self

kix self manages the versions of Kix installed in ~/.local/share/kix/ (or $XDG_DATA_HOME/kix/). Each version is an unpacked release archive in its own directory, ~/.local/share/kix/<version>/. The install script puts versions there, and so does Kix when a project’s kix setting names a version that is not installed.

kix self always runs in the version of Kix you typed, whatever the project’s kix.toml says. It reads no flake and contacts no cluster.

Note

This page is hand-maintained from cli/kix-cli/src/cli.rs, cli/kix-cli/src/commands/self_cmd.rs, cli/kix/src/installs.rs, and cli/kix/src/release/. When flag definitions or behavior change in the Rust source, update this page in the same change.

Synopsis

kix self install <VERSION>
kix self list
kix self prune [--keep <N>] [--dry-run]
kix self update

kix self install

Installs a version of Kix from kix.run. <VERSION> is a minor, such as 0.8, which installs the newest patch release of that minor, or an exact version, such as 0.8.3. A minor never installs a prerelease. Name a prerelease in full to install it, such as kix self install 0.9.0-rc.1.

Kix reads the release index at https://kix.run/releases/index.json, checks the release’s SHA256SUMS against its Ed25519 signature with the key built into Kix, downloads the release archive for this machine, checks its SHA-256, and unpacks it. A version is installed only after every check passes:

❱ kix self install 0.8

Installed Kix 0.8.4 to /home/me/.local/share/kix/0.8.4

Kix refuses to install a release when:

Condition	Message
No release matches for this platform	no Kix <version> release exists for <system>. The newest release is <latest>
The release has no signature	Kix <version> has no release signature, so Kix cannot verify it
The signature does not verify	the release signature for Kix <version> does not verify against any key built into Kix <running>. Kix did not install it. Report this at https://kix.run
The archive does not match SHA256SUMS	downloaded kix-<system>.tar.gz does not match SHA256SUMS (expected <a>, got <b>)
kix.run cannot be reached	could not reach <source>: <error>. Set KIX_AUTO_INSTALL=0 to stop Kix from installing versions, and install Kix <version> with the install script
Neither HOME nor XDG_DATA_HOME is set	Kix cannot find a home directory to install into. Set HOME or XDG_DATA_HOME.

When two commands install the same version at once, the one that finishes second finds it installed and uses it.

kix self list

Lists the installed versions, newest first. * marks the running Kix, and (on PATH) marks the version that the first kix on PATH runs:

❱ kix self list

kix self prune

Removes old versions. It keeps the newest versions (two unless you pass --keep), the running Kix, and the version that the first kix on PATH runs, and prints each version it removes.

Flag	Default	Description
--keep <N>	2	How many of the newest versions to keep.
--dry-run	false	Print the versions that would be removed, and remove nothing.

A project whose kix setting names a removed version gets it again the next time it runs, unless KIX_AUTO_INSTALL=0 is set.

kix self update

When the install script installed the running Kix, installs the newest release for this machine and moves the kix link the script made to it (~/.local/bin/kix, or the directory KIX_INSTALL_DIR named):

Kix 0.8.3 -> 0.8.4

When the running Kix is already the newest release, it prints Kix <version> is the newest release and changes nothing. A release never updates to a prerelease. A prerelease updates to a newer prerelease of the same release, such as 0.9.0-rc.1 to 0.9.0-rc.2, or to the newest release.

When the install script did not install the running Kix, it changes nothing, says how to upgrade instead, and exits with status 1, for example:

Kix 0.8.3 at /home/me/.nix-profile/bin/kix was not installed by the install script. Upgrade it the way you installed it, for example with nix profile upgrade kix

Kix knows the install script installed it, and which link it made, from ~/.local/share/kix/receipt.json, which the script writes.

Environment

Variable	Effect
XDG_DATA_HOME	Versions are installed under $XDG_DATA_HOME/kix/ in place of ~/.local/share/kix/.
KIX_AUTO_INSTALL	0, false, or no stops Kix from downloading a version on its own when a project needs one. kix self install still downloads.
KIX_RELEASE_SOURCE	A site laid out like https://kix.run, such as an internal mirror, that Kix fetches the release index, SHA256SUMS, signatures, release archives, and release notes from. Kix still checks every file against the signing key built into Kix, so a mirror only needs to copy the files.

Exit status

• 0 when the command succeeds.
• 1 when a release cannot be found, downloaded, or verified, when a version cannot be removed, or when kix self update runs in a Kix the install script did not install.