Tools
Category: Tools
What it does: Lets you install, upgrade, and verify the CLI tools that Kunobi depends on — mise, kind, kubectl, and helm — directly from the Settings UI without opening a terminal.
Why Manage Tools Here?
Kunobi uses mise as a version manager to install and run Kubernetes tools in an isolated, reproducible way. The Tools tab gives you visibility into which tools are installed, their current versions, and whether updates are available.
This is the same tool management that powers the Try Kunobi demo cluster feature.
Kubernetes Full Stack
The Tools tab shows the Kubernetes Full Stack — everything needed for a complete local development environment: Kind, Kubectl, and Helm (Docker is required for Kind).
Each row in the table shows:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Type | Plugin (managed by Kunobi), Mise (installed via mise), or System (system-level tool) |
| Tool | Tool name (Mise, Docker, Kind, Kubectl, Helm) |
| Status | Installed (green) or Not Installed |
| Path | Where the binary is located on disk |
| Version | Currently installed version |
| Latest | Newest available version — shown in blue when an update is available, — if already up to date |
Health Badges
Each tool shows a status badge indicating its current state:
- Installed (green checkmark) — Tool is installed and working
- Not Installed (gray) — Tool is not present on the system
- Update Available (blue version in Latest column) — A newer version is available
The Path column shows the exact binary location, which is useful for debugging when multiple versions of a tool are installed on your system.
Installing Individual Tools
Individual tools can be installed by selecting them and clicking Install in the toolbar. This is useful when you only need specific tools (e.g., kubectl without kind).
Upgrading a Tool
When a newer version is available, the Latest column shows it in blue. Select one or more tools and use the batch toolbar to upgrade them.
Batch Operations
Click rows to select multiple tools — a toolbar appears at the top showing how many are selected and the available actions:
gupgrade — Upgrade selected tools to their latest versionuuninstall — Uninstall selected toolsEscclear — Deselect all
Install All
Click Install All in the toolbar to install all uninstalled tools at once. This is the fastest way to set up a complete Kubernetes development environment.
Purging Mise
Warning: This is a destructive operation.
If you need to completely reset your tool installations, use the Purge Mise action. This removes:
- The mise binary itself
- All tools installed via mise (kind, kubectl, helm)
- All mise configuration data
After purging, you'll need to reinstall mise and all tools from scratch. Use this only if your tool installation is in a broken state that can't be fixed by reinstalling individual tools.
System Dependencies
Docker is a system-level dependency that Kunobi cannot install automatically. It must be installed manually from docker.com. Kunobi detects it automatically once installed.
Troubleshooting
Installation Fails
- Ensure you have an active internet connection (tools are downloaded from their official sources)
- Check that
miseis installed first if other tools fail - Try installing via terminal:
mise use kubectl kind helm
Tool Not Detected After Manual Install
If you installed a tool manually (e.g., via Homebrew) and it's not detected:
- Click the Refresh button at the top of the Tools tab
- Kunobi rescans for installed tools
Mise Not Found
If mise itself is missing and the Install button doesn't work:
curl https://mise.run | shThen restart Kunobi and the Tools tab will detect it.