Kernel CLI

The Kernel CLI is a fast, friendly command‑line interface for Kernel — the platform that provides sandboxed, ready‑to‑use Chrome browsers for browser automations and web agents.

Sign up at onkernel.com and read the docs.

What's Kernel?

Kernel provides sandboxed, ready-to-use Chrome browsers for browser automations and web agents. This CLI helps you deploy apps, run actions, manage browsers, and access live views.

What you can do with the CLI

• Deploy and version apps to Kernel
• Invoke app actions (sync or async) and stream logs
• Create, list, view, and delete managed browser sessions
• Get a live view URL for visual monitoring and remote control

Installation

Install the Kernel CLI using your favorite package manager:

# Using brew (recommended)
brew install onkernel/tap/kernel

# Using pnpm
pnpm install -g @onkernel/cli

# Using npm
npm install -g @onkernel/cli

Verify the installation:

which kernel
kernel --version

Quick Start

1. Authenticate with Kernel:

   kernel login

2. Deploy your first app:

   kernel deploy index.ts

3. Invoke your app:

   kernel invoke my-app action-name --payload '{"key": "value"}'

Authentication

OAuth 2.0 (Recommended)

The easiest way to authenticate is using OAuth:

kernel login

This opens your browser to complete the authentication flow. Your credentials are securely stored and automatically refreshed.

API Key

You can also authenticate using an API key:

export KERNEL_API_KEY=<YOUR_API_KEY>

Create an API key from the Kernel dashboard.

Commands Reference

Global Flags

• --version, -v - Print the CLI version
• --no-color - Disable color output
• --log-level <level> - Set log level (trace, debug, info, warn, error, fatal, print)

Authentication

• kernel login [--force] - Login via OAuth 2.0
• kernel logout - Clear stored credentials
• kernel auth - Check authentication status

App Management

• kernel deploy <file> - Deploy an app to Kernel

  • --version <version> - Specify app version (default: latest)
  • --force - Allow overwriting existing version
  • --env <KEY=VALUE>, -e - Set environment variables (can be used multiple times)
  • --env-file <file> - Load environment variables from file (can be used multiple times)

• kernel invoke <app> <action> - Run an app action

  • --version <version>, -v - Specify app version (default: latest)
  • --payload <json>, -p - JSON payload for the action
  • --sync, -s - Invoke synchronously (timeout after 60s)

• kernel app list - List deployed apps

  • --name <app_name> - Filter by app name
  • --version <version> - Filter by version

• kernel app history <app_name> - Show deployment history for an app

Logs

• kernel logs <app_name> - View app logs
  • --version <version> - Specify app version (default: latest)
  • --follow, -f - Follow logs in real-time
  • --since <time>, -s - How far back to retrieve logs (e.g., 5m, 1h)
  • --with-timestamps - Include timestamps in log output

Browser Management

• kernel browsers list - List running browsers
• kernel browsers create - Create a new browser session
  • -p, --persistence-id <id> - Unique identifier for browser session persistence
  • -s, --stealth - Launch browser in stealth mode to avoid detection
  • -H, --headless - Launch browser without GUI access
• kernel browsers delete <id or persistent id> - Delete a browser
  • -y, --yes - Skip confirmation prompt
• kernel browsers view <id or persistent id> - Get live view URL for a browser

Examples

Deploy with environment variables

# Set individual variables
kernel deploy index.ts --env API_KEY=abc123 --env DEBUG=true

# Load from .env file
kernel deploy index.ts --env-file .env

# Combine both methods
kernel deploy index.ts --env-file .env --env OVERRIDE_VAR=value

Invoke with payload

# Simple invoke
kernel invoke my-scraper scrape-page

# With JSON payload
kernel invoke my-scraper scrape-page --payload '{"url": "https://example.com"}'

# Synchronous invoke (wait for completion)
kernel invoke my-scraper quick-task --sync

Follow logs in real-time

# Follow logs
kernel logs my-app --follow

# Show recent logs with timestamps
kernel logs my-app --since 1h --with-timestamps

Browser management

# List all browsers
kernel browsers list

# Create a new browser session
kernel browsers create

# Create a persistent browser session
kernel browsers create --persistence-id my-browser-session

# Create a headless browser in stealth mode
kernel browsers create --headless --stealth

# Delete a persistent browser
kernel browsers delete --by-persistent-id my-browser-session --yes

# Get live view URL
kernel browsers view --by-id browser123

Getting Help

• kernel --help - Show all available commands
• kernel <command> --help - Get help for a specific command

Documentation

For complete documentation, visit:

• 📖 Documentation
• 🚀 Quickstart Guide
• 📋 CLI Reference

Support

• Discord Community
• GitHub Issues
• Documentation

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For development and contribution information, see DEVELOPMENT.md.