Getting started

Installing and setting up Kition (macOS / Windows)

From download to opening your first vault and wiring up your first model — done in five minutes.

Kition Team·Jan 14, 2026·6 min read

Download and install

Pick your platform at `kition.ai/download`: macOS (Universal `.dmg` — Intel + Apple Silicon), Windows (`.exe`), Linux (`.AppImage`). The download is 120-180MB; double-click to install.

On first macOS launch you may see "developer not verified" — go to Settings → Privacy & Security and click "Open anyway." (Notarization is in flight.)

Create your first vault

On first launch Kition asks you to pick a vault folder. You can create a new empty folder or point it at an existing Obsidian export. A vault is just a normal directory — your `.md` documents and a `.kition/` config folder live in it.

Configure a model provider

In Settings → AI Providers add at least one: paste an API key and pick the wire type (`anthropic_messages` for Claude, `responses` for GPT and AiApiy). Save.

Quick smoke test

  • ⌘N to create a doc — confirm live preview renders
  • ⌘K to open the command palette — search "agent"
  • Ask the agent to "list files in vault" — confirm filesystem tools work

Ready when you are.

Kition is a local-first AI workspace. Markdown documents, structured tables, and an AI agent — running on your own machine, against the model provider you choose.