# Show HN: K10s – A Clickable Kubernetes TUI (Go, Bubble Tea) > Source: > Published: 2026-10-08 18:29:06+00:00 **k9s taught us to live in the terminal. k10s makes that terminal point-and-click, instantly searchable, themeable - and gives it an AI that already knows your cluster, namespace and selected object.** [Install](#install) · [Try it with no cluster](#try-it-in-30-seconds-no-cluster-required) · [Features](#what-you-get) · [k9s → k10s](#coming-from-k9s) · [Docs](https://github.com/p10node/k10s/blob/main/docs/README.md) · [Build log](https://github.com/p10node/k10s/blob/main/docs/build-in-public.md) A real terminal capture of `k10s demo` running - `just screenshot`, on the offline demo backend. Every frame in these docs comes out of the running binary, never hand-drawn. A cluster dashboard is something you open twenty times a day, usually while something is on fire. The two things that matter are **how fast it opens** and **how little you have to remember**. - **Nothing is hidden behind memorised keys.** The actions that apply to the thing you selected are listed, right there, in their own pane. Click one, or press the letter next to it. - **Your mouse works.** Click a row, click a pane, click`[ zoom ]` , click`ns default ▾` , scroll the table. Every border button is real. - **One search box for the whole cluster.**`ctrl+p` searches resource kinds*and* objects together. No prefix language to learn. - **It opens instantly.** Startup registers**zero** watches and waits for nothing - informers start lazily, per kind, the first time you look at one. Opening Pods watches pods, not every Secret and Event you own. ([how, and the regression guards](https://github.com/p10node/k10s/blob/main/docs/performance.md) ) - **AI that can see the screen.**`ctrl+a` , ask in plain English. The current context, namespace, kind and selected object are injected into the prompt, so "why is this pod unhealthy?" means*this* pod. - **It updates itself.**`/update` installs the newest release over the running binary - checksum-verified, atomic, offers to restart into it. - **Your k9s-style command plugins fit.** Put scoped shortcuts in`~/.k10s/plugins.yaml` ; they appear beside built-in actions and receive the selected object, namespace, context and column values. k10s ships an offline demo backend: a realistic cluster to click around in, including a CrashLoopBackOff to poke at. It is **opt-in**, because sample data should never be mistaken for your machine. ``` git clone https://github.com/p10node/k10s && cd k10s go run . demo # the sample cluster - fake data, clearly labelled go run . # your real cluster, or "No cluster" if there isn't one ``` The demo is a **context**, not a mode. `k10s demo` opens on it, `/demo` switches to it from anywhere, and `:ctx` always lists it (labelled `k10s demo · sample data`, with a legend under the list). **To leave it, pick any other context** - there is no separate exit. While it is up the header carries a `DEMO` marker, so no frame of it can be mistaken for a real cluster. Plain `k10s` reads the same kubeconfig `kubectl` does (`$KUBECONFIG`, else `~/.kube/config`) and shows what that context can reach - and nothing else. With no kubeconfig, or a context whose API server does not answer, the main panel says **No cluster** and points at the way in: `r` retries, `:ctx` picks another context, `/setup` has the kubectl and kubeconfig links. [docs/cluster-setup.md](https://github.com/p10node/k10s/blob/main/docs/cluster-setup.md) is the same guide, longer. ``` curl -fsSL https://p10node.com/k10s/install.sh | sh ``` macOS and Linux, `amd64` and `arm64`. It picks the right prebuilt binary, verifies its sha256 against the release manifest, and installs it into `/usr/local/bin` (or `~/.local/bin` when that needs a password it cannot ask for). `--dir`, `--version` and `--no-sudo` are in [docs/install.md](https://github.com/p10node/k10s/blob/main/docs/install.md), along with how to read it before you run it and the matching `uninstall.sh`. With Go on the box: ``` go install github.com/p10node/k10s@latest ``` Or from a clone, which also stamps the version into the binary: ``` git clone https://github.com/p10node/k10s && cd k10s just install # → $GOBIN/k10s, version-stamped ``` Prebuilt static binaries for **darwin/amd64, darwin/arm64, linux/amd64, linux/arm64 and windows/amd64** are