kurtosis-tech.

cli-local-build

Build and test the Kurtosis CLI from source. Compile the CLI binary locally, run it against Docker or Kubernetes engines, and iterate on CLI changes without creating a release. Use when developing or debugging CLI commands.

cluster-manage

Manage Kurtosis cluster settings. Switch between Docker and Kubernetes backends, list available clusters, and configure which cluster Kurtosis uses. Use when you need to change where Kurtosis runs enclaves.

context-manage

Manage Kurtosis contexts for connecting to different Kurtosis instances. Add, list, switch, and remove contexts. Use when working with multiple Kurtosis environments (local, remote, team shared).

docker-debug

Debug Kurtosis running on local Docker. Inspect engine, API container, and service logs. Diagnose container crashes, port conflicts, and networking issues. Use when kurtosis commands fail or services aren't reachable on Docker.

docker-local-build

Build and test Kurtosis from source on local Docker. Compiles all components (engine, core, files-artifacts-expander), builds Docker images, installs the CLI, and restarts the engine. Use when developing Kurtosis and testing changes locally with Docker.

dump

Dump Kurtosis state for debugging and sharing. Export enclave state including service logs, configurations, and file artifacts to a local directory. Use when you need to capture state for offline analysis or to share with others for debugging.

enclave-inspect

Inspect and manage Kurtosis enclaves. List enclaves, view services and ports, examine file artifacts, dump enclave state for debugging, and clean up. Use when you need to understand what's running inside an enclave or export its state.

engine-manage

Manage the Kurtosis engine server. Start, stop, restart the engine, check status, and view engine logs. Covers both Docker and Kubernetes engine backends. Use when the engine won't start, needs restarting, or you need to check engine health.

files-inspect

Inspect, download, upload, and debug Kurtosis file artifacts. View artifacts in an enclave, download them locally for inspection, upload local files, and troubleshoot file mounting issues. Use when services can't find expected files or configs are wrong.

gateway

Start and manage the Kurtosis gateway for Kubernetes. The gateway forwards local ports to the Kurtosis engine and services running in a k8s cluster. Required when using Kurtosis with Kubernetes. Use when kurtosis engine status shows nothing on k8s or services aren't reachable.

grafloki

Start Grafana and Loki for centralized log collection from Kurtosis enclaves. View aggregated service logs in a Grafana dashboard. Use when you need a UI for browsing logs across multiple services or want persistent log storage.

import-compose

Import Docker Compose files into Kurtosis. Convert docker-compose.yml to Starlark packages or run them directly. Use when migrating existing Docker Compose workflows to Kurtosis.

k8s-clean-cluster

Force-clean all Kurtosis resources from a Kubernetes cluster when kurtosis clean hangs or fails. Removes all kurtosis namespaces, pods, daemonsets, cluster roles, and cluster role bindings. Use when kurtosis clean -a hangs or leaves behind orphaned resources.

k8s-debug-pods

Debug Kurtosis pods on Kubernetes. Diagnose why pods are Pending, CrashLoopBackOff, ImagePullBackOff, or Evicted. Check node taints, tolerations, resource pressure, and pod events. Use when kurtosis engine start fails or pods aren't coming online.

k8s-dev-deploy

Build, push, and deploy Kurtosis dev images to a Kubernetes cluster without creating a release. Rebuilds engine, core, and files-artifacts-expander as multi-arch Docker images with a unique tag, pushes to the logged-in user's Docker Hub, and restarts the engine. Use when testing local code changes on a k8s cluster.

port-forward

View and manage port mappings for Kurtosis services. Check which local ports map to service ports and troubleshoot connectivity. Use when services aren't reachable or you need to find the right port.

portal

Manage Kurtosis Portal for remote context access. Start, stop, and check status of the Portal daemon that enables communication with remote Kurtosis servers. Use when working with remote Kurtosis contexts.

run-package

Run Starlark scripts and packages with kurtosis run. Covers all flags including dry-run, args-file, parallel execution, image download modes, verbosity levels, and production mode. Use when executing Kurtosis packages locally or from GitHub.

service-manage

Manage services in Kurtosis enclaves. Add, inspect, stop, start, remove, update services. View logs, shell into containers, and execute commands. Use when you need to interact with running services.

starlark-dev

Develop and debug Kurtosis Starlark packages. Create packages from scratch, understand the plan-based execution model, use print() debugging, handle future references, and test packages locally. Use when writing or troubleshooting .star files.