CLI Tools
ARK provides two command-line tools for different use cases. For basic Kubernetes operations, see Kubernetes Integration.
Overview
fark - Fast Agentic Runtime Kit
The primary tool for querying agents and teams, plus CRUD operations on ARK resources.
ark - ARK Management Interface
Interactive dashboard and system status monitoring tool.
k9s - Terminal-based Kubernetes UI
Visual interface for managing Kubernetes resources including ARK agents, teams, and models.
kubectl - Kubernetes Command-line Tool
Essential tool for managing Kubernetes clusters and ARK resources.
fark
fark
is the primary CLI tool for querying agents and teams, plus managing ARK resources.
Installation
# Build and install from repository root
make fark-install
# Verify installation
fark --help
Querying Agents and Teams
Agent Queries
# Basic agent query
fark agent weather "What's the weather today?"
# Math calculations
fark agent math "What is 15 * 23?"
# Location queries (uses get-coordinates tool)
fark agent location "Where is Paris?"
# Query with file input
fark agent weather -f input.txt "Analyze this weather data"
# Query with session management (requires memory service)
fark agent weather "What's the weather in NYC?" --session-id weather-session
fark agent weather "How about tomorrow?" --session-id weather-session
Team Queries
# Basic team query
fark team team-seq "Process this request"
# Query team with multiple agents
fark team team-seq "Calculate 2+2 and explain the result"
Query Management
# List all queries
fark query
# Trigger existing query
fark query weather-query
# Trigger with new input
fark query weather-query "What's the weather in London?"
Resource Management
Listing Resources
# List all agents
fark get agent
# List all teams
fark get team
# List all models
fark get model
# List all tools
fark get tool
# Get specific resource details
fark get agent weather
Creating Resources
# Create agent from file
fark create agent my-agent -f samples/agents/math.yaml
# Create agent with prompt
fark create agent my-math --prompt "You're an agent helping with calculations" --model default
# Create agent with tools
fark create agent my-location --prompt "Help with location queries" --tools get-coordinates
Updating Resources
# Update agent from file
fark update agent math -f updated-agent.yaml
# Update agent prompt
fark update agent math --prompt "You're an advanced mathematical assistant"
Deleting Resources
# Delete specific agent
fark delete agent math
# Delete team
fark delete team team-seq
Output Options
# JSON output
fark agent math "What is 5 + 3?" --json
# Verbose logging (shows token usage)
fark agent math "What is 5 + 3?" --verbose
# Silent mode (suppress event logging)
fark agent math "What is 5 + 3?" --silent
Server Mode
fark can also run as an HTTP server providing REST API endpoints:
# Start server on default port 8080
fark server
# Start server on custom port
fark server --port 9090
Shell Completion
# Install completion for zsh
fark completion zsh > ~/.fark-completion
echo "source ~/.fark-completion" >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc
# Install completion for bash
fark completion bash > /etc/bash_completion.d/fark
ark CLI
ark
provides an interactive dashboard and system monitoring capabilities.
Installation
# Build and install from repository root
make ark-cli-install
# Verify installation
ark --help
Interactive Menu
Launch the interactive menu interface:
# Start interactive menu (no arguments)
ark
# The menu provides:
# 🏷️ Dashboard
# 🔍 Status Check
# đź‘‹ Exit
Status Checking
Quick health checks of your ARK installation:
# Comprehensive status check (via menu or direct command)
ark check status
# Or select "🔍 Status Check" from the interactive menu
ark
Cluster Operations
# Get cluster type
ark cluster get-type
# Get cluster IP
ark cluster get-ip
# Get cluster IP with verbose output
ark cluster get-ip --verbose
# Use specific context
ark cluster get-ip --context minikube
Development Mode
# Run in development mode from repository root
make ark-cli-dev
# Or from tools/ark-cli directory
npm run dev
Common Use Cases
Development Workflow
# Create and test an agent
fark create agent test-math --prompt "You are a helpful math assistant"
fark agent test-math "What is 2 + 2?"
# Update and retest
fark update agent test-math --prompt "You are an advanced mathematical assistant"
fark agent test-math "Calculate the square root of 16"
# Clean up
fark delete agent test-math
Production Monitoring
# Check system health
ark check status
# Monitor specific resources
fark get agent
fark get team
# Query agents with structured output
fark agent weather "What's the weather?" --json
k9s
k9s is a terminal-based UI for Kubernetes that lets you interactively manage and work with your cluster. It provides a visual interface to navigate, inspect, and modify Kubernetes resources including ARK resources such as agents, teams, models, and queries without memorizing complex kubectl commands.
Installation
k9s is optionally installed with make quickstart
and can be launched from your terminal:
# installs k9s (optional)
make quickstart
# launch k9s
k9s
Useful Commands
Command | Description |
---|---|
? | Show help and all available commands |
:crds | Show all custom resource definitions (CRDs) including agents, models, teams |
:agents | Show all agents in the cluster |
:models | Show all models in the cluster |
:teams | Show all teams in the cluster |
:pods | Show all pods |
:svc | Show all services |
:deploy | Show all deployments |
d | Describe the selected resource |
Shift+J | Jump to owner (eg Agent → MCP Server) |
Shift+A | Sort resources by age |
e | Edit the selected resource |
Ctrl+D | Delete the selected resource |
l | View logs for the selected pod |
s | Shell into the selected pod |
/ | Filter resources by name |
Escape | Go back to previous view |
Navigate to any resource type by typing :
followed by the resource name. Use the arrow keys to select resources and the commands above to interact with them.
kubectl
kubectl
is the command-line tool for interacting with Kubernetes clusters. It’s essential for managing ARK resources and troubleshooting applications.
Installation
# macOS
brew install kubectl
# Linux
curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/$(curl -L -s https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt)/bin/linux/amd64/kubectl"
chmod +x kubectl
sudo mv kubectl /usr/local/bin/
# Windows
choco install kubernetes-cli
Basic Commands
View ARK Resources
# List all pods in the default namespace
kubectl get pods
# List all ARK custom resources
kubectl get queries,agents,teams,models
# Get detailed information about a specific query
kubectl describe query my-query
Logs and Debugging
# View logs from a pod
kubectl logs pod-name
# Follow logs in real-time
kubectl logs -f pod-name
# Execute commands in a running container
kubectl exec -it pod-name -- /bin/bash
Managing Resources
# Apply an ARK configuration
kubectl apply -f my-query.yaml
# Delete a resource
kubectl delete query my-query
# Edit a resource in-place
kubectl edit query my-query
Working with Namespaces
# List all namespaces
kubectl get namespaces
# Switch context to a specific namespace
kubectl config set-context --current --namespace=my-namespace
Useful Aliases
Add these to your shell configuration:
alias k=kubectl
alias kgp='kubectl get pods'
alias kgs='kubectl get svc'
alias kgn='kubectl get nodes'
Next: Learn about Compatible Models and AI provider integration.