klimax documentation
klimax is a dependency-free CLI that runs a single Lima (Apple Virtualization.framework) VM on your Mac, installs Docker inside it, and manages multiple kind clusters with pure L3 routing — reach pods and LoadBalancer services by their real IP, with no port-forwarding, no SNAT, and no VPN.
New here? Start with the getting-started guide — it takes you from an empty Mac to a routable, multi-cluster lab in a few commands.
Install, upgrade, wipe
Getting started →
Install, bring up the VM, and create your first routable kind cluster.
Upgrading klimax →
Pull a new release, then rebuild the VM so it re-provisions — cache intact.
Reset & reinstall →
Three levels of teardown, from a VM rebuild to a full clean-state wipe.
Cluster management
Managing clusters →
Create, list, switch, label, verify, and delete individual kind clusters.
Fleet management →
Create and tear down whole fleets of kind clusters from one manifest.
Configuration
Configuration →
Every field in ~/.klimax/config.yaml — VM, networking, kind, registries.
Registry mirrors →
Pull-through caches for docker.io, quay.io, gcr.io, and Google Artifact Registry.
Reference
CLI reference →
Every command and flag: up, cluster, registry, docker-env, and more.
Fleet resource →
The Fleet manifest schema — fields, defaults, labels, and validation.
Networking & L3 routing →
How the macOS route, vzNAT, and iptables exemptions give pods real IPs.
Architecture →
Host → Lima VZ → Docker → kind → bridge network, component by component.
Changelog →
Notable features and fixes per release — fleets, mirrors, custom DNS, and more.
Ecosystem
Helm with klimax →
Install charts into klimax clusters and reach them by LoadBalancer IP.
Klimax UI →
The native macOS app for your VM, clusters, and registry mirrors.
vs. other tools →
How klimax compares to Rancher Desktop, Colima, and OrbStack.
Agent Skill →
Install the klimax skill so Claude Code and other AI tools can drive ephemeral clusters.
Requirements at a glance
- macOS 13 Ventura or later — Apple Virtualization.framework (
vmType: vz) is required. - Apple Silicon (arm64). x86_64 is untested.
- One-time
sudoonklimax upto add the host route;klimax downneeds no sudo. - Everything else — Docker, kind, kubectl, the Lima guest agent — is provisioned inside the VM on first
klimax up.
klimax is self-contained and uses its own vzNAT bridge, so it coexists with OrbStack, Docker Desktop, Colima, and Rancher Desktop without conflict. See vs. other tools.