kater init

Sets up Kater for your organisation, one step at a time.

Run it again at any time to continue where you stopped. An Admin runs the whole setup. A Developer runs it to set up their own computer: Connect the Kater MCP, then Make local copy, Editor extension and Start AI session. A Viewer cannot run it. If you are not signed in, it opens your browser. There you sign in, or sign up for Kater first.

Commands

Command	What it does
`kater init guide`	How an agent sets up Kater for an admin or a Developer.
`kater init status`	Every step’s status and the next command.
`kater init content-store`	Before step 1: set up the content store.
`kater init connection`	Step 1: Connect warehouse.
`kater init schemas`	List the databases, or one database’s schemas.
`kater init schema-sync`	Step 2: Sync schemas, the ones the admin selected.
`kater init first-query`	Step 3: Run first query.
`kater init mcp`	Step 4: Connect the Kater MCP.
`kater init about`	Step 5: Company description.
`kater init tables`	List the synced tables, or read a few values of some.
`kater init team`	Step 6: Invite team.
`kater init local-copy`	Step 7: Make local copy.
`kater init vscode`	Step 8: Editor extension.
`kater init write-back`	Step 9: GitHub write-back of the shared layer.
`kater init agent`	Step 10: Start AI session, with the local Kater MCP and the first skill.
`kater init skip`	Leave an optional step out.
`kater init reset`	Start the steps over.

Examples

# Set up Kater for your organisation, or continue where you stopped
kater init
# Continue a setup that another admin started
kater init --takeover
# Start the steps again, and keep everything that you set up
kater init --reset
# Print the guide that an agent follows to set up Kater for you
kater init guide
# See the status of each step and the command for the next step
kater init status

Options

Option	Description
`--reset`	Starts the steps again. It clears the progress and the answers saved on this computer. Nothing that you set up is removed. It goes with `kater init` alone. An agent runs `kater init reset` instead.
`--takeover`	Continues a setup that another admin started. Put it before a subcommand to use it there, such as `kater init --takeover content-store`.

It also takes --help.

The steps

kater init alone shows the steps on a screen in your terminal. It asks questions, so it needs a terminal. Each subcommand does one step, for an agent that sets up Kater for you.

Step	Command	Required
Before step 1. Set up the content store	`kater init content-store`	Yes
1. Connect warehouse	`kater init connection`	Yes
2. Sync schemas	`kater init schema-sync`	Yes
3. Run first query	`kater init first-query`	Yes
4. Connect the Kater MCP	`kater init mcp`	Yes
5. Company description	`kater init about`	No
6. Invite team	`kater init team`	No
7. Make local copy	`kater init local-copy`	No
8. Editor extension	`kater init vscode`	No
9. GitHub write-back	`kater init write-back`	No
10. Start AI session	`kater init agent`	No

The content store and the four required steps make Kater ready. To leave out an optional step, run kater init skip.

One admin at a time

Kater keeps the progress on its server, so an admin can continue it from any computer. Only one admin works on the setup at a time. Each step holds the setup for 15 minutes. When another admin holds it, the command stops and says so. Add --takeover to continue their setup.

The answers that you type are also saved on this computer, so you do not type them again. Kater never saves a password, a passphrase or a key there.

Set up Kater with an agent

An agent such as Claude Code or Codex can do the setup for you, in your shell. It starts with kater init guide and follows that guide.

A Developer runs the same guide. Kater answers a Developer’s own steps, Connect the Kater MCP, Make local copy, Editor extension and Start AI session, which each Developer runs on their own computer. Connect the Kater MCP is required. Nobody else holds them, so --takeover does not apply.

Each subcommand prints one JSON object.
ok says whether the step worked.
onboarding holds the status of each step.
next gives the command for the next step, and what the agent must ask you first.
When a step fails, error says why, and the command exits with code 1.
Every subcommand except guide signs you in first when you are not signed in. It waits 15 minutes at most for you to sign in.

Where it runs

Run it in your own terminal, or let an agent run it in your shell. The Kater MCP’s kater tool and the Files terminal in Kater do not run it.