published on every tag — Windows is the one platform the installer script sends to the [release page](https://github.com/p10node/k10s/releases) instead. Every later upgrade is just: ``` k10s update ``` Then run it: ``` k10s # your current kubeconfig context k10s demo # the built-in sample cluster, no cluster needed k10s --readonly # look, never touch: nothing that changes the cluster k10s --version # which build is this ``` 30 kinds across **Workloads · Network · Config · Storage · RBAC · Cluster · Custom Resources**, each with a live row count for the current namespace. Your CRDs are discovered automatically - no configuration. Groups fold: `space`, `left` or a click on the header, remembered across restarts, with Config/Storage/RBAC folded to begin with. A folded group also asks your cluster for nothing - the sidebar is what decides which kinds get counted, and counting is one `limit=1` request per *visible* kind, six at a time, with refusals remembered. Pods · Deployments · ReplicaSets · StatefulSets · DaemonSets · Jobs · CronJobs · HPAs · Services · Endpoints · Ingresses · NetworkPolicies · ConfigMaps · Secrets · ResourceQuotas · LimitRanges · PDBs · PVCs · PVs · StorageClasses · ServiceAccounts · Roles · RoleBindings · ClusterRoles · ClusterRoleBindings · Nodes · Namespaces · Events · CRDs · Custom Resources | `d` describe | real `kubectl describe` output, from the API | | `y` YAML | the live object | | `l` logs | **follows** (`-f` ), newest at the bottom, scroll back 500 lines | | `s` shell | a real interactive exec session - raw TTY, resize-aware, in-panel | | `p` port-forward | real SPDY forward, start/stop from the pane | | `m` top | pod/node metrics, per container, with requests vs limits | | `e` edit ·`r` restart ·`c` scale | rollout restart, scale, `$EDITOR` | | `o` /`u` | cordon-uncordon / drain - offered only when Nodes is selected | | `D` delete | red confirm modal, because it should be scary | Add your own scoped actions with the core k9s `plugins.yaml` format. They can run foreground or background commands, request confirmation, override a built-in shortcut deliberately, and are clickable in the same pane. See the [plugin guide and installable example](https://github.com/p10node/k10s/blob/main/docs/plugins.md). ``` ╭─ logs -f billing-worker-6f8d9c5b7-qq91x ────────────────────────────────── [ close ] [ restore ] ╮ │ 8 2026-08-25T08:12:18.331Z INFO http GET /v1/users/me 200 3.1ms │ │ trace=44b1e2f9 │ │ 7 2026-08-25T08:12:21.660Z INFO worker flushed batch size=250 dur=41ms │ │ 6 2026-08-25T08:12:25.019Z INFO http GET /healthz 200 0.3ms │ │ 5 2026-08-25T08:12:31.402Z INFO http DELETE /v1/sessions/9a1 204 5.7ms │ │ trace=7c0d19ba │ │ 4 2026-08-25T08:12:33.881Z WARN gc pause=18ms heap=412Mi │ │ 3 2026-08-25T08:12:40.117Z INFO http GET /v1/orders/88213 200 7.4ms │ │ trace=e21f8b05 │ │ 2 2026-08-25T08:12:44.590Z INFO metrics scrape ok series=1842 │ │ 1 2026-08-25T08:12:51.008Z INFO http GET /healthz 200 0.3ms │ │ ● following newest at bottom 500 loaded · ↑ for older │ ╰──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯ ╭─ Prompt · plain text → AI · /commands still work · esc close ─ [ grow ] [ AI · claude-sonnet-5 ] ╮ │ ✦ ask about your cluster… · /settings to change provider/model │ ╰──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯ ● AI mode — plain text goes to claude-sonnet-5 tab panes · enter open · ctrl+p search · f find… ``` `ctrl+a` toggles it. Bring your own key - **OpenAI-compatible** (so also Groq, Together, OpenRouter, vLLM, Ollama, LM Studio, any local gateway) or **Anthropic**. Answers open as a normal text view you can scroll, zoom and close. No cluster data leaves your machine unless you press enter in AI mode. The only other network call k10s makes on its own is the once-a-day update check, which asks GitHub for a version number and nothing else. `tokyo-night` (default) · `catppuccin-mocha` · `dracula` · `nord` · `gruvbox-dark` · `solarized-dark` · `solarized-light` · `matrix` `T` cycles, `/theme` opens a picker that **applies each theme as you move through the list** - you judge it on the real UI, not on a name - and `esc` puts back whatever you had. Drop a YAML palette into `~/.k10s/themes`, restart, and it appears in the same picker — no rebuild needed. See the [custom-theme guide and installable demo](https://github.com/p10node/k10s/blob/main/docs/themes.md). - **Copy mode** (`ctrl+s` ) releases the mouse so your terminal can drag-select and copy - the one thing every mouse-capturing TUI breaks. - **An honest loading state** instead of "no resources found" while a watch is still syncing. - **Namespace and context pickers that never ask you to type a name.