Quickstart
Install Kernax IDE, authenticate your account, run your first local AST index, and dispatch your first agent task in under 2 minutes.
System Requirements
Kernax is distributed as a lightweight desktop application with bundled Tree-sitter binaries for major operating systems:
| Platform | Architecture | Minimum OS Version | Package Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows | x86_64 | Windows 10 / 11 (Build 19041+) | .exe (NSIS Installer) |
| macOS | Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) & Intel | macOS 12.0 (Monterey) or later | .dmg (Universal) |
| Linux | x86_64 / arm64 | glibc 2.28+ (Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 11+, Fedora 34+) | .deb, .AppImage |
Installation Steps
Windows (x64)
Download and launch Kernax-Setup-1.0.1.exe. The installer registers the desktop protocol handler (kernax://) and configures the command-line shortcut kernax into your User PATH.
macOS (Universal)
Open the downloaded Kernax-1.0.1.dmg image and drag the Kernax.app bundle directly into your /Applications directory. On initial launch, grant accessibility permissions if prompted for global keyboard shortcut interception.
Linux (.deb & AppImage)
# For Debian/Ubuntu (.deb)
sudo dpkg -i kernax-linux-amd64-1.0.1.deb
# For AppImage (Portable)
chmod +x Kernax-1.0.1-x86_64.AppImage
./Kernax-1.0.1-x86_64.AppImageCryptographic Deep-Link Authentication
Connecting your desktop environment to your Kernax account takes under 30 seconds using our zero-leak deep-link bridge:
- Launch Kernax IDE on your workstation.
- Click Sign In in the top activity header or press Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P and type
Kernax: Sign In. - A browser authentication window opens automatically at
kernax.com/ide_auth. Sign in with your registered closed beta credentials. - The web authentication gateway creates an ephemeral token and hands it off to your desktop client via the
kernax://auth?token=...protocol. - Your account quotas, active models, and team workspace settings synchronize immediately.
Initial Local AST Indexing
When you open a project folder in Kernax, the IDE automatically initializes a lightweight local Tree-sitter AST index in the background.
You can inspect the indexing status in the bottom status bar: AST Indexed: 1,420 symbols (0.4s). Once indexed, fuzzy code search and contextual @mentions operate with zero latency.
Your First Agent Task
Now that your project is indexed, let's dispatch your first agent turn:
- Press Ctrl+L / Cmd+L to open the Kernax Timeline Chat panel.
- Type a natural language prompt such as:
prompt
Scan @src/auth/ and write a comprehensive Vitest unit test suite covering token expiration and refresh logic. - Notice how the agent executes parallel ripgrep queries, constructs the AST slice, generates test files, and offers an interactive diff review for you to Accept or Reject with a single keystroke.