compiler and reloads policies and schema changes. Saving TypeScript in the function directory hot-reloads the function runtime. No manual intervention needed.

Dev Subcommands

Seeding Data

kizaki dev seed
kizaki dev seed --append

Executes .kizaki/seed.ts. Wipes the database first by default. Pass --append to keep existing data.

Simulating Payments

kizaki dev payments set-plan Pro
kizaki dev payments set-status active
kizaki dev payments simulate payment.succeeded

Command	Description
`payments set-plan <plan>`	Set the dev user's payment plan.
`payments set-status <status>`	Set subscription status (`active`, `canceled`, `past_due`).
`payments simulate <event>`	Fire a simulated payment event.

The dev dashboard also exposes these controls in its Mock Payments panel.

Dev Dashboard

While kizaki dev is running, a local dashboard serves at the URL printed during startup. It provides schema inspection, data browsing, application logs, @expose function testing, mock payments, and intercepted email viewing.

Dev Status File

During startup, the CLI writes .kizaki/dev-status.json — a machine-readable state file with the current phase, errors, and port assignments. Updated at each phase transition. Safe to poll from external tools.

Recommended Usage

kizaki init followed by kizaki dev is the entire surface needed to start. The dev server handles compilation, migration, runtime orchestration, and frontend tooling in a single process. You do not need to run the compiler, database, or function runtime separately.

If you need to inspect the local install or repair a broken runtime, use:

kizaki version --json
kizaki toolchain status
kizaki toolchain repair
kizaki doctor

When you need to validate schema changes outside the dev server or manage migrations explicitly, see Compile and Migrate.

Related guide: Quickstart

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