** - **No setup screen.** First run opens the cluster; every setting has a working default and`/settings` is one keystroke away when you want it. - **A grow-able prompt** (`ctrl+z` ) - because a long kubectl line or an AI question does not fit in a one-row field that scrolls sideways. - **A terminal-too-small notice** instead of a garbled layout. k10s exists because of [k9s](https://github.com/derailed/k9s). Credit where it is due: k9s is mature, enormous in scope, plugin-extensible, and it is the reason a whole generation of us stopped typing `kubectl get pods` all day. k10s is younger and deliberately narrower. The difference is philosophy: | | k9s | k10s | |---|---|---| | Primary input | keyboard-first, command-driven | **mouse *and* keyboard, equally** | | Discovery | you learn the commands | **the actions for the selected object are listed on screen** | | Search | per-view filter, plus `:` to jump between views | **one box (`ctrl+p`) over kinds *and* objects** | | AI | plugin territory | **built in, with cluster context injected** | | Scope | very large, plugin ecosystem | **small, opinionated, core command-plugin compatibility** | | Upgrades | your package manager | **`k10s update`, self-replacing** | **Use k9s if** you want the biggest feature surface, its full plugin ecosystem, and years of production mileage. **Use k10s if** you want something you can hand to a teammate who has never opened a TUI, and have them find `logs` on their own in ten seconds. The short version - the [full reference is here](https://github.com/p10node/k10s/blob/main/docs/keybindings.md). | Key | Action | |---|---| | `tab` /`shift+tab` | cycle panes | | `↑↓` (`j` /`k` ) ·`pgup/pgdn` ·`g` /`G` | move · page · first/last | | type (Resources focused) | instant kind filter · `esc` clears | | `f` | find: search every column of the open table | | `ctrl+p` | **search everything** - kinds and objects in one box | | `enter` / double-click | open it: logs if it has them, else describe | | `z` | zoom / restore the centre pane | | `:` /`/` | command prompt (with a suggestions popup) | | `ctrl+a` | AI prompt mode ✦ | | `T` /`ctrl+t` | cycle themes | | `ctrl+s` | copy mode - release the mouse to select & copy | | click / wheel | anywhere in a pane selects it, blank space included | | `q` /`ctrl+c` | quit | Two prefixes, and each one only ever shows its own set. **`/` is k10s itself (theme, settings, updates). `:` is the cluster, in the k9s vocabulary** - a resource view, the namespace, the context, or something acting on what is on screen. `enter` runs the highlighted suggestion immediately - no second trip through the prompt. ``` /theme /settings /mouse /update /version /demo /setup /help k10s itself :po :deploy :rs :sts :ds :job :cj :hpa workloads :svc :ep :ing :netpol network :cm :sec :quota :limits :pdb config :pvc :pv :sc storage :sa :role :rb :crole :crb rbac :no :ns :ev :crd :cr cluster + custom the short form is what the popup lists; every kind also answers to its plural and singular - :pods, :pod, :deployments, :persistentvolumes ... and `:aliases` prints the lot :po kube-system that kind, in that namespace (`all` works) :svc api an argument that is not a namespace filters :ns :ctx namespace / context picker :ns :ctx switch either outright :aliases :search :filter :scale :q ``` **`/` is k10s, `:` is the cluster** - namespace and context are `:ns` and `:ctx`, not `/ns` and `/context`. `:aliases` prints the whole `:` vocabulary. Anything that is not a `/` or `:` command **runs as a shell command** and its output opens in the main panel - `date`, `kubectl get pods -o wide`, `helm list`. Run through your own `$SHELL`, capped at 30s, with no terminal attached (use `s` on a pod for an interactive shell). [Full command reference](https://github.com/p10node/k10s/blob/main/docs/commands.md). k10s opens on **kubeconfig's current-context** — the cluster `kubectl` would talk to. `:ctx ` switches for the session without touching kubeconfig; `kubectl config use-context` is what changes where it