Quick Start

Get from install to first useful workflow quickly. This page assumes you already have a working kubeconfig and want to verify that Krust can read contexts, stream resources, and open the basic operational views.

Download

Install Krust with Homebrew:

brew install vanchonlee/tap/krust

Or download the latest .dmg from krust.io.

Launch

Open Krust. It automatically reads your ~/.kube/config and detects available contexts. If you use KUBECONFIG, make sure the environment is visible to the app launch method you use.

Select context & namespaces

Pick a context from the sidebar and toggle the namespaces you want to monitor. Krust starts streaming resources immediately.

Verify the core workflow

Browse pods, deployments, and services. Click one resource to open the inspector, open logs for one pod, then open the terminal panel. If those three steps work, your baseline setup is good.

First 5 Minutes Checklist

Confirm the expected context is selected.
Open one workload and verify status updates are live.
Open pod logs and run a search.
Open terminal/exec once to verify shell access.
If you use multiple clusters, enable a second context and compare views.

Tips

Open the command palette with Cmd+; to jump anywhere instantly.
Toggle the terminal with Ctrl+` — kubectl context is auto-injected.
Click a pod name to open logs, or right-click for exec, delete, and more.
Enable multi-cluster mode to monitor several contexts side-by-side.

If Something Looks Wrong

No contexts listed: check that your kubeconfig is valid and accessible.
No metrics: verify metrics-server is installed in the cluster.
Exec fails: confirm the container has a shell available and RBAC allows exec.

System Requirements

macOS 14+ (Sonoma or later)
Apple Silicon or Intel
~160 MB RAM at 1,700 pods
~30 MB disk space
A valid kubeconfig file