Docs
Documentation
Learn Kition by product area, from install to advanced setup. Browse the grouped sidebar, or start with the quickstart below.
Get started
What is Kitionsoon
A local-first AI workspace — Markdown docs, structured tables, and an AI agent, all on your own machine.
Install Kition
Download for macOS / Windows and finish first-run.
Create your first vault
A vault is a local folder holding all your docs, tables, and settings.
UI tour
Know the sidebar, editor area, agent panel, and command palette.
Configure an AI provider
Wire up an OpenAI / Anthropic / compatible key so the agent can run.
Securing your API key
Keys live in the OS keychain. Never commit them to your vault or repo.
Backup and sync
Local-first ≠ no backup. Three recommended paths: Git, iCloud, Dropbox.
Core model
Document editor
Markdown basics
Headings, lists, bold, links, code — Markdown core in three minutes.
Wikilinks and backlinks
`[[Doc name]]` creates a link; the backlinks panel shows what references the current page.
Callout syntax
`> [!note]` form. Supports note / tip / warning / danger / success.
Command palette
`Cmd/Ctrl + K` opens the palette — jump to docs, run commands, change settings.
Document templates
Drop `.md` templates into `Templates/`. Apply with one click on new docs.
Embedding a table in a doc
`![[Tables/projects]]` embeds a whole table or one view into the doc.
Math and Mermaid diagrams
`$$...$$` for math, ```mermaid blocks for diagrams.
Exporting to PDF / DOCX
Built-in Pandoc pipeline — export to PDF / DOCX / HTML in one click.
Data tables
Create a table
Create from the command palette, or type `/table` in a doc.
Field types overview
12+ types: text, number, date, select, attachment, AI, doc-link, and more.
Creating and switching views
Grid / Kanban / Calendar / Gallery — same table, many views.
Filter, sort, group
Combine filter conditions, sort by multiple fields, group by any field.
Setting up an AI field
Let a column be computed by the agent from others — extract themes, translate, score.
Importing from CSV
Click "Import CSV" in the table header, map columns, confirm inferred types, import.
Export tables as CSV / JSON
Export any table to plain text — data never locked in.
Linking docs and tables
Use a `doc_link` field to link rows to docs; backlinks show up automatically in the doc.
AI agent
Agent chat basics
Right panel → ask a question → agent calls tools and replies.
Agent tool calls
The agent picks tools, passes args, reads results, decides next steps — visible in the chat stream.
Plan mode
For complex tasks: agent drafts a plan → you approve → execution begins.
Hooks intro
Hooks slot code around tool calls — gate, audit, inject context.
MCP server setup
`<vault>/.kition/mcp.json` configures stdio / SSE / HTTP servers; restart agent to apply.
Subagent collaboration
Let the main agent spawn subagents — keep context windows from blowing up.
Agent long-term memory
Put "who you are, habits, constraints" into `.kition/agent.md` — loaded into every chat.
Browser tool
`browser_open` launches a real Chromium; the agent clicks, types, scrolls, screenshots.
Controlling agent cost
Pick models per task, cap context, set monthly budget — three knobs to keep bills sane.
Agent permission model
Tool calls have allow / ask / deny tiers; configurable per vault.
Providers
Set up OpenAI
Standard config for an OpenAI account with the Responses wire.
Set up Anthropic
Official Anthropic API + Messages wire — drive the agent with Claude.
Custom OpenAI-compatible provider
Any endpoint speaking the Responses shape — self-hosted Ollama / vLLM / company gateway.
Set up China-hosted models
DeepSeek / Qwen / Moonshot — setup mirrors OpenAI.
Switch the default model
Three levels: global default / per-vault / per-task.
Desktop & data
Log & config file locations
The first place to look when debugging — paths per OS.
Updates and versioning
Auto-update checks + manual fallback; how to roll back.
Free vs Pro
Free unlocks the full local editor, tables, and a single AI provider. Pro adds multi-provider routing, advanced hooks, and commercial support.
Uninstall and take your data
Uninstall only removes the app — vault stays where you put it.
Recipes
Build a custom tool
Ship an MCP server exposing your tool — starts at 10 lines.
Calling the Kition agent from CLI
`kition run --prompt "..."` — run the agent from the terminal; great for CI / scripts / cron.
Headless mode
No UI, background-only — for servers, CI, webhook handlers.
Team vault protocol
Pro-only — multi-user, sharded sync, conflict resolution, tiered permissions.
Reference
Settings referencesoon
Every setting, organized by panel.
Keybindingssoon
Default shortcuts and how to customize.
Privacy & telemetrysoon
What Kition collects and how to opt out.
Agent isn’t responding
Check provider config, API key, network, blocking hooks — and isolate the problem layer by layer.
Vault isn’t syncing
Triage, repair, and conflict resolution for each sync path: Git / iCloud / Dropbox.
Editor feels laggy
Usually: one giant doc, an attachment dir that exploded, extension conflicts, or a stale file index.
Wikilinks broken / backlinks missing
After rename / move the index occasionally lags; understanding the index model solves it for good.
CSV import fails / shows mojibake
UTF-8 + consistent dates + reasonable row count + clean delimiters — four things for a clean import.
PDF export fails
99% of the time: missing Pandoc / LaTeX or PATH issue; the remaining 1% is a special character in the doc.
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.