install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install livekit-cli

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#livekit-cli

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

Windows

Windows Package Managerverified · 92%

winget install --id LiveKit.LiveKitCLI -e

Windows Package Manager source index · LiveKit.LiveKitCLI · source: cdn.winget.microsoft.com

overview

Package summary

Command-line interface to LiveKit

Project links

Commands and aliases

livekit-cli
lk

history

Project history and usage

LiveKit CLI is the terminal interface for LiveKit projects. It packages common developer and operator workflows around LiveKit Cloud, self-hosted LiveKit servers, access tokens, rooms, egress, load testing, app templates, and agents.

Project history

The livekit/livekit-cli repository was created on May 10, 2021, shortly before LiveKit's public launch in July 2021. The CLI grew alongside LiveKit's open source SFU and SDK ecosystem as the project moved from realtime audio/video infrastructure toward a broader agent and voice-AI platform.

LiveKit documentation describes the CLI, invoked as lk, as the primary interface for managing LiveKit Cloud projects, creating applications from templates, and deploying agents. The GitHub README also documents older core workflows such as token generation, room APIs, egress management, participant simulation, and load testing.

Adoption history

The CLI's adoption follows LiveKit's developer adoption rather than a separate ecosystem. As LiveKit became a self-hostable and managed realtime stack, the CLI became the practical bridge between package-manager installation and day-to-day project setup.

By June 2024, LiveKit said its platform was used by more than 20,000 developers; the CLI sits in that workflow as a setup and management tool for both cloud projects and local/self-hosted testing.

How it is used

Developers install LiveKit CLI with Homebrew, a shell installer, winget, or source builds. The documented precedence order for command parameters is command-line flags, environment variables, local configuration files such as ./livekit.toml, and then default project configuration.

The CLI can create access tokens, call LiveKit APIs, join rooms as a participant, publish demo media, start and manage egresses, run load tests, create app templates, authenticate to LiveKit Cloud, and deploy agents.

Why package nerds care

livekit-cli is a good example of a modern infrastructure CLI that is both a package-manager binary and a cloud control surface. Its aliases and package names matter because users may invoke either livekit-cli or lk depending on installation path and documentation vintage.

For package maintainers, it combines typical Go CLI distribution with multimedia build considerations: the README notes audio and console subsystem dependencies around CGO, PortAudio, and WebRTC audio processing for source builds.

Timeline

2021-05-10: The livekit/livekit-cli repository was created.
2021-07-07: LiveKit was publicly introduced as open source realtime audio/video infrastructure.
2024-06-04: LiveKit reported more than 20,000 developers using the platform.
2026-06-30: The livekit/livekit-cli repository showed active updates through GitHub metadata.

Related projects

The CLI is related to the LiveKit server, LiveKit Cloud, LiveKit Agents, client SDKs, server SDKs, egress, ingress, SIP, and LiveKit app template repositories.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

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 2 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.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Unix: ./livekit.toml

Credential files

Credential-bearing paths to review before unattended agent runs.

Unix: ./livekit.toml

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`livekit-cli`	cli	global executable
`lk`	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 generated2026-07-08

manager version2.16.7

manager updated2026-06-27

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv2.16.7

https://github.com/livekit/livekit-cli

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:livekit-cli
Version	2.16.7
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/livekit-cli
Homepage	https://livekit.io
Repository	https://github.com/livekit/livekit-cli
Upstream docs	https://docs.livekit.io/reference/developer-tools/livekit-cli
License	Apache-2.0
Source archive	https://github.com/livekit/livekit-cli/archive/refs/tags/v2.16.7.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-06-27T19:43:44Z
Pulse	updated
Dependencies	portaudio
Build dependencies	go, pkgconf
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	livekit-cli
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Head Version	HEAD
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
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%

livekit-cli

nix profile install nixpkgs#livekit-cli

normalized package name match
Matched by: Livekit Cli

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

winget95%

LiveKit.LiveKitCLI

winget install --id LiveKit.LiveKitCLI -e

normalized package name match
Matched by: Livekit Cli

Windows Package Manager source index · cdn.winget.microsoft.com · Windows Package Manager source index: LiveKit.LiveKitCLI from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix

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/livekit-cli.yml

Used sources

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

Install livekit-cli with Homebrew, Nix, winget