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Installation

Prerequisites

  • Linux: KVM-enabled host (most cloud VMs, bare metal)
  • macOS: Docker Desktop or Apple Containers (macOS 26+)
  • Windows: WSL2 with Docker (untested)

Quick Install

brew tap thrashr888/agentkernel && brew install agentkernel

Install Script

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/thrashr888/agentkernel/main/install.sh | sh

This installs the agentkernel binary to ~/.local/bin/.

Manual Install

From Source

git clone https://github.com/thrashr888/agentkernel
cd agentkernel
cargo build --release
cp target/release/agentkernel ~/.local/bin/

From Releases

Download the latest release from GitHub Releases.

Setup

After installation, run setup to configure your backend:

agentkernel setup

This will: 1. Detect available backends (Firecracker, Docker, Podman, Apple Containers) 2. Download required images 3. Configure default settings

Backend-Specific Setup

Linux (Firecracker)

Requires KVM access:

# Add user to kvm group
sudo usermod -aG kvm $USER

# Verify KVM access
ls -la /dev/kvm

macOS (Docker Desktop)

Install Docker Desktop and ensure it's running.

macOS 26+ (Apple Containers)

Apple Containers is built-in to macOS 26+. No additional setup required.

Verify Installation

agentkernel --version
agentkernel run echo "Hello from sandbox!"