install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install ki

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#ki

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ki/ki/package.nix · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Kotlin Language Interactive Shell

Project links

Commands and aliases

ki

history

Project history and usage

Kotlin Language Interactive Shell, usually invoked as `ki`, is JetBrains' richer terminal REPL for Kotlin: a shell with syntax highlighting, type inference commands, runtime Maven dependency loading, and symbol listing.

Project history

The project grew out of Sparklin. The repository README describes it as the former Sparklin shell migrated to Kotlin's newer scripting and REPL infrastructure and generalized into the Kotlin Language Interactive Shell. Early GitHub releases in 2018 were still named Sparklin; by 2021 the release stream and JetBrains announcement presented it as `ki`.

Adoption history

The README documents distribution through Maven Central archives, SDKMAN!, Arch Linux AUR, Homebrew, and MacPorts. JetBrains' 2021 Kotlin blog post positioned `ki` as a better standalone shell alongside the built-in `kotlinc` and IntelliJ IDEA REPL options.

How it is used

Package users install `ki` to try Kotlin snippets, load JVM dependencies from Maven coordinates during an interactive session, inspect declared symbols, and run a Kotlin REPL from a terminal without opening an IDE.

Why package nerds care

`ki` matters because it is an official Kotlin-team package that turns a language REPL into something closer to a shell-oriented package-manager experience: install a launcher, pull dependencies by coordinates, and explore JVM libraries interactively.

Timeline

2017: Kotlin/kotlin-interactive-shell repository created on GitHub.
2018: GitHub releases were published under the Sparklin name.
2021: JetBrains announced `ki` as the next interactive shell for Kotlin.
2022: The 0.4.x release series continued under the Kotlin Language Interactive Shell repository.

Related projects

The README points to Kotlin/kotlin-spark-shell as the Apache Spark adaptation and keeps the earlier Sparklin version in a separate repository branch.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: yellow

generalized runtime or code generation signal.

Risk classifier

yellow risk · medium confidence · runtime

Why

generalized runtime or code generation signal

Signals

text:shell

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
Installs with 1 runtime dependencies.
Build metadata lists 1 build dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`ki`	cli	global executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-07

manager version0.5.2

manager updated2026-05-19

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv0.5.2

https://github.com/Kotlin/kotlin-interactive-shell

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:ki
Version	0.5.2
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/ki
Homepage	https://github.com/Kotlin/kotlin-interactive-shell
Repository	https://github.com/Kotlin/kotlin-interactive-shell
Upstream docs	https://github.com/Kotlin/kotlin-interactive-shell#readme
License	Apache-2.0
Source archive	https://github.com/Kotlin/kotlin-interactive-shell/archive/refs/tags/v0.5.2.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-05-19T07:49:15-04:00
Pulse	updated
Dependencies	openjdk@21
Build dependencies	maven
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	ki
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Head Version	HEAD
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	yes
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	head stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Nix95%

ki

nix profile install nixpkgs#ki

normalized package name match
Matched by: Ki

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ki/ki/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/ki.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
av.db category and tag curation
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment

Install ki with Homebrew, Nix