Quickstart

Install

CLI
Python
TypeScript
Rust crate
Cargo

brew install lukacf/meerkat/rkat

The Homebrew tap supports macOS and Linux. On Linux, install Homebrew first from the Homebrew on Linux instructions, then use the same tap command.

pip install meerkat-sdk

The SDK resolves rkat-rpc automatically by default and downloads it when needed. Install the standalone binary only if you want to manage it yourself.

npm install @rkat/sdk

The SDK resolves rkat-rpc automatically by default and downloads it when needed. Install the standalone binary only if you want to manage it yourself.

Cargo.toml

[dependencies]
meerkat = { version = "0.8.22", features = ["anthropic", "jsonl-store"] }
meerkat-store = "0.8.22"
meerkat-tools = "0.8.22"
tokio = { version = "1", features = ["full"] }

cargo install rkat

Before your first run, set up provider credentials. The fastest path is environment variables; for realm-scoped bindings and OAuth flows, see Auth and Providers.

Meerkat’s OpenAI/global default, gpt-5.6-sol, is currently limited to preview-enabled API organizations and Codex workspaces. If the relevant account context does not have GPT-5.6 preview access, explicitly select the broadly available gpt-5.5 model.

Run an agent

Rust
Python
TypeScript
CLI

use std::sync::Arc;
use meerkat::{AgentBuilder, AgentFactory, AnthropicClient, JsonlStore};
use meerkat_store::StoreAdapter;

let api_key = std::env::var("ANTHROPIC_API_KEY")?;
let store_dir = std::env::current_dir()?.join(".rkat").join("sessions");
std::fs::create_dir_all(&store_dir)?;

let factory = AgentFactory::new(store_dir.clone());
let client = Arc::new(AnthropicClient::new(api_key)?);
let llm = factory.build_llm_adapter(client, "claude-sonnet-4-6").await;
let store = Arc::new(JsonlStore::new(store_dir));
store.init().await?;
let store = Arc::new(StoreAdapter::new(store));
let tools = Arc::new(meerkat_tools::EmptyToolDispatcher);

let mut agent = AgentBuilder::new()
    .model("claude-sonnet-4-6")
    .system_prompt("You are a helpful assistant. Be concise in your responses.")
    .max_tokens_per_turn(1024)
    .build(Arc::new(llm), tools, store)
    .await?;

let result = agent
    .run("What is the capital of France? Answer in one sentence.".into())
    .await?;
println!("Response: {}", result.text);

from meerkat import MeerkatClient

client = MeerkatClient()
await client.connect()
result = await client.create_session(prompt="What is the capital of France?")
print(result.text)
await client.close()

import { MeerkatClient } from "@rkat/sdk";

const client = new MeerkatClient();
await client.connect();
const result = await client.createSession("What is the capital of France?");
console.log(result.text);
await client.close();

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-...
rkat run "What is the capital of France?"

To share state across processes/surfaces, pass the same explicit realm (--realm for CLI, realm_id/realmId for SDK clients). See realms.

Switch providers

Same code, different model. The provider is resolved from the model registry:

rkat run --model claude-sonnet-4-6 "Explain monads"
rkat run --model gpt-5.6-sol "Explain monads"
rkat run --model gemini-3.5-flash "Explain monads"

Add tools

rkat mcp add filesystem -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /tmp
rkat run "List the files in /tmp"

Remote streamable HTTP MCP servers can be added with a URL. OAuth-protected servers keep config simple and authenticate when you log in or run interactively:

rkat mcp add --transport http glean https://king-be.glean.com/mcp/default
rkat mcp login glean
rkat run "Use Glean to search for onboarding docs"

Enforce budgets

Cap token usage, wall-clock time, or tool calls:

rkat run --max-tokens 10000 --max-duration 30s --max-tool-calls 5 "Analyze this codebase"

The agent completes its current turn when a limit is hit, then stops.

What’s next

Examples gallery — the central real-code hub after your first successful run
Sessions example — the best next stop if you want the core multi-turn flow first
Auth — environment vars, realms, bindings, and OAuth flows
Providers — model tables and provider parameters
Rust SDK / Python SDK / TypeScript SDK — full API reference

For a maintained repository starter, see the Rust example in the Meerkat repository under meerkat/examples/simple.rs.

Getting started

Concepts

Guides: Models And Hosting

Guides: Runtime Behavior

Guides: Orchestration

Examples: Foundations

Examples: Capabilities

Examples: Orchestration And Deployment

Install

Run an agent

Switch providers

Add tools

Enforce budgets

What’s next

​Install

​Run an agent

​Switch providers

​Add tools

​Enforce budgets

​What’s next

Install

Run an agent

Switch providers

Add tools

Enforce budgets

What’s next