Kast

kast gives you compiler-backed Kotlin answers in your terminal, CI, or agent. Use it when text search can show you where a name appears, but you need to know which declaration it resolves to, which callers are real, or whether a planned edit is safe to apply.

kast has two independent runtime modes:

• Standalone CLI + backend — install the kast CLI and run kast-standalone to start the analysis backend. Fully independent from IntelliJ; works in terminals, CI, and headless agents.
• IntelliJ plugin-backed runtime — runs inside IntelliJ IDEA and reuses the IDE's already-open project model, indexes, and analysis session.

Both runtime modes expose the same JSON-RPC contract, so the calling workflow does not change when you switch between them.

Install

Pick the entry point you want first:

Runtime mode	Best when	Install
Standalone CLI + backend	You want an independent runtime for terminal work, CI, or agents	Install guide
IntelliJ plugin-backed runtime	IntelliJ is already open and you want to reuse its already-open project model and indexes	Plugin install guide · Latest plugin zip

Install the kast CLI from any shell:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/amichne/kast/HEAD/kast.sh | bash

Then start the standalone backend before running analysis commands:

# Start the backend (keep running in background or separate terminal)
kast-standalone --workspace-root=/path/to/your/workspace

# Once READY, run commands from another shell
kast resolve --workspace-root=/path/to/your/workspace --file-path=... --offset=42

If IntelliJ with the plugin is already open on the project, skip kast-standalone — the CLI connects to the IDE's backend automatically.

Why kast instead of text search?

kast answers questions that grep and rg cannot answer reliably on their own:

• Resolve the exact symbol, not just the spelling. kast asks the Kotlin analysis engine which declaration a position refers to.
• Trace usage with semantic context. Reference and caller queries follow compiler-backed relationships instead of matching strings.
• Plan edits before applying them. Rename and edit flows are designed to surface conflicts before they touch files.

Choose the runtime that fits your workflow

Use the standalone path when you need a fully independent process or when no IDE is running. Use the IntelliJ plugin-backed path when IntelliJ already has the project open and you want kast to piggyback on the IDE's existing project model and index.

For the full comparison, see Backends.

Documentation

• Documentation site: https://amichne.github.io/kast/
• Install guide: https://amichne.github.io/kast/getting-started/install/
• Backend comparison: https://amichne.github.io/kast/getting-started/backends/