Kerf

Declarative workflow engine for Claude CLI. Deterministic tools run first, the LLM handles reasoning when needed, everything gets logged.

uv tool install kerf
kerf init && kerf run summarize "Your text here..."

Get Started

• Installation: install Kerf and prerequisites
• Quickstart: scaffold a project, run a workflow, see the output
• Project Structure: what kerf init creates and why

Guides

• Writing Workflows: define pipelines as JSON config
• Writing Tools: add deterministic preprocessing steps
• Using the API Server: run workflows over HTTP
• Using MCP Servers: give the LLM access to external data
• Reading Logs: audit execution results and extract patterns

Concepts

• How the Engine Works: pipeline execution, tool resolution, fallback handling
• Fallback Policies: retry, deterministic, flag
• Design Decisions: why subprocess, why sync, why named conditions

Reference

• CLI Commands: every command, flag, and option
• Workflow Format: JSON schema for workflow files
• Tool API: function signatures, conditions, registration
• Built-ins: tools and conditions that ship with Kerf
• Configuration: kerf.toml and project settings
• Server API: HTTP endpoints