# Install ki with Homebrew, Nix Kotlin Language Interactive Shell. Version 0.5.2 via Homebrew; verified 2026-05-19. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:ki ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install ki ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#ki ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ki/ki/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:ki - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 0.5.2 - **Source summary:** Kotlin Language Interactive Shell - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** Apache-2.0 - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-05-19T07:49:15-04:00 - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - ki (cli) - ki (alias) ## Dependencies - openjdk@21 ## Build dependencies - maven ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 0.5.2 - Package-manager updated: 2026-05-19 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/Kotlin/kotlin-interactive-shell - Upstream latest detected: v0.5.2 (current) ## 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 Notes generalized runtime or code generation signal. - **Geiger risk:** yellow / medium - generalized runtime or code generation signal ## 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:** - **Deprecated:** yes - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - ki: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ki/ki/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Source-control packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/source-control-tools/) - Belongs to a source-control command family. - [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Has protected-tool coverage, approval-gate, or non-low Geiger security signals. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Language runtime packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/language-runtime-packages/) - Matched language runtime, compiler, or interpreter metadata. - [openjdk@21](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/openjdk-21/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [maven](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/maven/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [frege-repl](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/frege-repl/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, jvm, language-runtime, repl. - [ammonite-repl](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ammonite-repl/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, language-runtime, repl. - [planck](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/planck/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, language-runtime, repl. - [psysh](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/psysh/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, language-runtime, repl. - [clojure](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/clojure/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, jvm, language-runtime, repl. - [kawa](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/kawa/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, jvm, language-runtime, repl. - [abcl](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/abcl/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, jvm, language-runtime. - [bigloo](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bigloo/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, jvm, language-runtime. - [frege](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/frege/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, jvm, language, language-runtime, openjdk. - [hy](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/hy/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, language, language-runtime, repl, runtime. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/ki.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/ki.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph