Getting Started

This guide gets you from zero to a reviewed diff in under five minutes.

Install

Skill Installer (Recommended)
npm
npx (No Install)
curl

Installs the CLI and deploys Kodus skills to all detected AI agents (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Windsurf):

curl -fsSL https://review-skill.com/install | bash

npm install -g @kodus/cli

npx @kodus/cli review

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kodustech/cli/main/install.sh | bash

Requires Node.js >= 20.0.0.

Verify the install:

kodus --version
kodus status

Authenticate

Pick the path that matches your situation. You can also skip auth and run kodus review directly — it works in trial mode with daily limits.

Solo developer
Team (shared key)
AI agent
CI/CD

kodus auth login

Tokens are stored in ~/.kodus/credentials.json and auto-refreshed.

Generate a team key at app.kodus.io/organization/cli-keys and apply it:

kodus auth team-key --key kodus_xxxxx

Or distribute the bootstrap command to your team — it installs the CLI and configures the key in one shot:

curl -fsSL https://review-skill.com/install | bash -s -- --team-key kodus_xxxxx

Save the key when it’s shown — it won’t be displayed again.

For AI coding agents (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex), team keys are the recommended path — no individual login, no interactive prompts. Set the key once:

export KODUS_TEAM_KEY=kodus_xxxxx

Add it to your shell profile so the agent picks it up on every run.

From a logged-in machine, generate a long-lived token:

kodus auth token

In your pipeline, set:

export KODUS_TOKEN=<generated-token>

See Self-Hosted Setup for full CI examples.

Self-hosting Kodus? Point the CLI to your API before authenticating:

export KODUS_API_URL=https://kodus-api.yourcompany.com

HTTPS is required except for localhost.

Confirm the auth state:

kodus auth status

Run your first review

Inside any git repository with uncommitted changes:

kodus review

The CLI analyzes your working tree diff, prints a summary, and (in interactive mode) lets you browse file-by-file, preview suggested fixes, and apply them.Common variations:

kodus review --staged             # Only staged files
kodus review --branch main        # Compare current branch against main
kodus review --commit abc123      # Analyze a single commit
kodus review --fix                # Auto-apply every fixable issue
kodus review --prompt-only        # Compact output for AI agents
kodus review --fail-on error      # Exit non-zero on error-or-worse (CI-friendly)

Working-tree reviews (default) and --staged inline file contents so the backend sees your uncommitted changes. --branch and --commit modes skip inlining since the backend can fetch those commits itself — this is why those modes work well on huge branches.

Choose what's next

Depending on your goal:

Automate on every push

Install the pre-push hook with kodus hook install.

Run reviews in CI

GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, and generic pipeline examples.

Plug into an AI agent

Feed --prompt-only into Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex for autonomous fix loops.

Configure the repo

Manage ignored files, base branches, and review settings from the CLI.

Environment Variables

These env vars configure the CLI across all commands.

Variable	Description
`KODUS_API_URL`	API endpoint (default: `https://api.kodus.io`)
`KODUS_TEAM_KEY`	Team key for shared access and AI agents
`KODUS_TOKEN`	CI/CD token generated via `kodus auth token`
`KODUS_VERBOSE`	Set to `true` for verbose output
`KODUS_SKIP_HOOK`	Set to `1` to skip the pre-push hook for a single `git push`
`KODUS_REQUEST_TIMEOUT_MIN`	Per-request timeout in minutes (default: `60`)
`CF_ACCESS_CLIENT_ID`	Cloudflare Access client ID (APIs behind Zero Trust)
`CF_ACCESS_CLIENT_SECRET`	Cloudflare Access client secret

For self-hosted setups, tokens, and Cloudflare Access, see Self-Hosted Setup.

Troubleshooting

Ran into an error? Check the Troubleshooting guide for common symptoms and fixes.

Getting Started

Billing & Licenses

AI Code Review

CLI

Cockpit

Kody Issues

Organization

Security

Troubleshooting

Getting Started

Automate on every push

Run reviews in CI

Plug into an AI agent

Configure the repo

Environment Variables

Troubleshooting

Automate on every push

Run reviews in CI

Plug into an AI agent

Configure the repo

​Environment Variables

​Troubleshooting

Environment Variables

Troubleshooting