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Kilo Code

Connect Kilo Code to GonkaGate with the official kilo-setup installer.

Connect an existing Kilo Code install to GonkaGate with the official installer. This guide uses the supported @gonkagate/kilo-setup path, so you do not have to edit Kilo config by hand or stash secrets in a repository.

Quick setup with the official installer

Run the official installer:

Quick setup with the official installer
npx @gonkagate/kilo-setup

This tool configures an existing local kilo install. It does not install Kilo Code itself.

Use it if you want the safe default setup without hand-editing Kilo config:

  • keeps the secret out of config files in the repository by default
  • preserves unrelated Kilo settings instead of rewriting whole files
  • picks the recommended scope for the current directory
  • checks the result after writing config
  • leaves you with plain kilo

Before you start

  • Kilo Code is already installed locally and available as kilo, or the fallback kilocode command exists on PATH.
  • The supported Kilo CLI version is exact @kilocode/cli@7.2.0.
  • Node >=22.14.0 is available for the npx installer.
  • You already have a GonkaGate API key in gp-... format.
  • The installer currently starts with qwen/qwen3-235b-a22b-instruct-2507-fp8.

Choose the right scope

The installer supports two scopes:

  • user: use GonkaGate on this machine in general.
  • project: make GonkaGate the default for the current repository.

By default, the interactive flow picks:

  • inside a git repository: project
  • outside a repository: user

One limit matters here: project scope is commit-safe because .kilo/kilo.jsonc stores only activation settings. The actual provider.gonkagate definition still lives in user config, so every machine that uses the repository still needs to run the installer once.

Non-interactive setup

Use this for scripts, automation, or repeatable local setup:

Non-interactive setup
npx @gonkagate/kilo-setup --scope project --yes

With a key from the environment:

With a key from the environment
GONKAGATE_API_KEY="$GONKAGATE_API_KEY" npx @gonkagate/kilo-setup --scope user --yes

With a key through stdin and JSON output:

With a key through stdin and JSON output
printf '%s' "$GONKAGATE_API_KEY" | npx @gonkagate/kilo-setup --api-key-stdin --scope project --yes --json

If Kilo keeps reopening the last UI-selected model, clear that cache too:

Command
npx @gonkagate/kilo-setup --scope project --clear-kilo-model-cache --yes

Pass the key only through:

  • the hidden interactive prompt
  • GONKAGATE_API_KEY
  • --api-key-stdin

The installer intentionally does not accept plain --api-key, so secrets do not end up in shell history or process lists.

Verify the setup

If Kilo is already open, close it first. Then start a fresh session:

Verify the setup
kilo

Then:

  • run /models
  • select the GonkaGate model if it is not active yet
  • send this prompt:

Reply with exactly: Kilo Code connected to GonkaGate

That is enough to confirm the provider wiring before a longer coding session.

If it still looks unchanged, check KILO_CONFIG, KILO_CONFIG_DIR, and KILO_CONFIG_CONTENT first. Any of them can override the durable config. Also make sure you are not still inside an older Kilo session that kept runtime overrides.

Where kilo-setup writes data

The installer keeps secrets out of the repository by default. It writes to three places:

  • user-level secret: ~/.gonkagate/kilo/api-key
  • user-level durable config: ~/.config/kilo/kilo.jsonc
  • project-level durable config: .kilo/kilo.jsonc

How the writes are split:

  • user scope writes provider and activation into user config
  • project scope keeps the provider definition and secret binding in user config, then writes only activation into project config

Common first failures

If you seeWhat it usually meansWhat to do
Setup stops before any files are writtenkilo and kilocode are both missing, or the installed Kilo version is not exact @kilocode/cli@7.2.0Fix PATH, then recheck the local Kilo version
The installer says the saved setup succeeded, but the current shell still acts wrongA higher-precedence runtime layer such as KILO_CONFIG, KILO_CONFIG_DIR, or KILO_CONFIG_CONTENT is still overriding the resultExit the active Kilo session, start plain kilo, and recheck the override variables
Another repository still opens on a GonkaGate modelKilo reused the last model selected in the UI from ~/.local/state/kilo/model.jsonSwitch the model in plain kilo or rerun the installer with --clear-kilo-model-cache
project scope works on one machine but not anotherProject scope activates GonkaGate per repo, but the user-level provider definition is still machine-localRun the installer on each participating machine
You want to pass --api-key directlyPlain --api-key is intentionally unsupportedUse the hidden prompt, GONKAGATE_API_KEY, or --api-key-stdin instead

Current limits

  • This guide configures an existing Kilo Code install. It does not install Kilo Code itself.
  • The current public setup path is intentionally scoped to exact @kilocode/cli@7.2.0.
  • The current transport target is OpenAI-compatible chat/completions.
  • The installer starts with qwen/qwen3-235b-a22b-instruct-2507-fp8.
  • Native Windows production support is not claimed yet.

Official references

See also

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On this page

Quick setup with the official installerBefore you startChoose the right scopeNon-interactive setupVerify the setupWhere kilo-setup writes dataCommon first failuresCurrent limitsOfficial referencesSee also