opens next time. Theme, namespace, folded sidebar groups, AI settings and the update check persist to `~/.k10s/config.yaml` (override with `K10S_CONFIG`), saved on every change. See [config.md](https://github.com/p10node/k10s/blob/main/docs/config.md). **Note:** the AI API key is stored as plain text in that file (mode 0600) and masked in the UI. If that is not acceptable in your environment, leave it empty and AI mode simply stays off. | [architecture.md](https://github.com/p10node/k10s/blob/main/docs/architecture.md) | packages, the `Source` boundary, render pipeline, mouse zones | | [performance.md](https://github.com/p10node/k10s/blob/main/docs/performance.md) | lazy watches, cheap counts, and the guards that keep it fast | | [ui.md](https://github.com/p10node/k10s/blob/main/docs/ui.md) | layout, panes, focus, zoom, overlays | | [keybindings.md](https://github.com/p10node/k10s/blob/main/docs/keybindings.md) | full key + mouse reference | | [commands.md](https://github.com/p10node/k10s/blob/main/docs/commands.md) | prompt modes, slash commands, AI settings | | [themes.md](https://github.com/p10node/k10s/blob/main/docs/themes.md) | theme list, picker, palette contract | | [config.md](https://github.com/p10node/k10s/blob/main/docs/config.md) ·[update.md](https://github.com/p10node/k10s/blob/main/docs/update.md) | what persists · how self-update works | | [cluster-setup.md](https://github.com/p10node/k10s/blob/main/docs/cluster-setup.md) | no cluster? installing kubectl and getting a `~/.kube/config` | | [backends.md](https://github.com/p10node/k10s/blob/main/docs/backends.md) ·[dev.md](https://github.com/p10node/k10s/blob/main/docs/dev.md) | live vs demo backend · build, tests, headless renderer | | [roadmap.md](https://github.com/p10node/k10s/blob/main/docs/roadmap.md) | what is done, what is missing, and the known limits | | [marketing.md](https://github.com/p10node/k10s/blob/main/docs/marketing.md) ·[build-in-public.md](https://github.com/p10node/k10s/blob/main/docs/build-in-public.md) | how this project is being shared | The barrier is low on purpose. `just` lists every recipe: ``` just dev # run from source just shot 140 44 # render one frame headlessly - no TTY, no cluster just screenshot # capture the README hero from a real terminal (vhs) just check # fmt + vet + test, in the order that fails fastest ``` `cmd/shot` is why UI work here is pleasant: you can iterate on layout, replay keystrokes (`just shot 140 44 j,j,d`) and diff frames without a terminal or a cluster. Nothing in these docs is drawn by hand - the frames come from that renderer, the hero image from `just screenshot` driving the real binary in a real terminal. Good first issues live in [roadmap.md → possible next steps](https://github.com/p10node/k10s/blob/main/docs/roadmap.md#possible-next-steps): more kinds, click-to-sort columns, multi-select bulk delete, grep inside the log stream, saved views. **Honest status:** every live path is implemented against the real client-go/kubectl APIs and covered by tests with fake clientsets, but this tree has not yet been smoke-tested against a production cluster by its author. Try it on `kind` first. The known limits are listed [in the roadmap](https://github.com/p10node/k10s/blob/main/docs/roadmap.md#known-limits) rather than buried. To my colleagues - the people whose questions, over-the-shoulder debugging sessions and "can you just check if that pod is up?" pings are the entire reason this exists. k10s was not built to be a project; it was built so that looking at our clusters would stop being the annoying part of your day. Every pane in it is an answer to something one of you asked me. Thank you for the inspiration, the patience, and for being the first users. *Cảm ơn các đồng nghiệp của tôi - repo này được viết ra để phục vụ các bạn, và chính các bạn là nguồn cảm hứng cho k10s.* To [@derailed](https://github.com/derailed) and **k9s**, for proving a Kubernetes TUI could be something you actually want to open. To [Charm](https://github.com/charmbracelet) - **Bubble Tea**, **Lip Gloss**, **Bubbles** - and to [BubbleZone](https://github.com/lrstanley/bubblezone), which is the reason any of this is clickable at all. [Apache-2.0](https://github.com/p10node/k10s/blob/main/LICENSE) - the same license as Kubernetes, Helm and k9s. Use it, fork it, ship it inside your company.