Command reference
Quick reference
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
kobe status | Show endpoint status, auth methods, and pool summary |
kobe version | Show CLI and endpoint versions |
kobe run | Lease an executable resource, run one command, release it (details) |
kobe exec | Run a command in a lease that supports exec |
kobe logs | Read output from a lease that supports logs |
kobe cancel | Cancel a running execution |
kobe attach | Open an interactive session through an attach capability |
kobe port-forward | Forward a declared port through a port-forward capability |
kobe login | Authenticate with the kobe service |
kobe logout | Remove stored credentials |
kobe lease <pool> | Lease the resource provided by a pool |
kobe release <lease-id> | Release a lease |
kobe config view | Print current configuration |
kobe config edit | Open the configuration TUI |
kobe config list | List named targets |
kobe config current | Show the current target |
kobe config use <name> | Switch the current target |
kobe config set <name> --endpoint ... | Create or replace a named target |
kobe status
kobe statusQueries GET /v1/status on the configured endpoint. Shows the operator version, available auth methods, active sessions, and pool summary. Does not require authentication.
Useful for verifying connectivity and checking which auth methods the endpoint accepts before logging in.
Authenticated pool rows include the pool phase and a quarantined count. A
non-zero count means cleanup evidence is incomplete and that capacity remains
withheld; it is not reported as healthy or available.
kobe version
kobe versionPrints the local CLI version and, when reachable, the endpoint version reported by GET /v1/status.
kobe login
kobe loginAuthenticates with the configured kobe endpoint. The flow depends on the configured auth mode:
ssh— challenges your SSH agent to sign with your Ed25519 keytoken— validates the token set in config orKOBE_TOKENoidc— opens a browser for OIDC authentication
On successful login, kobe stores a session token locally. Subsequent commands use the stored token without re-prompting.
kobe logout
kobe logoutRemoves the stored session token and credentials from the local config. The next command that requires auth will prompt you to log in again.
kobe lease
kobe lease <pool> [--ttl <duration>] [--kubeconfig <path>] [--metadata-json <json|@path>] [--no-wait]Creates a lease from the specified pool. The pool's resourceKind determines
what is allocated and which actions are available. Cluster leases write a
kubeconfig; executable resources expose actions such as exec and logs.
kobe lease ci-small
kobe lease ci-small --ttl 30m
kobe lease ci-small --kubeconfig /tmp/kube.yaml
kobe lease agents --ttl 30m
kobe lease ci-small --metadata-json '{"github":{"actor":"lenij","pullRequest":3835}}'
kobe lease ci-small --metadata-json @lease-metadata.json
kobe lease ci-small --no-waitPrints the lease ID, resource kind, capabilities, and expiry on success.
Flags
| Flag | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
--ttl | pool default | Requested lease TTL. Capped by AccessPolicy maxTtl. |
--kubeconfig | ~/.kube/kobe-<id> | Cluster resources only: path to write the kubeconfig. |
--no-wait | disabled | Return after creating the lease instead of waiting for readiness. |
--wait-timeout | unset | Maximum time to wait for the lease to become usable. |
--metadata-json | unset | Opaque descriptive JSON object, passed inline or read from @path. Metadata is bounded by the server and never affects lease behavior. |
Metadata is stored with the lease and returned to its owner. Do not include
credentials or secrets; cluster administrators can inspect it.
When --ensure reuses an existing named lease, that lease keeps its original metadata.
Lease visibility
kobe statusThe current CLI does not expose a standalone kobe leases command anymore. Use kobe status for an endpoint summary plus your active leases, or query GET /v1/leases directly.
kobe release
kobe release <lease-id>Releases a lease immediately. Kobe performs the cleanup required by that resource kind and makes the pool capacity reusable. Use this when work finishes before the TTL expires.
kobe release lease-a1b2c3d4e5f6kobe config
kobe config view
kobe config edit
kobe config list
kobe config current
kobe config use work
kobe config set work --endpoint https://kobe.example.com --auth sshThe CLI stores named targets in ~/.config/kobe/config.json. Most users set up one or more targets and switch between them with kobe config use.
Common subcommands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
kobe config view | Show the full config, including named targets |
kobe config edit | Open the TUI editor |
kobe config list | List named targets |
kobe config current | Show the current target |
kobe config use <name> | Switch the active target |
kobe config set <name> ... | Create or replace a named target |
kobe config set work --endpoint https://kobe.example.com --auth ssh
kobe config use work