Install kaiport

Where to get kaiport, system requirements, installing on macOS, Windows, Linux, iPhone and iPad, the first start, the Mac App Store version, updates and uninstalling.

On this page

Where to get kaiport
System requirements
Download
Install kaiport
First start
The Mac App Store version
Where your data lives
Update kaiport
Uninstall kaiport

kaiport runs on macOS, Windows and Linux, and on iPhone and iPad. On a computer, you get it from the Mac App Store, from the website kaiport.dev or from the Microsoft Store. This page covers where to get it, the system requirements, the installation on each system and what happens on the first start. It also explains where kaiport keeps your data, how updates work and how to remove the app.

Where to get kaiport

Source	Systems	kaiport Pro	Updates
Mac App Store	macOS	Free to download; kaiport Pro in the app through Apple	Through the App Store
App Store	iPhone, iPad	Free to download; kaiport Pro in the app through Apple	Through the App Store
Download from kaiport.dev	macOS, Windows, Linux	Not available yet: the free version for now	kaiport checks for them itself
Microsoft Store	Windows	Not available yet: the free version for now	Through the Microsoft Store

None of them needs an account. One kaiport Pro subscription covers the Mac App Store version and the app on iPhone and iPad; see Free and kaiport Pro. The Mac App Store version runs in Apple's sandbox and differs in a few points; see The Mac App Store version. The app for iPhone and iPad is described in kaiport for iPhone and iPad.

System requirements

System	Requirement	Installer
macOS	macOS 12 or later, Apple silicon or Intel	Disk image (`.dmg`), one for each processor type
Windows	Windows 10 (64-bit) or Windows 11	Installer (`.exe`)
Linux	x64 with glibc 2.31 or later	AppImage or `.deb` package (Debian, Ubuntu)
iPhone, iPad	iOS or iPadOS 17 or later	From the App Store

The installers in the table are those of the download from kaiport.dev; the stores install kaiport for you.

For AI Pilot you need kaiport Pro and an API key from an AI provider, or a local model server such as Ollama or LM Studio. This is optional: everything else works without it.

On Linux, ldd --version shows your glibc version.

Download

Open the download page on kaiport.dev.
Under Recommended for your computer, the page suggests an installer. The other systems are listed under Other platforms.
Click Download.

On a Mac, the page always suggests the version for Apple silicon, because browsers don't reveal the processor type. If your Mac has an Intel processor, choose macOS · Intel under Other platforms. To check, open the Apple menu → About This Mac: a Mac with Apple silicon lists a Chip such as Apple M2, an Intel Mac lists an Intel Processor.

The download page also shows the current version and what is new in it.

Install kaiport

From the download page:

Open the downloaded disk image: kaiport-<version>-mac-arm64.dmg for Apple silicon or kaiport-<version>-mac-x64.dmg for Intel.
Drag kaiport into the Applications folder.
Eject the disk image.
Start kaiport from the Applications folder or from Launchpad.

From the Mac App Store: search for kaiport in the Mac App Store and install it. The app is free to download, and this is the version that offers kaiport Pro on the Mac. See The Mac App Store version.

From the download page:

Run kaiport-<version>-windows-setup.exe.
Follow the installer. It lets you choose the installation folder.
Start kaiport from the Start menu.

If Microsoft Defender SmartScreen warns that it doesn't recognize the app, make sure you downloaded the installer from the kaiport download page, then choose More info → Run anyway.

From the Microsoft Store: search for kaiport in the Microsoft Store and install it, then start it from the Start menu. Like the download, it is the free version for now, and the Microsoft Store keeps the app up to date.

AppImage: make the file executable and start it.

bash

chmod +x kaiport-*-linux-x86_64.AppImage
./kaiport-*-linux-x86_64.AppImage

Most file managers also let you allow executing the file in its properties; then double-click it.

Debian package: install it with apt, which also installs missing dependencies.

bash

sudo apt install ./kaiport-*-linux-amd64.deb

The package installs kaiport into /opt/kaiport and adds it to your applications menu. In a terminal, kaiport starts it.

