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what is kitbash fr?

singhharsh1708/kitbash — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

8HTMLAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5LicenseSetup · easy

tl;dr

A compiler and package manager for AI agent skills, letting you write one skill and run it in Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, and more.

vibe map

mindmap
  root((Kitbash))
    What it does
      Compiles skills
      Measures token cost
      Reviews permissions
    Tech stack
      Node.js
      npm
      Homebrew
    Use cases
      Write once run anywhere
      Preview before install
      Track drift with lockfile
    Audience
      Developers

Code map

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what do people make with this?

VIBE 1

Write an AI agent skill once and compile it for nine different coding assistants.

VIBE 2

See a skill's per session token cost before installing it.

VIBE 3

Review a third party skill's permissions and compiled output before trusting it.

what's the stack?

Node.jsCLInpmHomebrew

how it stacks up fr

singhharsh1708/kitbashcvlab-kaist/cats-plusplus-project-pagesebastiancarlos/hacker-fables
Stars888
LanguageHTMLHTMLHTML
Last pushed2022-10-20
MaintenanceDormant
Setup difficultyeasyeasyhard
Complexity2/51/53/5
Audiencedeveloperdeveloperdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

how do i run it?

Difficulty · easy time til it works · 5min

Needs Node 20+ for the npm install path, or Homebrew as an alternative.

Use freely, including commercially, as long as you keep the license notice, Apache 2.0 also includes a patent grant.

in plain english

Kitbash is a command line tool and open file format for writing AI agent skills once and running them across many different coding assistants, including Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, Codex, Cline, and several others. Instead of maintaining a separate copy of the same instructions for every tool your team uses, you write a skill in Kitbash's own format and its compiler turns that single source into whatever format each target assistant actually reads. A skill in this format is a folder containing a manifest file describing its budget and permissions, an instructions file, and optional scripts and tests. What sets the compiler apart from a plain converter is that it measures how many tokens a skill will add to every single session before you even install it, since some assistants can load instructions lazily on demand while others must load everything upfront, which can multiply the ongoing cost many times over for the exact same skill. The tool surfaces that cost difference directly rather than hiding it. Getting started means running an install command, either from GitHub, a plain owner and repository shorthand, or a local file, followed by a compile command that generates the native output for whichever assistants you target. Before installing anything from someone else, a preview command can fetch and render a skill's compiled output, permissions, and token cost without actually installing it, and installation itself shows what a skill declares before writing any files. A lockfile records a content hash for each installed skill so later drift between what was reviewed and what is actually present can be detected. The project is released under the Apache 2.0 license and distributed through npm or Homebrew.

prompts (copy fr)

prompt 1
Help me run kitbash init and compile my first skill for Claude Code and Cursor.
prompt 2
Explain the difference between a lazy loading target and an eager loading target.
prompt 3
Show me how to preview a skill from GitHub before installing it.
prompt 4
Walk me through what the kitbash.lock file protects against.

Frequently asked questions

what is kitbash fr?

A compiler and package manager for AI agent skills, letting you write one skill and run it in Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, and more.

What language is kitbash written in?

Mainly HTML. The stack also includes Node.js, CLI, npm.

What license does kitbash use?

Use freely, including commercially, as long as you keep the license notice, Apache 2.0 also includes a patent grant.

How hard is kitbash to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is kitbash for?

Mainly developer.

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