kars CLI — @kars-runtime/cli
The command-line interface for kars — a secure AI agent runtime on Azure. Run OpenClaw (and other) agents in isolated sandboxes with end-to-end encrypted inter-agent messaging, egress control, and policy governance — locally on Docker/kind or on AKS.
Install
npm i -g @kars-runtime/cliThis installs the kars command. (Node.js 22+ required.)
No-compile alternative — the public installer pulls the latest signed release:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Azure/kars/main/install.sh | bash
Quick start
# Run a sandboxed agent from the published, cosign-signed images (no compile)
kars dev --release
# …or on a local Kubernetes (kind) cluster — real K8s posture
kars dev --release --target local-k8sOn first launch you pick an inference provider — GitHub Copilot is easiest (one device-code login, no Azure account). Then talk to your agent:
kars connect dev-agentWhen you're ready for a managed cluster:
kars up --name prod-agent --region swedencentral --release # provisions AKS + Foundry + the full stack from signed public images (no build)Common commands
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
kars dev --release |
Run a sandbox from published images (Docker), no compile |
kars dev --release --target local-k8s |
Same, on a local kind cluster |
kars connect <name> |
Open the agent chat TUI |
kars up --release |
Provision AKS + ACR + Foundry from signed public images (no build) |
kars add |
Add a sandbox / runtime to an existing deployment |
kars operator |
Live operator dashboard (agents, mesh, security posture) |
kars --help |
Full command list |
Security & provenance
Every published kars artefact — container images and this CLI tarball — is
cosign keyless-signed, ships an SPDX SBOM, and carries a SLSA build
provenance attestation. The CLI is published to npm via OIDC trusted
publishing (no long-lived tokens). Verify with npm audit signatures,
cosign verify, and gh attestation verify.
Links
- Repository & docs: https://github.com/Azure/kars
- Getting started: https://github.com/Azure/kars/blob/main/docs/getting-started.md
- License: MIT
kars is an open-source reference implementation maintained under the Azure GitHub organization. Not an officially supported Microsoft product.