First start

On the first start, the start window welcomes you with two steps: create an SSH connection and set up AI Pilot. The quick start walks you through them.

No account, no trial clock. The free features work right away and without an account. In the Mac App Store version, features marked PRO open the offer for kaiport Pro, with 14 days free for new subscribers. See Free and kaiport Pro.
Import from other clients. If kaiport finds connections of other programs on your computer, for example in ~/.ssh/config or the FileZilla Site Manager, it opens the import wizard once. Pick the sources and the connections you want; connections that already exist are recognized and skipped. Later closes the wizard. You can start it again any time under Settings → Import. The Mac App Store version doesn't look for these files by itself: start the wizard there and choose them in the file dialog. See Import and export.
Keychain access. kaiport encrypts passwords, keys and tokens with your system's keychain. If macOS asks whether kaiport may use the keychain item "kaiport Safe Storage", enter your login password and choose Always Allow; this can happen with builds that are not signed. On Linux, kaiport needs a running Secret Service such as GNOME Keyring or KWallet; see Troubleshooting.

The import wizard listing connections found in other clients, with existing ones marked — The import wizard offers the connections it found

The Mac App Store version

kaiport from the Mac App Store runs in Apple's app sandbox. A few things therefore work differently than in the download:

Topic	In the Mac App Store version
Updates	Come through the App Store. The app has no updater of its own.
kaiport Pro	You subscribe in the app through Apple, see Free and kaiport Pro.
SSH agent	There is no SSH agent and no agent forwarding. Choose your private key with Choose in the connection dialog instead: kaiport imports it into the app and stores it encrypted, rather than reading it from `~/.ssh`.
Import	You choose `~/.ssh/config` and the files of FileZilla, WinSCP, PuTTY or Cyberduck in a file dialog; kaiport doesn't look for them by itself.
Transfer view	You choose the folders for the local pane once in a dialog, and kaiport remembers them.

Where your data lives

kaiport keeps its data in a folder of your user account:

System	Data folder
macOS	`~/Library/Application Support/kaiport`
Windows	`%APPDATA%\kaiport`
Linux	`~/.config/kaiport`, or `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/kaiport` when that variable is set

Settings → About shows the exact path under Data. On macOS, Help → Open Data Folder (settings, logs) opens it in the Finder.

File	Contents
`connections.json`	Saved connections; passwords, passphrases and imported keys are encrypted
`settings.json`	Settings; the AI token is encrypted
`known_hosts.json`	Host keys of the SSH servers you trust
`chats.json`	AI Pilot conversations
`command-history.json`	Command history for the command palette
`ai-audit.jsonl`	The AI audit log
`session.json`	Windows and tabs to restore on the next start
`kaiport.log`	Unexpected errors, if any occurred

The encrypted values can only be read with the keychain of the computer and user account that stored them. If you copy the folder to another computer, your connections come along but their credentials don't. You can also export your connections and import them on the other computer; then you enter the credentials again there.

Update kaiport

If you installed kaiport from the Microsoft Store or the Mac App Store, the store delivers the updates, as for your other apps from there.

The download from kaiport.dev checks for a new version when it starts and once a day. When there is one, it shows the version with its change notes, and you choose Update now, Skip this version or Later. Nothing is installed without your consent. Settings → Updates shows the installed version and has Check for updates and the changelog.

You can also download the newest installer from the download page and install it over the existing version. Your data folder stays untouched. On macOS, only signed builds can install updates themselves; see Updates for this and more.

Uninstall kaiport

Quit kaiport and move it from the Applications folder to the Trash.

Delete the AppImage file, or remove the package:

bash

sudo apt remove kaiport

Uninstalling leaves the data folder in place, so a later installation finds your connections and settings again. To remove everything, delete the data folder as well.

Uninstalling doesn't end a kaiport Pro subscription: it belongs to your Apple ID and renews until you cancel it; see Renewal and cancellation.