What is Kilobat CLI?
Kilobat CLI, from the Prague-based developer Philip Seifi, is a Swift command-line tool for macOS 14 and later. It reports which apps are using the connection, diagnoses Wi-Fi, DNS and routing problems, explains why one host will not connect, and keeps the Mac awake through a long job. Running kilobat mcp starts a local stdio MCP server with 85 tools that return the same JSON as the CLI's --json output.
The CLI is licensed GPL-3.0-only. The repository was created on 27 October 2026, v0.45.1 shipped on 2 November 2026, and it had one GitHub star when checked. Many tools lean on the separate, proprietary Kilobat Mac app: Wi-Fi names need its Location permission, history and the agent network log come from its recordings, and any blocking needs its signed Network Extension. The app is free, with a Pro upgrade at $29 paid once.
How to install Kilobat CLI
brew install seifip/kilobat/kilobat && claude mcp add kilobat -- kilobat mcpIs Kilobat CLI worth it?
Kilobat gives a coding agent something few MCP servers offer: an account of the machine's own network. When a package install hangs or an API call times out, diagnose_connection works through the interface, proxy, DNS, TCP and TLS layers and names the one that fails; service_status checks whether the agent's own model provider is reporting an outage; agent_network_log lists every host the agent and the commands it started (npm, pip, curl, git) contacted, with byte counts. Most of the 85 tools are read-only and carry that in their MCP annotations.
The rest change the Mac, and they decide whether to install it. The server's own instructions name 15 tools that change the user's settings: set_profile, set_app_rule, set_new_app_mode, block_destination, decide_approval, set_dns, set_fastest_dns, set_dns_fallback, set_budget, set_data_pack, set_app_quota, set_network_cost, set_updater_pause, set_kill_switch and set_protection. clear_history deletes history and cannot be undone. Beyond that list, reconnect_wifi drops Wi-Fi for a few seconds, hold_upload suspends another app's upload, keep_awake can keep a closed-lid Mac running, and set_airdrop_visibility opens System Settings. Each description tells the agent to explain the change and get explicit confirmation, and the README says the client controls permission prompts. Nothing in the server stops a model that ignores those instructions from turning the VPN kill switch or malware Protection off. set_dns is the one with a hard gate, because macOS itself asks for an administrator password.
Much of the write surface also depends on the companion app. Blocking, budgets, quotas, upload holds and the kill switch take effect only while the Kilobat app's network filter runs, and several are Pro features; the CLI alone covers live traffic, connection diagnostics and Wi-Fi signal. An agent can save a rule over MCP that does nothing, a case the README flags. The Homebrew formula builds from source and needs Xcode 16 or newer, so the first install on a clean Mac includes a compile.
The README states the CLI has no account and no telemetry, and the privacy notice says traffic history, network names and rules stay on the Mac, with the app's PostHog analytics off unless the user agrees. Tool results still put process names, hostnames, local devices and the public IP into the model's context, and run_speedtest moves up to 80 MB by default, which matters on a metered hotspot. Releases went from v0.30.0 to v0.45.1 within one day, 2 November 2026; for a project this young, its source is the only track record there is.
Where it earns its place
A backend developer running Claude Code on a MacBook
Find out why a package install or API call from the agent keeps hanging
The agent calls diagnose_connection on the failing host and service_status on its provider, then reports whether DNS, the route, a VPN or the remote service is at fault. Free with the CLI alone, and nothing on the Mac changes.
A security-minded engineer reviewing an agent's dependency installs
See every host an npm or pip install contacted during an agent session
With the Kilobat app recording, agent_network_log returns hosts, byte counts and flags per session, and check_host_reputation tests each host against locally downloaded threat lists without sending it anywhere.
A consultant working from hotel and café Wi-Fi
Decide whether the connection can carry a long build or a 5 GB download
get_conditions reports metered links, Low Data Mode, VPN, battery and heat, and get_captive_portal catches a sign-in page that looks like an outage. A speed test on a hotspot costs up to 80 MB unless the agent passes a smaller budget.
Before you commit
- Setup
- brew install seifip/kilobat/kilobat (builds from source; macOS 14+, Xcode 16+), then claude mcp add kilobat -- kilobat mcp or the codex equivalent. kilobat.app has guides for 13 clients; Claude Desktop needs the full path from /usr/bin/which kilobat.
- Integrations
- 85 tools in v0.45.1: traffic, Wi-Fi and mesh nodes, DNS benchmarking, traceroute, VPN leak checks, speed and iperf3 LAN tests, captive portals, Starlink and smart-home checks. Read-only tools are annotated readOnly; settings tools are annotated destructive.
- Data and privacy
- Runs locally over stdio and opens no port. The CLI has no account or telemetry; checks contact test endpoints and speed tests use Cloudflare. Output (process names, hosts, local devices, public IP) goes to your model provider. Write tools can change DNS, block apps and domains, turn off the VPN kill switch or Protection and delete history; confirmation is left to the client.
- Cost at scale
- Free. Tools backed by Kilobat Pro need the app's one-time $29 licence; run_speedtest transfers up to 80 MB per call by default.
- Limits
- macOS only. Blocking, budgets, quotas, upload holds and the kill switch need the app's Network Extension enabled; Wi-Fi names need the app's Location permission. 85 tool definitions load into every session.
What’s good
- Explains why one host fails, layer by layer
- Logs which hosts an agent's commands contacted
- Read-only and write tools carry MCP annotations
- CLI has no account or telemetry
What’s not
- Confirmation for settings changes is advisory only
- Blocking and budgets need the proprietary app
- macOS 14+ only; Homebrew build needs Xcode 16
- Two weeks old, one GitHub star
Best for
Mac developers who run coding agents locally and want them to diagnose their own network failures, in a client set to prompt before every write tool.
Kilobat CLI: common questions
- Is Kilobat CLI worth it?
- A careful Mac network toolkit for agents, held back by the fact that its 20 state-changing tools rely on the client, not the server, to ask you first. We rate it 3.6 out of 5.
- How much does Kilobat CLI cost?
- CLI and MCP server free under GPL-3.0-only. The optional Kilobat Mac app is free, with Pro at $29 paid once (14-day refunds) for blocking profiles, budgets, history and more.
- What are the downsides of Kilobat CLI?
- Confirmation for settings changes is advisory only; blocking and budgets need the proprietary app; macOS 14+ only; Homebrew build needs Xcode 16; two weeks old, one GitHub star.
- Who is Kilobat CLI best for?
- Mac developers who run coding agents locally and want them to diagnose their own network failures, in a client set to prompt before every write tool.
- How much does Kilobat CLI cost for a team or in production?
- Free. Tools backed by Kilobat Pro need the app's one-time $29 licence; run_speedtest transfers up to 80 MB per call by default.
- Is Kilobat CLI safe for company data?
- Runs locally over stdio and opens no port. The CLI has no account or telemetry; checks contact test endpoints and speed tests use Cloudflare. Output (process names, hosts, local devices, public IP) goes to your model provider. Write tools can change DNS, block apps and domains, turn off the VPN kill switch or Protection and delete history; confirmation is left to the client.
Answers checked Nov 11, 2026.